Prep football lookahead: Two games remain for area teams making playoff push
Oct. 26—As local teams hit the final two weeks of the regular season, here's where things stand:
Norman High
Opponent: Yukon
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Harve Collins Stadium
Records: NHS 2-6 (2-3); YHS 1-7 (0-5)
Last Week: NHS (L, 49-10, vs. Mustang); YHS (L, 28-7, @ Ed. North)
Rankings: NHS not ranked; YHS not ranked
Looking to clinch: Norman High will be playing for a chance to clinch its first playoff berth since 2020 against Yukon.
The Tigers (No. 6 in District 6A-2) currently hold sole possession of the final postseason spot in the division, but the Millers are still in a position to take that spot. Norman High needs to find a way to win one of its final two games or hope that Edmond Memorial can knock off the Millers in the season finale in order to advance to the postseason.
The Tigers are still in a good position. The Millers are riding a five-game losing streak and are still looking for their first district win of the season. Norman High has looked impressive at points throughout the season, but struggled last week against 6A-2 No. 2 Mustang.
Yukon has seen its own highs and lows this season, including an impressive win over Norman North. The Millers are one of just two teams to have defeated the Timberwolves (No. 3 in the 6A AP Prep Poll) this season.
Norman North
Opponent: at Westmoore
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Moore Schools Stadium
Records: NNHS 6-2 (4-1); WMHS 2-6 (1-4)
Last Week: NNHS (W, 72-29, vs. Moore); WMHS (L, 63-7, @ Bixby)
Rankings: NNHS No. 3 in AP Prep Poll; WMHS not ranked
In the hunt for first-round bye: Norman North earned its third-straight playoff appearance with last week's win over Moore and only has one more goal left to achieve before the postseason begins.
The Timberwolves are currently in the hunt to finish as the No. 2 team in district 6A-1, which would give them a bye week in the first round of the playoffs and home-field advantage in the quarterfinals.
With a head-to-head win over Jenks, the Timberwolves likely just need wins in the final two games against Westmoore (No. 7 in District 6A-1) and Enid (No. 6 in 6A-1), but it could become more complicated than that. Jenks can still force a three-way tie at the top of the standings if it can somehow manage to unseat the seemingly unbeatable Bixby Spartans.
If the Trojans can end the Spartans' winning streak that stretches over 50 games, the top three spots would be determined by marginal points. Bixby currently leads the other two with 75 marginal points, followed by Jenks (34) and Norman North (26).
The Trojans' remaining schedule won't be favorable for gaining marginal points, though, with games against Broken Arrow and Bixby coming up.
The Timberwolves should be looking to keep the pressure on even if they can get build early leads in the next two weeks.
Noble
Opponent: at Midwest City
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Jim Darnell Stadium, Midwest City
Records: NHS 5-3 (3-2); MCHS 6-2 (5-0)
Last Week: Noble (W, 42-39, @ Altus); MCHS (W, 32-6, vs. Ardmore)
Rankings: NHS not ranked; MCHS No. 8 in AP Prep Poll
Bears can create chaos with win over Bombers: Two weeks ago, Noble was able to pull off an unexpected win over previously-unbeaten Elgin.
On Friday, the Bears will need to find a way to pull off another big win in order to keep themselves in control of their playoff destiny. They're currently in a three-way tie for third place in District 5A-1 with Lawton MacArthur and El Reno.
El Reno has the advantage of already beating Noble, and having its toughest games already behind them, with Duncan and Altus still on the schedule. Lawton Mac still has to play second-place Elgin and Noble.
If the Bears fall to Midwest City, they would need either Lawton Mac to fall to Elgin, or El Reno to lose each of its final two games.
If Noble can knock off Midwest City and Lawton Mac beats Elgin, it would create a four-way tie for second place heading into the final week of the season. The Bears still have a path to earn one of the top two spots in the district if it can win out and Elgin knocks off Midwest City in the regular season finale, forcing an improbable four-way tie at the top of the standings between Noble, Midwest City, Elgin and El Reno.
Community Christian
Opponent: Crooked Oak
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: CCS Football Stadium
Records: CCS 4-4 (3-2); COHS 2-5 (1-4)
Last Week: CCS (L, 28-14, @ Lindsay); COHS (L, 43-8, vs. Frederick)
Rankings: CCS not ranked; COHS not ranked
Playoff spot on the line: Community Christian can officially punch its ticket to the postseason with a win over Crooked Oak on senior night Friday.
The Royals hurt their chances at securing one of the top two seeds from the district with last week's loss to Lindsay, but they still have some hope. They currently hold a two-game lead over three other teams for fourth place in District 2A-3.
If Frederick (4-1) beats Lindsay (4-1) this week and the Royals can knock off Frederick in the season finale, it would force a three-way tie for the No. 2 spot. The Royals (nine) are well behind both Frederick (45) and Lindsay (34) in marginal points, which would determine the tie-breaker.
Crooked Oak enters the game with just one district win on the season over a winless Little Axe team and has only had one loss decided by fewer than 35 points.
Little Axe
Opponent: at Purcell
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Purcell Football Stadium
Records: LAHS 0-8 (0-5); PHS 3-5 (1-4)
Last Week: LAHS (L, 35-8, vs. Comanche); PHS (L, 40-7, @ Washington)
Rankings: LAHS not ranked; PHS not ranked
Back on the road: Little Axe was able to find the endzone for its second straight game in a loss to Comanche last week.
Purcell enters the game having lost four straight district contests since knocking off Crooke Oak in the district opener, 58-7. Since then, the Dragons haven't been able to score more than seven points in any of their games and are giving up 27 points per game during their losing streak.
Tarik Masri is a sports reporter for The Transcript covering OU athletics and area sports. You can reach him by emailing tarik@normantranscript.com
