Our First Look At The A-1 Title Game

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class A-1 state championship game is set! #1 Rejoice Christian will square off with #3 Tonkawa in Edmond on Thursday night at 7PM. For the top-ranked Eagles, Thursday night is an opportunity to capture a second consecutive state championship. They won the program's first gold ball last season and they are hungry for more. But they find themselves going head to head with one of the most underrated "blue blood" programs in Oklahoma. Tonkawa has returned to the state championship under first year head coach Trenton Harmon and the Bucs are hungry for another gold ball. In this post, we take our first look at both teams prior to their title clash on Thursday night. Be sure to check out our <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PrepRedzoneOklahoma">PRZ-Oklahoma YouTube Channel</a></strong> for exclusive (and free) video content, including interviews with both head coaches!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#1 REJOICE CHRISTIAN EAGLES (12-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 29th - Beat NOAH 48-27<br>Sept. 5th - Lost To Cascia Hall 21-14<br>Sept. 19th - Beat Christian Heritage 31-7<br>Sept. 26th - Beat Haskell 76-7<br>Oct. 3rd - Beat Pocola 27-20<br>Oct. 10th - Beat Panama 51-0<br>Oct. 16th - Beat Hartshorne 49-14<br>Oct. 23rd - Beat Chouteau 65-8<br>Oct. 31st - Beat Hulbert 54-6<br>Nov. 7th - Beat Warner 70-0<br>1st Round - Beat Morrison 48-20<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Hooker 49-8<br>Semifinals - Beat Pawhuska 42-34</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>HOW THEY GOT HERE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prior to last season, Rejoice Christian had never played for the state championship. Now, they are one win away from two straight titles. The Eagles came into this season as the team to beat in Class A-1 and they've certainly played like it all season. The only blemish on the record was a week one loss to 3A's Cascia Hall by a touchdown. Other than that, the Eagles have flown high this season. But they come into this week's championship game after a year where they had to battle adversity and show a lot of resiliency. They battled through injuries to key players and tough games throughout. Including a week five road win over Pocola and their semifinal showdown with Pawhuska. In both games, the Eagles were pushed and backed into a corner. They didn't flinch and came away with wins. The Pocola win decided the district title while the Pawhuska win punched their ticket to Edmond. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY<br>1-0 Record - 2nd Title Game Appearance</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rejoice Christian is a little over a decade removed from playing 8-man football. The Eagles have had a lot of success in the last decade but people forget this is still a really young program. Thursday night's championship game will be their second appearance in the state championship game and both appearances have happened in the last 365 days. Rejoice Christian comes into this title game as the defending champion but head coach Brent Marley was quick to point out that they aren't defending anything. The 2024 gold ball belongs to them forever. Now, they want to win the 2025 gold ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION: 48 Points Per Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rejoice Christian has some legitimate star power on the offensive side of the ball. They are led by a emerging star at quarterback and one of the toughest running backs in the state. Behind that duo, along with a deep roster of receivers, the Eagles are averaging nearly 50 points per game this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>DEFENSIVE PRODUCTION: 13.2 Points Per Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rejoice Christian defense has been stingy in almost every game this season. They are giving up 13.2 points per game but they were definitely pushed last week against Pawhuska. They gave up a season-high 34 points against the Huskies but they got stops when they needed them the most. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#3 TONKAWA BUCCANEERS (12-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 5th - Beat Newkirk 54-14<br>Sept. 12th - Beat Fairview 27-21<br>Sept. 19th - Lost To Stroud 18-13<br>Sept. 26th - Beat Quapaw 63-14<br>Oct. 3rd - Beat Caney Valley 49-12<br>Oct. 10th - Beat Pawhuska 32-8<br>Oct. 17th - Beat Morrison 35-14<br>Oct. 23rd - Beat Oklahoma Union 63-16<br>Oct. 31st - Beat Pawnee 14-8<br>Nov. 7th - Beat Nowata 62-12<br>1st Round - Beat Haskell 40-7<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Minco 43-22<br>Semifinals - Beat Pocola 37-12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>HOW THEY GOT HERE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If the story of the Rejoice Christian season centers around resiliency, the Tonkawa season centers around being battle-tested. The Buccaneers came into this season after replacing their longtime head coach and things were going to look a little different. The only loss for Tonkawa came to 2A-2 semifinalist Stroud in week three. Other that that, Tonkawa was battle-tested against some of the best teams in the class and time after time, they passed with flying colors. Whether it was regular season wins over Fairview and Pawhuska or the way they beat Pocola in the semifinals, the Buccaneers really impressed throughout the season. All of those battles and all of those wins have now earned Tonkawa an opportunity to dethrone the reigning state champions. The Buccaneers now have one more battle waiting for them on Thursday night, under the bright lights at UCO in Edmond. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY<br>7-2 Record - 10th Title Game Appearance</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is what we're talking about when we mention Tonkawa being one of the underrated "blue blood" programs in Oklahoma. Thursday night will be Tonkawa's tenth appearance in the state championship game and they are looking for their eighth gold ball. In 2018, the Buccaneers captured the gold ball with a win over Christian Heritage. They haven't been back to the championship game since then and there's no doubt that they are hungry to add another gold ball to their trophy case. After being bounced out of the playoffs in the first round last season, Tonkawa is one win away from being champs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION: 40.9 Points Per Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tonkawa's offense comes into Thursday night's championship game averaging just over 40 points per game. When you look at the individuals on this unit, good luck picking just one guy to slow down. That's what makes this team so explosive and dynamic. They have a handful of players that could go off any given week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>DEFENSIVE PRODUCTION: 13.8 Points Per Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tonkawa offense is solid but we think their calling card this season has been on the defensive side of the ball. This season, the Buccaneers are giving up 13.8 points per game and they've looked great in the playoffs. Tonkawa has given up more than 20 points only two times so they're playing with momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->