Playoffs will be finalized after tonight’s games

All the Oklahoma high school football playoff games will be set by the time we all wake up Saturday morning after tonight’s games.

In District 4-4A, the Sallisaw Black Diamonds are trying to at least get the final playoff spot with a win tonight at Madill, but they possibly could get third place.

With a win tonight at Madill, the Black Diamonds will earn a playoff berth. Whether that will be third or fourth place depends on two other key district games tonight, Hilldale at Fort Gibson and Broken Bow at Ada. If the Black Diamonds and the Fort Gibson Tigers end tonight tied in the district standings, the Tigers will be third and the Black Diamonds fourth. If Sallisaw, Fort Gibson and Broken Bow all three win tonight, then those three teams will remain tied for third place — as they currently are entering tonight’s action — and district points will determine third and fourth place.

In Class 2A, the Vian Wolverines will try to lock up second place in District 2A-5 to earn a home playoff game next Friday night against the Heavener Wolves — which will happen if the Wolverines knock off the Sequoyah-Tahlequah Indians tonight on Senior Night at St. John Stadium. A loss to the Indians will send the Wolverines to either Eufaula or Idabel next week to begin the Class 2A playoffs.

In Class A, if the Gore Pirates get at least a 14-point win or more over the Porter Consolidated Pirates tonight in Porter, Gore will be the second-seeded team in District A-8, and have a home playoff game. Currently, Gore, Panama and Pocola are all tied for second place. As long as Gore either is alone in second place or tied with Pocola for second place, the Pirates will be the second-seeded team from the district. If Gore and Panama tie for second place, the Pirates will drop down to being the third-seeded team, and have to travel to begin the playoffs. If all three teams win, Gore will be the No. 2 seed, Panama No. 3 and Pocola No. 4.

In Class B, as we woke up this morning, we found out whether the Webbers Falls Warriors ended up third or fourth in District B-5. The Warriors played a road district game against the Quinton Savages on Thursday night. The winner ended up third in the district and will travel to meet the Welch Wildcats — the District B-6 runners-up — to begin the Class B playoffs next Friday night. The Webbers Falls-Quinton loser will ended up fourth, and will travel to meet the District B-6 champion Keota Lions next Friday night at Keota’s Alvin Powell Field.

So, we’ll either see five of our eight teams make the playoffs, or only four of them. Let the games commence.

• • •

We might need to enjoy Saturday afternoon’s Bedlam game at Boone Pickens Stadium, since it might be the last one for a while.

Since the Oklahoma Sooners are moving to the Southeastern Conference, the regular Bedlam match-up won’t be happening annually as it has for decades.

My solution would be to put it on one of two weekends.

The first weekend of choice is Week 2, like “The Hawkeye State” does with the Iowa-Iowa State game — with one year at Iowa City’s Kinnick Stadium and the other season at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.

The second weekend of choice is the final regular weekend of season on the final weekend of November. You have your big rivalry games then, like Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, Alabama vs. Auburn in “The Iron Bowl” and Mississippi and Mississippi State in “The Egg Bowl.” It’s not a conference game when the Bulldogs and the Yellowjackets meet, whether it be at Sanford Stadium in Athens or at Atlanta’s Grant-Dodd Stadium.

I do hope Bedlam can still be an everyyear contest on the gridiron. C’mon Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys, make it work!

• • •

Staying on the topic of Bedlam, it’s a huge game for both OU and OSU as both are in a five-way tie atop the Big 12 standings at 4-1 with Kansas State, Iowa State and Texas.

While Bedlam is happening, earlier in the day the Wildcats face the Longhorns in Austin. The Cyclones will entertain Kansas. The Bedlam winner and the Kansas State-Texas winner will be tied for first place, and the Cyclones will join them with a win over the Jayhawks — all at 5-1 The Bedlam loser and the Kansas State-Texas loser will be tied for second place at 4-2. If the Jayhawks knock off the Cyclones, both teams will join them for a four-way tie.

• • •

NFC East supremacy will be at stake Sunday afternoon when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field — a.k.a., “The Linc.”

You have two star quarterbacks in Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts. You have strong offenses and defenses.

It ought to be a heck of a game!

• • •

WEEK 9 INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS

100-YARD RUSHERS

Maddux Shelby, Webbers Falls — 357 yards.

Masyn Wright, Vian — 176 yards.

Brock Streun, Sallisaw — 161 yards.

Cole Stephens, Sallisaw — 130 yards.

Joseph Lee, Central — 107 yards.

100-YARD PASSERS

Reid Sutton, Muldrow — 164 yards.

Logan Thomas, Roland — 153 yards.

Joseph Lee, Central — 147 yards.

100-YARD RECEIVERS

Teaguen Collins, Muldrow — 110 yards.

SCORING-12 POINTS/MORE

Maddux Shelby, Webbers Falls — 32 points.

Brock Streun, Sallisaw — 18 points.

Cole Stephens, Sallisaw — 18 points.

Masyn Wright, Vian — 12 points.

Devon Mannon, Gore — 12 points.

Journey Shells, Gore — 12 points.

DEFENSIVE HONOR ROLL

Coy Blackburn, Central — 17 tackles.

Gibby Mitchell, Central — 12 tackles and a quarterback sack.

Kolten Riggs, Sallisaw — Nine tackles, five solo, and a caused fumble.

Ayden Cox, Gore — Nine tackles, four solo.

Mikey Maust, Sallisaw — Eight tackles, two solo.

Easton Girty, Central — Eight tackles and two QB sacks.

Maddux Shelby, Webbers Falls — Eight tackles, seven solo, and two tackles for loss.

Aiden Turley, Webbers Falls — Eight tackles, seven solo, and a tackle for loss.

Parker Pratt, Sallisaw — Seven tackles, four solo.

Tyler Busch, Central — Seven tackles.

Devon Mannon, Gore — Six tackles, one solo, two tackles for loss and two QB sacks.

Dylan Young, Webbers Falls — Six tackles, five solo.

Cole Mayfield, Sallisaw — Five tackles, three solo.

Braxton Lamb, Sallisaw — Five tackles, one solo.

Bodie Adams, Sallisaw — Five tackles, two solo.

Jermauree Palmer, Muldrow — Five tackles, a QB sack and two pass breakups.

Connor Green, Central — Five tackles and an interception.

Josh Marino, Central — Five tackles and a fumble recovery.

Caden Cowan, Gore — Five tackles, two solo.

Journey Shells, Gore — Five solo tackles and a pass break-up.

Kash Keepes, Sallisaw — Four tackles, one solo, and a caused fumble.

Justin Lindsay, Sallisaw — Four tackles, two solo.

Noah Flores, Sallisaw — Four tackles.

Bladin McCartney, Gore — Four tackles, two tackles for loss, two QB sacks and a fumble recovery.

Tate Brooksher, Gore — Four tackles, two solo, and a QB sack.

Jace Holman, Sallisaw — Three tackles and a fumble recovery.

Matthew McGrew, Sallisaw — Three tackles, one solo.

Kaydin McCartney, Gore — Three tackles.

Chester Abercrombie, Gore — Three tackles, two solo, and two pass breakups.

Keeton Rowe, Gore — Three tackles, two solo.

Jagger Moore, Gore — Three tackles, one solo.

Gunner Shelby, Webbers Falls — Three solo tackles.

Brutus Robinson, Webbers Falls — Three solo tackles.

Ben Ward, Webbers Falls — Three solo tackles.

Cooper Cox, Sallisaw — An INT, a pass break-up and two tackles, one solo.

Max Stump, Sallisaw — A pass break-up and two solo tackles.

Dane Gates, Gore — A pass break-up.

• • •

Coaches, I need to make sure I get your offensive and defensive statistics either put on your MaxPreps website wall or e-mailed to me at davids@cookson.news by no later than 10 a.m. Thursdays to be able to give your player(s) some special recognition from the week before in each week’s Gridiron Notes Column.

David Seeley is sports editor for Your TIMES. He can be reached by telephone at (918) 775-4433, Ext. 139 or by email at davids@cookson.news.