Scene Setter: Bixby-Choctaw

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Now that district play is here, the games and the action get ratcheted up a notch. Every Tuesday, we release our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/10/week-six-top-ten-games-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Top Ten games throughout Oklahoma</a>. Throughout the season, we’ll have special “Scene Setter” posts, taking a deeper look into the top match-up’s across the state of Oklahoma. This week, our game of the week takes place in Choctaw as the #2 ranked Choctaw Yellowjackets host #1 Bixby in a 6A-2 1 VS 2 showdown and rematch of last year’s state championship game. Prep Redzone Oklahoma will be on hand for the 1 VS 2 encounter but before we get there, let’s take a further look into the match-up. GAME PREVIEW This game has been talked about since the two teams walked off the Wantland Stadium turf in Edmond last year. It’s #1 Bixby taking on #2 Choctaw in a rematch of last year’s state championship game. It’s Bixby’s 41-game winning streak coming to town against a Choctaw team that hasn’t forgotten the sour taste of leaving Edmond with a silver ball. It’s one of the top games of the year and we don’t need to add a bunch of hyperbole to hype up this match-up. If you’re not excited for this one, check your pulse. The Spartans come in with their lengthy winning streak and the goal of capturing a fourth consecutive state championship and what would be their seventh in eight years. Standing in their way is a Choctaw team that is ready to be the new king of 6A-2 as Bixby heads up to 6A-1 next year. The Spartans are perfect on the season with the only close call coming on the road in week one against Jenks. Meanwhile, Choctaw is 4-1 with the only blemish taking place down in Texas against Dallas Jesuit. This game is not only considered the best game in Oklahoma, but Maxpreps has it listed as one of the top games in the country this week. These teams are very familiar with one another, especially some of the stars in the match-up. These two teams played twice last year with the second meeting ending in that championship classic. But throughout the offseason, some of the better players on both sides of the match-up actually became teammates with the 7v7 program Sooner7. Choctaw 2023 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="38780" first="Steele" last="Wasel"] was throwing dimes to Bixby 2023 tight end [player_tooltip player_id="55156" first="Luke" last="Hasz"]. Both prospects are top ten prospects in their class, teammates in the offseason and big rivals during the fall. There are plenty other names on both sides of the match-up that make these two teams very familiar with one another. <hr /> MARQUEE MATCH-UP [player_tooltip player_id="61127" first="Desean" last="Brown"] VS Bixby’s Offense Bixby’s offense has averaged 57 points per game in their first five games this season and have been unstoppable in the last two weeks. However, they’re going up against a Choctaw defense that features one of the best players in the state with 2022 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="61127" first="Desean" last="Brown"]. He’s one of the absolute best defensive standouts in Oklahoma and he and the Yellowjackets have to find a way to slow down the Bixby offensive attack. Bixby’s offense has weapons. They’re headlined by 2020 Prep Redzone Player Of The Year [player_tooltip player_id="38679" first="Braylin" last="Presley"]. However, Brown had an outstanding game in the title game a year ago against the Spartans. This match-up will go a long way to deciding who comes out on top Friday night. <hr /> WHY BIXBY WLL WIN It’s so simple and it isn’t very creative but Bixby will win if they play Bixby football. How can you argue something that has worked 41 consecutive times, including twice against Choctaw last year? The Spartans are going to do what they do best which is rely on superstar [player_tooltip player_id="38679" first="Braylin" last="Presley"], move fast offensively and try to catch Choctaw off guard a couple of times. Defensively, the front seven is going to be very busy trying to slow down the Choctaw rushing attack. The defense will have to avoid the lengthy Choctaw possessions and get off the field as much as possible. And then finally, Bixby has to play sound football. We already saw one top five showdown in Choctaw between the Yellowjackets and Booker T Washington and it ended as a flag fest. These two teams are familiar with one another, we expect it to be somewhat chippy at times. But as long as Bixby keeps it’s composure, they should be in a good position throughout the night. <hr /> WHY CHOCTAW WILL WIN If the Yellowjackets snap the streak, a couple things will have happened on Friday night. The first being that the defense forced Bixby into short possessions or even turning the ball over. This is a Bixby offense that takes care of the ball but if they turn it over or go 3 & out a couple times, that will give Choctaw’s offense all the momentum in the world. That leads to the second thing with Choctaw’s offense. Be patient. The Yellowjackets have a strong offensive line and several options at the running back spot. If they can control time of possession and have drives that take chunks of time of the game and end those drives in points, they’ll be in a good spot. Jenks nearly beat Bixby earlier this year when the Spartan offense started coming up short and turning the ball over. While the Trojans put together lengthy drives that were headlined by the running game. If Choctaw can match that style for all four quarters, they have a good shot on Friday. <hr /> Be sure to stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma on the web and on Twitter throughout the game and throughout the weekend. You can follow us on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/PrepRedzoneOK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@PrepRedzoneOK</a>. And we’ll have a free game recap up on the website following the game on Friday night. This weekend, you can check out in-depth scouting reports on both teams and some of their top performers.