Advertisement

Prep football lookahead: Area teams look to shake off losses ahead of district play

tarik masri, the norman transcript, okla.
·5 min read

Sep. 20—The local prep football teams enter Week 4 in a tough spot.

Community Christian and Noble haven't played since Week 2, when they both suffered losses before entering a bye in Week 3. Norman North suffered its first loss of the season last week, while Norman High and Little Axe both dropped non-conference road games.

But this week marks the beginning of conference play, and a chance for the local teams to hit the reset button. With that in mind, here's a look at what's in store for Week 4:

Norman High

Opponent: at Edmond North

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Husky Stadium

Records: NHS 0-3, ENHS 0-4

Last Week: NHS (L, 36-33, @ Stillwater); ENHS (L, 34-17, vs. Enid)

Rankings: NHS not ranked; ENHS not ranked

Looking ahead to district play: Norman High wasn't able to pull off an upset win over Stillwater last week, but the strong performance was just what the Tigers needed heading into district play.

The Tigers' meeting with Edmond North on Friday won't just be the team's best shot at picking up their first win of the season, it should be a sign of the team's playoff potential. Last year, Norman High finished fifth in its district and was just outside of the final playoff picture.

This season, two more playoff spots have been added to each district, which means the Tigers would simply have to avoid being one of the bottom two teams in order to get a spot. Edmond North is no push-over, especially for a Norman High team that's still looking to prove that it can put a complete game together. However, the Tigers should feel confident going into the game.

The Huskies went 3-7 last season and have lost all four of their games this season by an average of 23.2 points per game. The only other teams in Class 6A-I Division 2 to finish below .500 last season were Yukon and Edmond Memorial, and the Millers have already looked impressive with a 28-23 win over Norman North last week.

Norman North

Opponent: Bixby

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Harve Collins Stadium

Records: NNHS 2-1, BHS 3-0

Last Week: (L, 28-23, @ Yukon); (W, 67-3, Sand Springs)

Rankings: NNHS unranked, receiving two votes; BHS No. 1 in AP Poll

Looking ahead to district play: The good news is that Norman North is getting its toughest test for the rest of the regular season out of the way early. The bad news is that it comes against a powerhouse program that's riding a ridiculous 52-game winning streak dating back to 2017.

After winning the last four state championships in Class 6A-II, Bixby has been bumped up to 6A-I and will open up play in its new district inside Harve Collins Stadium. The Timberwolves surprising loss to Yukon last week dampened some of the excitement surrounding what would've been a matchup between two teams ranked inside the top-five of the AP Prep Poll.

Perhaps Norman North got caught with one eye looking forward against the Millers' tricky triple option attack, but regardless it will need better execution to come out on top against the Spartans.

After facing Bixby, Norman North continues a grueling stretch to start district play with games against Broken Arrow and Jenks the following weeks.

Noble

Opponent: Ardmore

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Noble Stadium

Records: Noble 2-1, AHS 2-1

Last Week: Noble BYE; AHS BYE

Rankings: NHS No. 9 5A AP Poll; AHS not ranked

Looking back: Noble's last matchup with Ardmore came during a late regular-season meeting with both teams looking to solidify playoff positions.

The Tigers entered the game having won eight straight games to start the season. Noble was 6-2 and needed just one more win to secure home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

In the end, starting quarterback Colin Fisher led the Bears with 312 yards and five touchdowns through the air. The most important throw came in overtime when Noble elected to go for the win on a two-point conversion instead of kicking an extra point for the tie.

Fisher found Brandon Harper on a short slant route to secure the 36-35 win. Harper and Fisher have another year of experience under their belt and will look to have another big impact on this season's meeting.

Community Christian

Opponent: at Little Axe

Where: Little Axe Football Field

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Records: CCS 1-2, LAHS 0-3

Last Week: CCS BYE; LAHS (L, 35-0, @ Bethel)

Rankings: CCS not ranked; LAHS not ranked

Looking ahead at district play: Community Christian will be looking to hit the ground running during district play coming out of a bye week last week.

Their first matchup comes against a Little Axe team that's still looking for their first win after a pair of one score losses to open the season. Still, it'll be hard to keep the Royals from looking ahead with 2A No. 1 Washington coming to town next week.

Washington handed CCS its lone district loss last season (13-10) and went on to fall to Marlow in the state championship game 17-13. A solid performance against Little Axe should help the team its two losses in non-district play.

Tarik Masri is a sports reporter for The Transcript covering OU athletics and area sports. You can reach him by emailing tarik@normantranscript.com