Bixby goes for another title — and history — as Spartans face upstart Deer Creek for 6AII championship

By Buck Ringgold | Photo courtesy of Bixby athletic department

One more game stands between Bixby and some more hardware — not to mention some history.

The Spartans go for their fourth consecutive Class 6AII state championship as they face Edmond Deer Creek for the title on Thursday. Kickoff from Chad Richison Stadium on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond is set for 7 p.m.

Should the Spartans get the job done Thursday, they would also set a new state 11-man football record with their 49th consecutive win. Bixby shares the record with Wagoner with 48 straight wins, with Wagoner having won its 48th straight game in 2017.

"I think it's the way they lead and prepare," Bixby coach Loren Montgomery said of his squad. "We've got some really good leaders on this team, some guys that understand that the way we prepare during the week is the way we're going to play on Friday, and they just kind of keep everyone focused and dialed in and mentally aware of our responsibilities."

Bixby (12-0) is also in a state championship game for the eighth consecutive season, having won six gold balls in the previous seven trips to the final.

While it seemed to be a foregone conclusion all season the Spartans would be back in Edmond playing for a gold ball, Deer Creek has been the proverbial team coming out of nowhere to get to play for a title.

Before this season, the Antlers hadn't posted a winning record since 2015, having won 19 ballgames between 2016-20. But they come into Thursday's final with a 10-2 record, with their two losses each coming in overtime against Stillwater and Del City.

Deer Creek then opened the playoffs with a road win against Choctaw, last season's 6AII runner-up. The Antlers then pulled off a 20-17 win against Sand Springs in the semifinals on a late touchdown pass.

In addition, Deer Creek is playing in its first title game since 2000, when the Antlers won the championship - as a 3A school.

"They're on a roll, they're 10-2, their only losses are in overtime to two very good football teams," Montgomery said. "Coach (Wade) Standley and his staff are all veteran guys, who you can tell when you put the film in, are great coaches."

Deer Creek is led by senior quarterback Brett Pense, who has thrown for 2,234 yards and 28 touchdowns, including the game-winning pass to Berkley Dalton to win the semifinal. He has also rushed for seven TDs. Junior tailback Deontaye Wilson has added 959 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Helping clear a path for Pense, Wilson and the other Antlers' go-to players on offense is senior tackle Jacob Sexton, an Oklahoma commit. Sexton has also come up big on defense, playing nose tackle during the Antlers' playoff run.

"They're pretty efficient running and throwing the football, they're good at getting you bent out of shape with different formations, motions, things like that," Montgomery said. "They can also move the ball with tempo and can slow it down when they need to as well.

"They also have a defense that's kind of a 3-4 concept that does some multiple stuff, and they've got a bunch of guys that swarm to the ball and play really hard and most notably, an excellent defensive line."

Deer Creek's defense will definitely have to be up to the task of slowing down Bixby's multitude of offensive standouts.

Bixby is averaging 60.9 points per game. The Spartans have been nearly 50/50 in their run-pass ratio, having generated 3,265 yards on the ground and 3,304 more through the air.

Their biggest weapon on offense is senior Braylin Presley, an Oklahoma State commit who can line up at both running back and receiver.

Presley has rushed for 947 yards and 14 TDs while catching 50 passes for 632 yards and seven TDs. He also has scored 99 touchdowns in his career as a Spartan.

Senior quarterback Christian Burke has passed for 2,834 yards and 34 TDs. Junior Connor Kirby, the team's backup quarterback, has rushed for 732 yards and 19 TDs mainly out of the Wildcat formation.

Linebacker Jack Puckett heads up the Spartans' defense. He is the team's top tackler with 96 and also leads in sacks with 12. Puckett has 21 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hurries as well.

But Montgomery pointed out there are several other players who are coming through for his team at the right time.

"We've got a lot of really good players that have been in our program a long time that are really good at executing their job," he said. "I think that's been the coolest thing about this team is that we have a lot of guys, a lot of returning starters and a lot of guys that have played a lot of football that are playing at a high level."

Perhaps one big advantage Deer Creek has on paper is that it may have the crowd on its side, with the Antlers' campus 10 miles away from UCO.

But Montgomery noted the Spartans will bring plenty of fans themselves.

"Without a doubt (Deer Creek may have the crowd advantage); I know their community is excited and it's local," he said. "However, our community of Bixby travels extremely well and is excited to be in this game, so I would expect an excellent crowd on both sides of the stadium."

Thursday's 6AII game will be the first of five title games this weekend at Chad Richison Stadium. On Friday, the 3A and 4A title games will be held; then on Saturday, the 6AI and 5A championship games take place.