Reporter sees playoff wins for Elgin, three other area clubs

Strap on your pads and buckle your chin straps because if you think the hitting has been hard thus far this football season, just wait until the playoffs begin Friday across the state.

There are 11 area teams that qualified for the playoffs including teams in six different classes. Only four of those will be at home: In Class 5A Elgin will be hosting Piedmont; In Class A Apache will host Thomas and Walters entertains Mooreland and in Class C (eight-man) defending state champion and No. 1 Tipton is at home against Buffalo.

Several other area teams seem to be carrying a chance of an upset win in the playoffs, while others face daunting challenges.

There has been a great deal of interest in Class 5A this fall where Elgin and MacArthur have been among the ranked teams in that class every week except one when Mac dropped out after losing to Midwest City but the Highlanders were right back in the poll after their next game, a win over El Reno.

Elgin never wavered during the season, owning a 10-0 overall record, a perfect 7-0 record in District 5A-1 and the No. 4 ranking in Class 5A. The Owls will host Piedmont which comes in at 3-3 in District 5A-2 and it is 7-3 on the season, but that came in what many coaches feel was the toughest Class 5A District. Last year that district went 4-0 in the first round which included losses by both Elgin and MacArthur.

This is a different Elgin team with a tough defense that has few weak areas. On the offensive side the Owls have a big, physical offensive line, a proven veteran quarterback in Tres Lorah and a pair of good backs in Matthew Lund and Ritson Meyer. Lund has already set the Elgin career rushing record and is now padding it with each outing. The senior is the speed back while Meyer is more the pounder.

MacArthur has to face Guthrie on the road at “The Rock” or as most people outside Guthrie know it, Jelsma Stadium. Guthrie has arguably the best defense in the state in any class according to some. Mac’s defense has had some solid games but has also struggled at times to get stops. The key is the Mac offense which needs to control the ball and give its defense a rest now and then.

Yours truly also sees a pair of dandy Class A playoff games with Apache hosting Thomas and Walters hosting Mooreland. We had the pleasure of seeing the Warriors and Blue Devils play each other and both have some good players and both are well coached. When they played earlier in District A-2, Apache raced out to a 28-0 lead before Walters clawed back before narrowly falling in a 28-24 dandy. We see both as having the core group of players who will be able to make plays on both sides of the ball.

And since both are at home we expect their hometown fans to show up like they did at Walters.

It’s hard not to talk about Tipton which comes in with great tradition, veteran coaches who have won state titles, and a community that will travel anywhere to watch the Tigers play. The good news, Tipton will play two games at home if they win the first one, due to the Tigers’ district title.

Elgin and Apache also won district titles and could play at home twice if they win the first one. If each of those teams wins two at home, they would then go to a neutral field for the semifinals.

OK, before we get into this weeks picks, remember, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) has set a time of 7 p.m. for all games, and the home teams will be listed in all-capital letters: