Ten Teams That Could Win First Title

<!-- 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>The 2026 regular season has come to an end and the playoffs are about to kick off this week across the state of Oklahoma. Every team entering the postseason will officially begin on the road to Edmond. Throughout the next few days, we are going to have a ton of playoff preview content dropping on the website and the <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@prepredzoneoklahoma">YouTube Channel</a></strong> that you'll be able to check out to get ready for the postseason. Below, we take a look at ten teams that have the potential to make program history by capturing their first ever state championship. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day for more playoff preview content!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN ROYALS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Community Christian beat Cashion with a <strong><a href="https://youtu.be/ZZCD-5B0kJ8" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/ZZCD-5B0kJ8">game-winning field goal on Friday night</a></strong> to wrap up a perfect 10-0 regular season. They come into the playoffs as the #4 team in 2A-2 and as a district champion. The Royals don't have a long history in the OSSAA but they've been a consistent playoff team over the last decade. However, they've never made it to the quarterfinals, let alone a state championship game. And they find themselves in one of the more top-heavy classes in the state. Right now, Adair, Davis and Holdenville feel like the top three teams. The Royals would have to get through Adair (more than likely) in order to make it to Edmond. But the Royals have been perfect all season. They've blown teams out and they've been battle-tested in the last two weeks. They should be ready for what could be their best playoff run in program history. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FORT GIBSON TIGERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Gibson comes into the playoffs at 9-1 and as a district champion. But you can make the argument that they would have one of the toughest paths of any district champion to capture the gold ball. If they beat Poteau in the first round, they could see an Ardmore team that has been in the top five all season. Then they would (more than likely) see either fellow district champion Weatherford or perhaps the most talented 4A team in Broken Bow in the semifinals. Just to make it to Edmond, they'll have to get over some major hurdles. But if they do, they would punch their ticket to the state title game for the first time in nearly three decades. 1999 was the only other time Fort Gibson played for a state championship and had to walk away with the silver ball. But they come into the playoffs with a nine-game winning streak and some important reinforcements. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KETCHUM WARRIORS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To win a state championship, the Ketchum Warriors will need to win four games in the next five weeks. In their program's history, they have a total of three playoff wins and have never won more than one playoff game in a single season. But this year feels different for Ketchum. The Warriors were bounced out of the playoffs in the first round last year by eventual state champion Talihina. Ketchum came into this season as our preseason number two team because of the firepower they brought back on both sides of the ball and the overall number of starters returning. They've stayed right there (behind Talihina) in the A-2 rankings as they went 10-0 and captured the district championship. Now, they shift their focus on going after a state championship. And they also happen to be on the same side of the bracket as another team on this breakdown, looking for their first title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KIEFER TROJANS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Kiefer Trojans come into the playoffs as one of a handful of 2A-1 teams that are eyeing their first ever state championship in program history. Their only loss this season came on the road, on a Thursday night against an undefeated Cascia Hall team. The Trojans are led by one of the better athletes in Class 2A-1 at the quarterback position and they play very good defense. That combination has won state championships plenty of times in the past. Kiefer certainly has the ability to be the next team to get that done this year. We're only 15 years removed from Kiefer being an 8-man program but they've had plenty of success in 11-man football since moving up. In the last two years, Kiefer's season came to an end in the quarterfinals against Washington. If the Trojans make it all the way to the semifinals, they could see those Warriors again. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KONAWA TIGERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Konawa Tigers join Ketchum on this breakdown as undefeated teams and district champions, gunning for their first ever state championship in Class A-2. And like we mentioned earlier, these two teams find themselves on the same side of the bracket. So the odds are favorable that at least one of these teams will make a trip to Edmond. For Konawa, they are hopeful that they are that team and get to play for their first state title since finishing as runner up in 1993. The Tigers have been absolutely dominant this season. They've been battle-tested along the way but you pull up some of their final scores and you see multiple 50+ point wins as they finished off the season strong. The Tigers, like Ketchum, now begin their pursuit of a gold ball in a class that has been headlined by Talihina all year but Konawa won't back down from that challenge if they get there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MANGUM TIGERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mangum Tigers certainly need to be on this breakdown considering they are coming into the playoffs with a perfect 10-0 record and they are #1 in this class. It's been nearly three decades since the Tigers got out of the quarterfinal round. They played for a state championship in 1998 but came up short and left with the silver ball. And if you've been following our content over the last several years, you know we've been high on Mangum. And they've backed it up as one of the better teams in the last few seasons. But they have come up short in the playoffs. Whether it's been costly injuries or just general bad luck, the success they've had in the regular season has not carried over into the postseason. But 2026 feels different. This is one of the more experienced teams in the state and they look ready to kick the door down after years of knocking on it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MOUNT ST. MARY ROCKETS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We said at the beginning of the year that despite moving up from 2A-1 to 3A, Mount St. Mary had the potential for a special 2026 season. That's certainly the case as we head into the playoffs. For the first time in nearly half a century, the Rockets are district champions and come into the postseason as a top five team. The Rockets have never gotten out of the quarterfinal round and it's been nearly 50 years since their last playoff win. But they have the talent to go on a run and at least get to Edmond. And as long as they have a ticket to the dance, they have a shot. And when you look at the 3A bracket, they are certainly on the more favorable side. Heavy hitters like Heritage Hall, Jones, Marlow and Sulphur are on the other side of the bracket. The Rockets wouldn't have to worry about any of those teams until the state championship game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PERKINS-TRYON DEMONS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perkins-Tryon is in the same boat as Mount St. Mary as they are also on the more favorable side of the bracket. In fact, these two teams could end up seeing each other in the semifinals if they take care of business in the first two rounds. For the Demons, they've been knocking on the door of being a true state championship contender over the last five years. They've played in the semifinals in two of the last three seasons but they've never punched their ticket to the state championship game. And as the playoffs begin, you can make the argument that few teams have more momentum than the Demons. They've become what we're calling "Oklahoma's boogeyman" after rallying from 14 down in the final five minutes to beat Verdigris. They turned around the next week and rallied from a 21-0 hole to snap Heritage Hall's 90+ game district winning streak. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>POCOLA INDIANS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pocola is in a similar situation as Mangum heading into the playoffs. Just like the Tigers, we've been high on Pocola for the last several years. They finally made it to their first ever semifinal last season and now they are looking to finish the job and make a trip to Edmond in December. They checked the first box by capturing the district championship, which will give them two playoff games at home and this is a class where the east/west match-ups force some teams to travel great distances. If Pocola wins their first round game, they will more than likely see a Tonkawa team that spent the majority of this season as the top-ranked team and they are the team that beat Pocola in the semifinals last year. They also have top-ranked Mangum on their side of the bracket, who is also gunning for that first gold ball. But Pocola is rolling at the right time to go on a run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TAHLEQUAH SEQUOYAH INDIANS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tahlequah Sequoyah came into this season with high expectations after making it to the quarterfinals a year ago and bringing back the majority of their starters this season. Their only loss this year was a district loss to top-ranked Lincoln Christian and that was a game where Sequoyah jumped the Bulldogs early but let that one slip away. They have one of the better running backs in 2A-1 football and plenty of firepower around him to go on a run. The Indians have never made it out of the quarterfinal round so they are searching for their first semifinal appearance. But to do that, they'll (more than likely) have to take down a Washington team in the quarterfinals. And this is a Washington team that has made it to the state championship game in each of the last six seasons. The path is brutal but Sequoyah is a team to look out for to possibly win that first gold ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->