Upon further review: Norman North

People have said it’s amazing the way the season turned around in Norman in regards to the two high schools. With Norman North out of the playoffs  —  thanks to a 24-7 loss to Edmond Santa Fe Friday  —  and Norman having a good chance to make the postseason, playing a 3-win Lawton Ike team, the notion is that Norman has become the better team in town.

That’s not exactly accurate. The Tigers have improved greatly and Donovan Roberts, Jaime Myers and Greg Offenburger are standout talents. What’s more, the Timberwolves have declined since manhandling Putnam City North in week four. There’s little arguing that.

Still, it’s comparing apples and oranges, because the districts the two teams play in are by far the biggest reason for the change in fortunes. District 6A-1 is the toughest in 6A by a longshot, boasting four teams in the top 10 and seven quality teams. Southmoore, Mustang and Del City are among the top teams in the state. Lawton and PC North are strong. When Edmond Santa Fe and Norman North are bottom dwellers, that’s a vicious district. There’s only one easy game in that whole district.

Now, take 6A-2. Midwest City is a beast. After that, you have Edmond North and Edmond Memorial squads that are maybe the equal of PC North and Lawton. But while the Edmond schools are going to finish second and third, PC North or Lawton won’t even make the playoffs. Westmoore, Putnam City, Putnam City West, Norman and Lawton Ike all have losing records  —  five of eight teams. Only two of eight teams in 6A-1 have losing records, Santa Fe and Moore. And even the upper echelon of each conference don’t compare: two teams in 6A-2 have seven wins; four teams in 6A-1 reached at least that many and another team has six wins.