Good Teams, Bad Records
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It’s hard to believe but as the calendar has flipped to October, we are officially at the halfway point of the 2022 regular season as we enter week six. Before you know it, we’ll be into November and we’ll be talking about the playoffs and eventually state champions will be crowned. This week, we have several midseason spotlights on the site. From top players, breakout players, surprise teams, etc. And in this post, we put a spotlight on five teams that have had rough starts to the season in the win-loss department, but all five should still be considered playoff teams and should be taken seriously in November. And the one consistent theme with all five teams that are featured in this post is an absolutely brutal schedule early on. But for some of these teams, you’re already seeing them start to turn the page and look more and more like playoff teams every week.
BERRYHILL (2-3)
Berryhill got blown out in week three to 4A’s #1 Cushing but they’ve looked good ever since. The following week, they pushed top-ranked Lincoln Christian in their district opener. And then last week, Berryhill got their second win of the season and the first win in district play when they knocked off previously unbeaten Muldrow. The Chiefs still have yet another top ten team on their schedule later this season when they travel to Stigler in week nine. That game could end up deciding who gets a home playoff game and who has to go on the road. And if we see a little bit of chaos in this district, which we very well could, the district championship could still be up for grabs. But like the rest of the teams on this list, Berryhill has weathered the storm and they’ve already started to see them turn things around in a big way. We expect the Chiefs to continue to gain momentum and take that with them into the playoffs.
BISHOP KELLEY (1-4)
One of the things that we tend to always lean on when it comes to Bishop Kelley is their coaching staff and starting with head coach JJ Tappana. We’ve written this a few times over the last several years but we just trust in Tappana getting the absolute most out of this Bishop Kelley roster. They’ve played two top five teams and the defending 5A champs in Collinsville. When you look at the steady improvement over the last few weeks, combined with the rest of the schedule, this looks like yet another Bishop Kelley team that can punch their ticket to the playoffs. The Comets could even steal a home playoff game if they run the table, which isn’t impossible. It might all come down to the final week of the regular season when they face off with Grove. This team still has talent on both sides and they should be considered a “team you don’t want to play” when November rolls around.
CASHION (2-3)
We somewhat saw this coming and Cashion starting off the year 2-3 isn’t a big surprise when you look at what Cashion lost from last year’s team. The Wildcats captured back to back state championships in Class A and would have to replace almost all of their key pieces coming into this season. Cashion began the year 1-3 and some of those new faces are growing up in a hurry. But if you follow Class A football over the last decade, the last thing you should do is count out the Wildcats and head coach Lynn Shackelford as they head into October and November. Now, the district is the lightest in Class A with only six teams, but it’s also very competitive right now. Cashion’s already dropped one district game and can’t afford too many more losses. The biggest games left on the schedule will be against Christian Heritage and rival Crescent. The two-time champs should still punch their ticket to the playoffs.
JONES (2-3)
Jones started off the season 0-3 after the first three games but we still kept them in the Class 2A top ten rankings. Look at who they played in those first three games. They played a ranked 4A team in Bethany, followed by the top-ranked teams in Class 3A and 2A with Lincoln Christian and Washington respectively. A 1-2 record during that stretch would have been considered a success. The Longhorns have won their last two games and they impressed last week in a 20-10 victory over Crossings Christian. Junior quarterback Clayton Creasey Clayton Creasey 6'1" | 195 lbs | QB Jones | 2024 State OK has been impressive so far this season, especially since district play began. They have a few tough district opponents left on the schedule and they’ll once again be tested against teams like Luther this week and then in two weeks when they face off with Chandler. The Longhorns could still capture the district championship and go into the playoffs with momentum.
OWASSO (1-4)
You can make the argument that no other team played a harder schedule in the first half of the 2022 season. Owasso is 1-4 on the season and the four losses were to the top four teams in Class 6A-1. The one win comes against another ranked team in Broken Arrow when they knocked off the Tigers on the road 27-26. The Rams have been trying to find their identity with new players stepping into unexpected roles after early season injuries. And playing arguably the toughest schedule in the state while doing that isn’t the best recipe to have success. But like the rest of the teams on this list, Owasso should be able to turn this ship around in a big way over the next five weeks. The Rams could very well rattle off five straight wins and punch their ticket to the playoffs. How far this team can go once they get there is still up for debate. But the Rams should get things going sooner rather than later.