FOR THE FIRST time since 1989, Jay is celebrating a district football championship.

Jay won the title with a 29-21 victory over rival Grove on Friday. The Bulldogs (7-3) emerged with the 4A-3 crown because they had the most marginal points in a three-way tiebreaker with Oologah and Catoosa.

"Everyone is very excited here," Jay coach Shane Holland said. "To win the district and to do it against Grove is the best of both worlds."

Before the season, Jay was projected to finish fourth in a poll of 4A-3 coaches with Grove picked as the favorite, Oologah second and Catoosa seventh.

Jay returns to the Tulsa World's Class 4A rankings this week at No. 10.

For Holland, a former Grove assistant, it was fitting that Jay had to rally from a 14-7 halftime deficit.

"There have been several games when we've been down in the second half, but we've been coming back all year," he said.

Casey Loomis, a senior who attended middle school in Grove, had a tying touchdown run in the third quarter and kicked a 33-yard field goal to provide valuable insurance points in the fourth quarter. Loomis leads 4A with nine field goals.

"Casey has been making big plays all year," Holland said. "It was a big game for all of us, but especially for Casey because he used to live in Grove."

The Bulldogs also received a big play from senior linebacker Delmo Crouch, who returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Jay has made steady progress in Holland's four seasons, improving from 2-8 in 2006, to 4-6 in 2007, to 5-5 last year.

"It's a credit to our players," Holland said.

Jay hosts No. 9 Wagoner (7-3) in a first-round game on Friday night.

"Wagoner is a perennial power and presents a great challenge for us," Holland said. "I think if you polled coaches right now, they would say that Wagoner is playing as well as anyone in their district. We're fired up to be in the playoffs and to be playing at home on Friday."

Lawwill lifts Lincoln: Senior tailback Matt Lawwill leads 2A with 1,600 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns for Lincoln Christian, which remains No. 1 in 2A entering the playoffs.

"We've run a little more this year because of how Matt's played," Lincoln coach Darren Melton said.

Lawwill had eight carries for 120 yards and three TDs in a 48-0 victory over Nowata on Friday. Lincoln quarterback Cale Grauer has passed for 1,633 yards with 24 TDs and only three interceptions.

Lincoln, which reached the semifinals last year, hosts Adair (7-3) on Friday.

"We're healthy and ready to go," Melton said, "We're similar to where we were last year going into the playoffs. On offense, we may be a little better and we're getting close defensively. We have a veteran crew that has done a good job of staying focused."

Wallace shines for Cardinals: East Central senior quarterback Dillon Wallace had his best passing game of the season in a 46-6 victory over Tahlequah on Friday. Wallace completed 7-of-11 passes for 200 yards and four TDs. Dino Teague had four receptions for 111 yards and three TDs.

Fifth-ranked East Central (9-1) hosts Pryor in a playoff opener on Friday.

McLain wins finale: Dan Bitson's first season as McLain's coach ended with a 25-7 victory over Vinita on Friday. Defensive lineman Kerry Burks capped a strong season with 12 tackles for McLain (4-6). Burks had 124 tackles in nine games. Mclain's BeAndre Willis had 11 carries for 100 yards and a TD.

Pfaff leads Atoka: Junior quarterback L.T. Pfaff completed 16-of-19 passes for 284 yards and five touchdowns in only a half of Atoka's 42-12 win over Marietta on Friday. Caon Brooks had three TD catches. In last year's season finale, Pfaff broke his own state single-game record with 629 passing yards against Marietta.

This year, the regular-season finale was a playoff tune-up for Pfaff, who leads the state with 3,190 passing yards. Atoka (6-4) visits No. 8 Bridge Creek (9-1) in a 2A playoff opener on Friday.

Summit sets record: Summit Christian (11-1), which will be eligible for the Class B playoffs next year, ended the season by setting a school record for points in an 80-56 victory over Steelville (Mo.) on Friday. Summit scored 142 points in four days as it defeated Southwest Covenant 62-29 on Tuesday. Summit quarterback Josh Moyer accounted for 10 TDs in the two games.