It’s always one of the biggest festivals of the year, and this year’s field does not disappoint. The BA/Bixby Turf War features three days of matchups of some of the best teams in the state, ranging from 6A to 3A, all of whom come into the weekend looking to build momentum with some big wins heading into the final stretch of the season. 14 teams are making the trip to either Bixby or Broken Arrow which means we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s jump right in.
Team Previews
Bixby
Perennial 6A power Bixby has stayed true to form so far in 2024, sitting atop their district at 18-4, however, they did finally see their undefeated district record fall apart this week with a loss Monday to a Piedmont squad that is sitting in a prime position to host a regional in their first year in 6A. The Spartans will play three this weekend, with a trio of Edmond schools making the trip south of Tulsa. On Thursday and Friday, the Spartans will play the nightcap, taking on Edmond North and Edmond Memorial at 7 p.m. each day. They’ll have a quick turnaround on Saturday, opening the day’s actions with a 10 a.m. matchup with Deer Creek.
Broken Arrow
The other gracious host of this festival is the Broken Arrow Tigers, who come into the weekend red-hot after a district sweep over a very talented Enid squad. The Tigers will play three games of their own this weekend, all at the same times as Bixby’s with two 7 p.m. starts and a 10 a.m. start on Saturday. Thursday they’ll take on Deer Creek, Friday brings a battle with a Choctaw team that’s off to the best start in 6A, and finally a game against 3A contender Salina on Saturday wraps up the weekend for the Tigers.
Jenks
Sticking with the bevy of 6A talent that will be in attendance this weekend, we move to the Jenks Trojans. The Trojans aren’t quite living up to the high standard we’ve come to expect from them over the years this season, but they’re still a very talented group that has looked improved in recent weeks. They’ll have a chance to make a statement heading into the end of the year with three big games this weekend. Jenks will be in Broken Arrow on Thursday to take on Choctaw, then they’ll move over to Bixby on Friday for a matchup with Victory Christian before ending the weekend back in Broken Arrow for the festival finale against Edmond North.
Edmond Memorial
After one of the best starts in the state, the Bulldogs have started to lose some steam in recent weeks, dropping their last four games including a district sweep at the hands of Choctaw that saw their undefeated run in district play come to an end. A team with this much talent won’t stay down long though, and this weekend is a prime opportunity for Memorial to find their way out of this midseason slump. They’ll play only two games this weekend facing off with Deer Creek on Thursday in Broken Arrow and finishing their weekend with a Friday battle with Bixby.
Victory Christian
Quickly jumping down to 3A, we have the Victory Christian Conquerors. Victory Christian sits tied atop their district with Cascia Hall who they split a series with at the beginning of this week. After having two early season games against Union and Sand Springs canceled, the Conquerors will finally get their shot at some 6A squads this weekend. They’ll play one game apiece on Friday and Saturday, starting with a Friday game against Jenks and then ending the weekend with a matchup against Deer Creek.
Deer Creek
Heading back up to 6A, we have the only team in the festival that will be playing four games. Deer Creek has been a story of ups and downs this year, winning just enough big games to make you remember how talented they are but dropping enough head-scratchers to make you wonder how far they can go in the postseason. The Antlers have looked like a brand-new squad over the last two weeks though, winning eight in a row including wins over some quality 6A teams at the Gladys Winter Festival last weekend. They’ll play a pair of doubleheaders this weekend, playing Edmond Memorial and Broken Arrow on Thursday, and then Bixby and Victory Christian on Saturday.
Edmond North
Staying around Edmond, next, we’ve got the Edmond North Huskies. The Huskies looked like they might have hit a wall after a stellar start to the year last weekend, dropping all three games in Enid at Gladys Winter. However, as they have all season, the district starter duo of Vanderbilt signee Owen Hall and Nebraska signee Pryce Bender shut down Yukon to break out of their mini-slump with two straight 2-1 victories. The Huskies will play three this weekend, one each day. They’ll begin in Bixby with a late game against the Spartans. Then, they’ll face off with Noble in Broken Arrow on Friday, before wrapping up the weekend with a game against Jenks.
Salina
Next, we look at a Salina squad that has had no problem challenging themselves with midweek matchups against bigger 6A programs thus far. The Wildcats have already had six games against 6A competitions this season and had three more canceled over spring break. Salina will play two this weekend, one Friday and one Saturday. On Friday, they’ll take on Westmoore at 2:30 p.m., and on Saturday they’ll face off with Broken Arrow in the 10 a.m. game.
Westmoore
Right back to 6A we go, this time taking a look at the Westmoore Jaguars. The Jaguars are off to a great start again this season as they look to make their way back to the state tournament once again, playing their way to second place in their district with a 9-1 district record. This weekend, they’ll play only two games, one on Thursday and one on Friday. The Jaguars start the weekend with a matchup against Noble in Bixby and will finish up with a game against Salina in Broken Arrow on Friday.
Booker T Washington/Kiefer
For Booker T Washington and Kiefer, we will take a look at the two squads together since they are each other’s only game of the weekend. Booker T dropped down to 5A this season, but the grass wasn’t much greener on the other side for the Hornets who are only 1-7 in district play thus far. With that said, there’s a good chance the Hornets will play their way to a much more respectable 5-7 district record with two series against teams they’ll expect to beat to close the year. Kiefer is one of the several teams representing 3A this weekend and will be looking to punch above their class and pick up a big win. The two teams will kick off the action in Bixby on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Choctaw
It wouldn’t have shocked many if you told them before the season that Choctaw would make the state tournament, they’ve been right on the cusp the last few years, but I’m not sure anyone outside of Choctaw expected them to look like the best team in the state with less than a month to go in the season. That’s exactly what happened for the Yellow Jackets in 2024, who sit at 19-1 and avenged their only loss, a 3-2 heartbreaker against Bixby by beating them 16-5 only a week later. This weekend, Choctaw has two games, one on Thursday and one on Friday. They’ll play Jenks first, before helping Broken Arrow end the day’s action on Friday with a 7 p.m. matchup with the Tigers.
Perry
Our final 3A representative is the Perry Maroons, a squad that has looked like a state title contender all year. The Maroons have only gotten better as the season has progressed, winning 15 of their last sixteen heading into the weekend and sitting at a perfect 10-0 in district play. Perry will only play one game this weekend and it’s the first game of the festival on the Bixby side. They’ll face off with a solid Noble squad at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
Noble
Last but certainly not least, we’ve got the Noble Bears. The Bears have challenged themselves with a tough non-district schedule all year, so while their 13-12 overall record won’t exactly strike much fear in their opponents, their 9-1 district record points to the Bears being a tougher matchup than they look at first glance. The Bears will play three this weekend, beginning with a doubleheader on Thursday against Perry and Westmoore, before their weekend ends with a Friday game against Edmond North.
Live Scoreboard
Thursday
(Bixby) 2:30 p.m. – Perry 8 Noble 11
(BA) 2:30: Jenks 0 Choctaw 12
(Bixby) 4:45 p.m. – Noble 3 vs Westmoore 6
(BA) 4:45 p.m. – Ed. Memorial 9 vs Deer Creek 3
(Bixby) 7:00 p.m. – Bixby 7 vs Ed. North 4
(BA) 7:00 p.m. – Broken Arrow 9 vs Deer Creek 5
Friday
(Bixby) 12:15 p.m. – Ed. North 9 vs Jenks 8
(Bixby) 2:30 p.m. – Booker T 5 vs Kiefer 10
(BA) 2:30 p.m. – Salina 8 vs Westmoore 2
(Bixby) 4:45 p.m. – Victory Christian 4 Jenks 3
(BA) 4:45 p.m. – Ed. North 10 Noble 1
(Bixby) 7:00 p.m. – Bixby 1 vs Ed. Memorial 6
(BA) 7:00 p.m. – Broken Arrow 0 Choctaw 6
Saturday
(Bixby) 10:00 a.m. – Bixby 7 vs Deer Creek 6
(BA) 12:15 p.m. – Broken Arrow 9 vs Salina 6
(Bixby) 12:15 p.m. – Victory Christian 0 vs Deer Creek 10
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