It seems like it was only yesterday when I was trying to complete the seemingly impossible task of predicting every state champion and runner-up in Oklahoma for the 2024 season. Fast forward a couple of months and we’ve now crowned a champion in all seven classes, which means it’s time to take a look back and see what I got right, and where I was wrong. 

6A – Prediction: Owasso def. Enid

Actual Result: Westmoore def. Sand Springs

When originally making my predictions I went back and forth between Enid and Sand Springs for longer than almost any other two teams across every other class. Ultimately none of that matters because I went with Enid, who made me look a bit smarter than I thought they were going to, by making a big run after an opening-round loss in regionals to make the state tournament.

My biggest qualm with picking Sand Springs to make the championship before the season was I was unsure if the lineup would be able to get runs on the board against the higher-level arms they would be facing in the state tournament. With a pitching staff as talented as Sand Springs had, the lineup didn’t need to be world-beaters. They were able to get timely hits throughout regionals and the state tournament and played a big part in helping the Sandites exceed our expectations this season. 

Owasso had me feeling great about my predictions all season, losing only once in district play all season and coming into the state tournament as one of the favorites to win it all. In the end, the Rams ran into a buzzsaw on the mound named Easton Webb and fell in a pitcher’s duel in the semi-finals to Sand Springs. 

This brings us to this year’s state champions, the Westmoore Jaguars. Let’s be honest, I’m not sure anybody outside the Westmoore school district expected them to go on such an incredible run this postseason, but hats off to them. A combination of the pitching staff giving up roughly three big hits in their final six games of the year and the bats catching fire in the state tournament led the Jags to their first state championship since 1994. 

5A – Prediction: Carl Albert def. Collinsville

Actual Result: Carl Albert def. Duncan

And just like that, I’m on the board. Other than a tough stretch for the Titans in the middle of the season where they had me a little nervous, Carl Albert would have been the betting favorite to take home the 5A crown for most of the season. Sapulpa tried to ruin my prediction in the first round of state thanks to a spectacular performance on the mound, but Carl Albert’s Kash Ferris was able to outduel Sapulpa’s Braxton Jones in a 1-0 Titans victory and the Titans never looked back. 

In defense of my Collinsville pick, the Cardinals were excellent all season, ending the year with a 31-5 record, and very well could have found themselves in the championship had the bracket shaken out differently. We aren’t here to talk about “what ifs” though, and the reality of it is that if I were predicting semi-final matchups I would have gone 2/2 in 5A, as the Cardinals season ended with a 4-0 defeat to Carl Albert in the semi-finals. 

I’d be remiss not to give credit where it’s due, the 5A runner-up Duncan Demons had a great season of their own, and were absolutely deserving of their shot at a championship. The Demons looked poised to win their second state title in three seasons, up 6-2 after three innings in the state championship but Carl Albert’s offense wouldn’t be denied, putting up six runs in the fourth to make it 8-6 before tacking on five more in the top of the seventh to all but seal their second straight state title. 

4A – Prediction: Blanchard def. Tuttle

Actual Result: Marlow def. Blanchard

This may be what I deserve for being boring with my original prediction and resorting to a third straight Tuttle vs Blanchard championship matchup. Halfway through the season, I was much more confident in my Tuttle pick than Blanchard, but a scorching hot second half of the season continued into the postseason for the Lions until the offense just ran out of juice in the championship, falling in a low-scoring 3-2 battle to Marlow. 

The Tigers went wire to wire as one of the favorites to take home the 4A crown, The offense was clicking at a high level for the most part, but the pitching staff was truly incredible down the stretch for Tuttle. After a 9-1 loss to Owasso on April 13, the Tigers didn’t surrender multiple runs in a game a single time over their final 12 games. 

It would be the eventual state champion Marlow Outlaws who took out Tuttle in the semi-finals thanks to an outstanding performance on the mound from Hudson Morgan, pitching his way to a 1-0 victory thanks to a walk-off single from Mason Holding. Holding would go on to throw a complete game of his own in the state championship, not allowing a run through the final six frames to help lead the Outlaws to their first state championship in school history. 

3A – Prediction: Washington def. Salina

Actual Result: Washington def. Perry

A testament to the safe pick oftentimes being the right one, I’m sure I didn’t shock many people by picking the Washington Warriors to three-peat and retain the 3A crown. Other teams went on hot streaks throughout the year like Heritage Hall and Lone Grove, but for the most part, Washington went wire-to-wire at the top of the class. Going into next season though, lots of new faces will take the field for the Warriors along with a new head coach, so could we see the door open for someone to finally topple the Washington dynasty?

Could that team be the Salina Wildcats? Things didn’t end as the Wildcats had hoped this season, seeing their season end in the semifinals to eventual 3A runner-up Perry, whom we’ll touch on next. However, this is a battle-tested bunch that will be back and looking to finally break through with a championship after a couple of early exits in the state tournament in the past couple of years. 

I’ll be honest, Perry was not a team I had on my radar when making these predictions before the season, although that says more about me than it does them. This was a talented squad that I severely underrated, particularly on the mound. Led by ace Kyler Zagar, it was that talented pitching staff that made the difference, putting together a streak of impressive postseason performances before the magic finally ran out in the championship, falling 4-0 to Washington. 

2A – Prediction: Oktaha def. The Field

Actual Result: Oktaha def. Cashion

If you could take anything from our vague prediction of Oktaha defeating “The Field” to win the championship, it is that we expected Oktaha to be dominant this season. I would think a 15-5 run-rule victory in the state championship game qualifies as domination. The Tigers won 27 of their last 28 to close the year, including scoring double-digit runs in every postseason game they played. 

The team representing “The Field” in the championship was the Cashion Wildcats who had an impressive season of their own, finishing the year with a 32-6 record. One of the major reasons the Wildcats were able to go on such a nice run was the return of Chance Acord right before the beginning of the season after he spent the fall at Stillwater playing quarterback for the Pioneers. Ultimately, the pitching depth ran out in the championship for Cashion, and they weren’t able to find an answer to the scorching-hot Oktaha offense.

Class A – Prediction: Rattan def. Wright City

Actual Result: Amber-Pocasset def. Tushka

Sandwiched between two classes I was on the money with, yes I’m counting 2A deal with it, is Class A who I was completely wrong about. I felt good about picking a Rattan squad that looked solid in the fall, and they lived up to the billing, for the most part, this spring, but a first-round upset knocked my predicted champions out of the tournament. 

It does make my missed prediction sting a little less that the eventual state champions are the squad that knocked Rattan out of the tournament. Am-Po was excellent all spring, ending the season with a 33-6 record, and were a classic example of a team getting hot at the right time. After a nail-biter victory in the first round against Rattan, the Panthers won comfortably in the semifinals and finals to clinch the first-ever state championship. 

Wright City put together a solid 2024 campaign of their own and came into the postseason scorching hot, only losing once in April. However, it wasn’t meant to be for the Lumberjax, and they would fall in a heartbreaker to Okarche in the first round of state 2-1. 

Tushka ended the season as the top-ranked team in Class A and used big performances on the mound in the first two rounds of state, only giving up a single run in each game. The pitching ran out in the championship against an Am-Po offense that simply would not be denied, and Tushka would fall 7-2. 

Class B – Prediction: Fort Cobb-Broxton def. Calumet

Actual Result: Fort Cobb-Broxton def. Calumet

We’ll end things with me patting myself on the back for predicting the Class B state championship right on the money. These were, without a doubt, the top two squads in Class B this season, and the collision course toward each other these two were on throughout the season came to fruition in the state championship. 

Fort Cobb-Broxton stumbled out of the gate this season thanks to a brutal early schedule, falling to 1-3 with their only win coming in extra innings. They quickly turned things around once they began to face more fellow Class B competition, and the Mustangs would ultimately end the season 24-6 with a perfect 11-0 record against other Class B schools. 

Other than their eventual loss in the championship to Fort Cobb-Broxton, Calumet didn’t lose a single game to teams in 3A and below, only falling to Moore (6A) and two of the top teams in 4A, Tuttle and Elk City. In the end, Calumet would fall in a pitcher’s duel to Fort Cobb-Broxton 2-1.