For the third time in three years, the Oologah Mustangs and Wagoner Bulldogs will face off for the gold ball in 4A state football.
Administrators have been notified that the game will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Broken Arrow Memorial Stadium, said Superintendent Max Tanner. The official OSSAA online bracket had not yet been updated to reflect championship game schedules as of 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
While the Bulldogs have dominated the series, the Mustangs have been closing in. Two years ago, the Silver Ball went to the Mustangs following a 45-21 loss to the Bulldogs.
Last year in Owasso, the Mustangs took the game to the last play before again taking silver 15-14, and many fans said the game was so well played that both teams deserved gold balls.
But the Mustangs just set out for a third try and have crushed every team in their path this year except for a head to head contest in 4A-3 against Wagoner earlier this year. Since then, they have found to ways to win on every side of the ball and every part of the field. Wagoner has been equally impressive, and Friday’s contest already is drawing major statewide attention likely to boost the fan count beyond last year’s estimated 8,500.
Ironically, this year three of the four semi-finalists for the championship came from 4A-3, with Oologah beating the only non-district contender, Clinton, Friday night in Putnam City by a 28-21 margin.
Wagoner made the Gold-Ball Battle scheduled for Broken Arrow by dispatching Cascia Hall 43-28. The Mustangs beat Cascia on their home field earlier in the season in 4A-3 competition.
Friday’s long-range forecast calls for crisp weather but not bone chilling. The National Weather Service predicts partly sunny skies with a high in the low 50s; Friday night should be mostly cloudy, with a low around 30 and a North wind around 5 mph. No hazardous weather of any kind is predicted next week. Forecasts will be updated as warranted.