Rankings Preview: Week 3

BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com

I haven’t done this the first two weeks because the rankings have been a mess. It’s hard to tell how much a win means through the first couple of weeks of the season. But here it is for this week. Disagree? Think I’m nuts for putting a team too high or too low in your mind? Let me know. The only thing I ask is for a reason why your team should be higher or another team should be lower.

I’ve never been one to conform to the way some rankings change. If a team in the class loses to No. 1 and No. 2, they could still very well be No. 3.

CLASS 6A
1. Tulsa Union (1)#2-1
2. Broken Arrow (2)#1-2
3. Jenks (3)#1-2
4. Lawton (5)#3-0
5. Edmond North (7)#3-0
6. Owasso (6)#0-2
7. Southmoore (10)#3-0
8. Edmond Santa Fe (4)#2-1
9. Mustang (NR)#3-0
10. Westmoore (NR)#2-1

Stillwater and Norman North fall out after losses this week, replaced by newcomer Mustang, who throttled Stillwater and Westmoore, who dropped out last week after losing to Southmoore. Lawton moves up one spot after Edmond North beat Edmond Santa Fe, while North moves up two spots to No. 5. Owasso is 0-2 officially but should be 1-2 after they were handling Muskogee 28-0 before the game was called in Week 2. The Rams are still one of the best teams in the state but had a difficult non-district schedule. Same goes for Broken Arrow and Jenks.

CLASS 5A
1. Guthrie (1)#3-0
2. Tulsa East Central (2)#3-0
3. Lawton MacArthur (3)#2-1
4. Deer Creek (4)#3-0
5. Bishop McGuinness (6)#3-0
6. Tulsa Kelley (NR)#1-2
7. Coweta (5)#2-1
8. Carl Albert (9)#1-2
9. Claremore (NR)#3-0
10. Tulsa Memorial (NR)#3-0

The top four all remain the same. The only loss in the top 5 is Lawton MacArthur’s loss last week to Lawton, one of the top teams in 6A. McGuinness continues to impress in its first season in Class 5A, with a blowout win over Weatherford before it opens district play next week vs. El Reno. Carl Albert justified its continued ranking despite its record with a 31-10 win over previously No. 8 Duncan. Tulsa Kelley, who had losses to Class 6A Bartlesville and to McGuinness coming in, knocked off Coweta to move back into the rankings. Coweta stays in at No. 7, a spot ahead of Carl Albert. Claremore makes an appearance after knocking off McAlester in overtime, while Tulsa Memorial also slides in after its 3-0 start. McAlester, Duncan and Ardmore slide out though all three could find their way back into the top 10 soon.

CLASS 4A
1. Wagoner (1)#2-1
2. Clinton (2)#2-1
3. Cascia Hall (3)#3-0
4. Sallisaw (4)#2-1
5. Ada (5)#3-0
6. Douglass (6)#1-2
7. Anadarko (7)#3-0
8. Glenpool (9)#1-2
9. Fort Gibson (10)#3-0
10. Poteau (NR)#3-0

The top part here remains the same after the top seven all won this week. No. 8 Broken Bow fell to 3A Metro Christian, opening things up for a new entrant. Poteau takes the spot by virtue of its wins at Durant and at Van Buren, Ark., especially. The Pirates just edge Tulsa McLain, who got by Tulsa Central this week. Glenpool picked up its first win, starting to justify its continued ranking with a 27-7 win over Sperry. Glenpool had lost to Berryhill and Cascia Hall to start the season.

CLASS 3A
1. Kingfisher (1)#3-0
2. Tuttle (2)#3-0
3. Berryhill (3)#3-0
4. Seminole (4)#2-0
5. Sequoyah-Claremore (6)#2-1
6. Blanchard (9)#3-0
7. Metro Christian (8)#2-1
8. Victory Christian (NR)#3-0
9. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (5)#1-1
10. Verdigris (NR)#3-0

Easy at the top, tough on the bottom. The top four teams won and Sequoyah-Claremore sliding up past Sequoyah-Tahlequah was a no brainer. After that, though, things get complicated. Blanchard jumps Metro Christian for the overall strength of their resume to this point, having won three games pretty handily so far. Victory Christian moves into the rankings after their stunning come-from-behind win over Sequoyah-Tahlequah. The Indians fall four spots to No. 9, just behind Victory. Verdigris is the other newcomer, winning out over other candidates like Lincoln Christian (2-1), Plainview (2-1), Purcell (2-1), Jones (2-1) and others based on the way they’ve blown out each of their opponents thus far. Perkins dropped out after its loss to Verdigris.

CLASS 2A
1. Millwood (1)#3-0
2. Vian (2)#3-0
3. Davis (3)#3-0
4. Frederick (5)#3-0
5. Hennessey (4)#1-2
6. Stroud (7)#2-1
7. Lindsay (8)#2-1
8. OCS (6)#2-1
9. Adair (9)#3-0
10. Commerce (NR)#2-1