By CRAIG HALL
A football season for many teams is broken down into three sections. There is the preseason and early games, followed by the district part of the schedule, then the teams fortunate enough get an extension on their season with the postseason play.
That third part opens tonight when the Oklahoma state football playoffs begin with five LeFlore County teams taking part. You have an experienced playoff team in Poteau, a school (Spiro) making its 50th playoff appearance and a team in Heavener that was once a frequent visitor to the playoffs but is making its first visit to the postseason since 2011.
While three of tonight’s games feature 1 vs. 4 matchups, there are a couple of matchups between teams that finished second and third in district play.
Undefeated Poteau (10-0) hosts Miami (6-4) for the second straight year after a blowout win last year.
In what appears to be the best matchup, at least on paper, Heavener visits Sequoyah-Tahlequah in a matchup of 7-3 teams. The Indians were second in 2A-5 behind Prague after winning at Vian last week.
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Heavener survived a grueling three-game stretch in the middle of the season at home against Eufaula, then a visit to Idabel and Hugo in back-to-back weeks. Both teams have made an impressive turnaround as Heavener was 2-8 last year and Sequoyah was 1-9. It is believed to be the first matchup between the two schools and the Wolves’ first appearance in the playoffs in 12 years, since a 47-7 loss at Stroud in 2011.
Spiro returns to the playoffs again and drew a tough opener. The Bulldogs are 6-4 and finished fourth behind Idabel, Eufaula and Heavener. Prague is 10-0.
Panama is another 3-seed visiting a 2-seed in Wyandotte. The Razorbacks are 6-4 while Wyandotte is 8-2.
In a game that could be the wildest one among the LeFlore County teams, Pocola (7-3) travels to play Colcord (9-1), which lost its opener to Kansas before winning nine straight. Pocola’s season has been like riding a roller coaster. The Indians opened with a lost at Heavener, destroyed county rival Spiro in Week 2, lost to Central and Gore, scored 50 points in a revenge win against Panama and finished by scoring 76 points in a win over Talihina that clinched a playoff spot.
In other games among area teams, Broken Bow at Wagoner; Henryetta at Idabel; Quapaw at Central Sallisaw; Sallisaw at Cushing; Stigler at Cascia Hall; Fairland at Gore; Pawnee at Hartshorne; Quinton at Keota.
Here are the playoff brackets for all the Oklahoma classes:
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