Today’s OSSAA board meeting resulted in changes that will affect several schools in NW Oklahoma. The impact is being felt in both large schools and small schools.
For 6A-I and 6A-II, six teams per district will now be invited to the playoffs. This is an increase from what was previously four. The first two seeds will get byes in the first round. This results in a match-up of the 3 and 6 seed as well as the 4 and 5 seed in the first round. The lowest seed who advances will then face the top-seeded team in the quarterfinals.
The 6A changes are being implemented this year, in the Fall of 2022. If six teams were invited to the playoffs in 2021, NW Oklahoma’s only 6A football team, the Enid Plainsmen, would have been the sixth seed.
The Plainsmen head into the 2022 season with a tough district. One of the best teams in the nation, the Bixby Spartans, moved from 6A-II to the Plainsmen’s 6A-I. Enid’s district in 2022, District 6A-I-1, includes Jenks, Bixby, Broken Arrow, Moore, Norman North, Westmoore, Southmoore, and Enid.
The other large order of business for today’s OSSAA board meeting was splitting Class 2A, A, and B into divisions. Doing so will add three new classifications and three new state champions.
This change will be implemented for the 2024 season when districts are re-made.
The 2A, A, and B divisions will have a playoff format similar to Classes 5A, 4A, 3A, and C.
