Bixby Gets Ready For Another Clash With Owasso

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the fifth straight year, the Bixby Spartans are opening up their season against the Owasso Rams. And if history repeats itself, this will be the first of two meetings this season. In three of the last four seasons, Bixby has faced Owasso in the season opener and then in the season finale, being the state title game. There was also a semifinal meeting in 2023. In the last eight meetings, Bixby holds a 7-1 record against the Rams. But this game is being played at Owasso Stadium and Bixby's only loss during this stretch was the only other time this series was played at Owasso. Below, we take a look at some of the top players to watch for the Spartans heading into Friday night's clash. You can also check out our interview with head coach Loren Montgomery as the Spartans begin their pursuit of a ninth consecutive state championship and what would be their 12th in the last 13 seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>RELATED</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong><a href="https://youtu.be/waTOmWdSp4M" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/waTOmWdSp4M">- Interview With Head Coach Loren Montgomery</a></strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1689504' first='Connor' last='Arant'] - 2028 Tight End/Defensive End</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028 tight end and defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1689504' first='Connor' last='Arant'] has emerged as one of the nation's top prospects in the 2028 class. As it stands right now, he's the number one prospect in our 2028 rankings and shows no signs of letting that spot go anytime soon. Arant is the ultimate red zone target for the Bixby offense. And with an offense working in plenty of new wide receivers and a new quarterback, he could become that QB's best friend. Defensively, he's part of a front seven that will try to make Owasso's quarterback very uncomfortable. And that's going to be hard to do considering the experience that QB has. But Arant is a nightmare coming off the edge and will look to set the tone on both sides of the line of scrimmage on Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='528027' first='Kaeden' last='Penny'] - 2027 Offensive/Defensive Lineman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of elite prospects setting the tone on the line of scrimmage. 2027 offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='528027' first='Kaeden' last='Penny'] checked in at number two in our 2027 rankings that were released on Monday. He's committed to Oklahoma and has been one of the state's top prospects in this class for a long time. He's the foundational piece of the Bixby offensive line, that is headlined by two top five overall prospects at either tackle position. Like Arant, Penny will be an absolute force on both sides of the ball on Friday night and that's what he's been for them the last few seasons. And in this match-up in particular, the future Sooner has absolutely flourished. He was one of the more dominant players on the field the last three times these two teams have clashed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2154350' first='Maverick' last='Owens'] - 2030 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2030 wide receiver and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='2154350' first='Maverick' last='Owens'] is one of the more highly touted freshman prospects entering high school over the last few years. Most football followers around Tulsa knew about Owens when he was in middle school and it's expected that he have a major role with the Spartans, right out of the gate during his freshman season. Owens recently picked up his first D1 offer and that should be the first of many. In this same match-up back in 2022, we saw a young Cord Nolan have a really strong performance as a freshman and that obviously kickstarted what was a very successful career. It's not crazy to think that Owens jumpstart his career with a strong performance on Friday. But we'll be seeing a lot of Owens over the next four seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Four (Horsemen) Linebackers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've talked about the Bixby linebackers a few times this year and now we get to see this group in action for the first time. [player_tooltip player_id='1830996' first='Ben' last='Puckett'] [player_tooltip player_id='480317' first='Cain' last='Brackney'] [player_tooltip player_id='1831001' first='Jack' last='Gill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1831002' first='Nathan' last='Hobbs'] make up arguably the best group of linebackers in the state, regardless of class. On a team that is breaking in new players all over the place, having this solid of a group on defense will give the Spartans room to grow elsewhere. Puckett is committed to Montana State and is ready to have a significantly larger role on this defense. Brackney is a Bixby newcomer after starting at Union last year but is committed to Indiana and is one of the elite linebackers in this class. Gill will spend time on both sides of the ball and plays a very important role. And Hobbs was one of the best players on defense for the Spartans in their week zero win over Owasso last season. Expect all four of these guys to make an impact on Friday's game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Quarterback Battle Rages On</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After talking with head coach Loren Montgomery this week, it looks like the quarterback battle to replace three-year starter Carson Kirby will continue into week zero. 2028 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='976705' first='Isaiah' last='Butcher IV'] moved into the district from Jenks this offseason and brings a strong ability to throw and run the football. 2027 signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='1205258' first='Preston' last='N. Carter'] joined the Spartans this summer after going through spring ball with Broken Arrow. It's expected that both quarterbacks will see significant time on Friday night. Starting linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1831001' first='Jack' last='Gill'] will also be used as a running quarterback in short yardage situations but he's no stranger to that after doing it throughout the 2025 season. This is nothing new for the Spartans as they have had success playing multiple quarterbacks in the past. In the 2023 season opener against Owasso, they played three different quarterbacks at various times on their opening possession. Not throughout the game, on the very first offensive possession, they had three different quarterbacks take snaps. The old phrase "if you have two quarterbacks, you have none" didn't account for Bixby using three. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->