In Friday’s editions of the World, “Making the Case for No. 1” examined the seven Class 6A football teams that could be legitimately considered for the top ranking — the Tulsa area's established Big Four plus the state's three 4-0 teams.
Related story: “Making the Case for No. 1”.
Five different teams received first-place votes from the 10 staff members that were polled. None of the staff voted for Lawton, which was the Oklahoman’s No. 1 pick. And Owasso, which received the third most points in the World poll, was the other team among the seven not to receive a first-place vote.
Lawton was ranked as high as No. 2 but as low as 10th on a ballot that was extended to 10 teams.
World sports columnist John E. Hoover, who was not among the 10 staffers who voted in the weekly rankings, has added his opinion to the No. 1 debate and writes:
“Haven’t seen Edmond North, but to hear talk out of the West, they’re the best challenger to the Jenks-Union stranglehold.
“I might have a hard time ranking Union No. 1 no matter what. They were beaten by Jenks before a Jenks fumble, and Owasso just looked like a better team. They apparently made a mistake of their own that cost them vs. Trinity. (Khalid) Kornegay kept Union in it vs. both Jenks and Owasso with kickoff returns; I don’t know to grade them up or down for that.
“I’d go with Edmond North and Sand Springs (4-0 should be rewarded; if they’re not worthy, they’ll take care of that themselves soon enough), then sprinkle in the rest, probably Owasso or Jenks, followed by Union and BA in that order.”
Hoover’s first-place vote for Edmond North would tie EN with Jenks at four for the most first-place votes from World staffers.
World news editor and former sports editor Mike Strain also ranks Edmond North as No. 1. Below are his votes and comments:
1. Edmond North (4-0): Good win over Santa Fe and still unbeaten. With no dominant team in the class, might as well give them a shot at the top.
2. Union (2-2): Wins over Jenks and Broken are better than anyone else’s best two wins.
3. Jenks (2-2): A toss up between Jenks and BA for me at this spot. Slight edge to Jenks, because I think its running game is slightly more reliable than BA’s while its top rusher is out.
4. Broken Arrow (2-2): Looks like there was a reason why they barely beat Owasso in Week 1. Rams are good.
5. Owasso (1-2): Great win over Union, but the losses to Jenks and Broken Arrow put them in the fifth spot for me after four weeks.
6. Sand Springs (4-0): Undefeated but the competition hasn’t been as tough. I would probably rank Sand Springs No. 1 if they had a win over any of those teams above them on this list right now.
7. Lawton (4-0): Same as Sand Springs. Undefeated, but the competition hasn’t been as strong.
World sports writer Kelly Hines puts Jenks at No. 1.
Hines’ comments: “It can’t be Union after getting beat or Owasso with two losses in 6A. Jenks has been more impressive than BA, in my opinion. I’d be tempted to leave all four at the top and throw the undefeated teams in after. But I think you could make a case for any possible combination.”
World sports writer Mark Foster also picks Jenks as No. 1 and offers this analysis:
Class 6A has nine teams with a 3-1 record, three teams 4-0, and four teams that were in the top on everyone’s list in the preseason that are all 2-2 or worse. Looking closer at the 3-1 teams, we find that Stillwater lost to 3-1 Mustang, which lost to 3-1 Norman, which lost to 3-1 Norman North, which lost to 3-1 Westmoore, which lost to 3-1 Southmoore, which lost to 3-1 Edmond Santa Fe, which lost to 4-0 Edmond North. That’s seven of those nine 3-1 teams already. The others are Bartlesville, which lost to East Central, and Sapulpa, which lost to 4-0 Sand Springs.
Now we’ve mentioned two of the three 4-0 teams as well. The other is Lawton, which has beaten teams that are a combined 4-12 by a count of 157 to 35. Edmond North’s opponents are 6-10. Sand Springs’ opponents are 7-8. The three 4-0 teams have played teams that are a combined 17-30. Though Al Davis would love these teams (just win, baby), their toughest opponents are yet to come.
A quick look at the four teams with 2-2 records or worse that are still in the rankings shows that these teams have played a higher level of opponent so far than any of the others -- mainly, each other. After all, Jenks at Broken Arrow on Oct. 5 is the only game left among these four against each other.
Owasso: has lost to Broken Arrow and Jenks, but defeated Union.
Broken Arrow: beat Owasso, but lost to an Arkansas power and Union before destroying Muskogee.
Union: beat Jenks and Broken Arrow, but lost to a Texas power and Owasso.
Jenks: lost to Union and a Texas power, then beat Owasso and manhandled Edison.
Conclusion? The three 4-0 teams and the nine 3-1 teams are still fighting over who will come out on top when all is said and done among them. The four traditional powers are where they are right now because their schedules were front-of-the-season heavy. I would even predict that these four, despite a current combined record of 7-8, will be the four semifinalists in 6A.
-- Barry Lewis
