6 High School Football Habits That Give Away an Oklahoma Local

Oklahoma hands out 12 high school football championship trophies every December, and every one of them gets awarded at the same stadium in Edmond.

The OSSAA locked that in through 2027.

A local has the drive mapped before Week 1 kicks off, which is one of several tells that don’t need explaining in this state.

These are the high school football habits that give away an Oklahoma local.

1. Knowing Your Class Without Blinking

Oklahoma’s Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) splits high school football into classes running from 6A-I down through Class C, and a local answers with theirs before the question finishes.

Classes B and C play eight-man ball instead of the traditional 11-man game.

Those aren’t leftover programs.

Oklahoma’s smallest schools petition the OSSAA for the switch, and the field narrows too.

An eight-man field narrows to 40 yards wide instead of 53, with strips taped down the sideline to mark the difference.

A local who grew up on Class B ball knows that stripe by heart.

Someone from a 6A town usually doesn’t.

2. Already Mapping the Road to Edmond

Oklahoma’s 11-man state championship games never touch either finalist’s home field, and a local can already name the destination before Week 1 even kicks off.

Every one of them lands at Chad Richison Stadium on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond, a deal the OSSAA locked in through 2027.

It’s the same field.

A fan reaches for that answer out of habit, not because their team is chasing a trophy that December.

Oklahoma hands out 12 championship trophies there every December, and a serious fan already has that drive mapped out.

3. A Coach’s Name on a Street Sign

Jenks plays its home games at Allan Trimble Stadium, and a local won’t stop to explain who that is.

Trimble coached the Trojans for 22 seasons before retiring in 2018.

Jenks liked him enough to rename part of B Street after him too.

Nobody needs it explained.

Give someone directions to a game there, and Allan Trimble Way comes up as naturally as any street name in town.

4. Marking the Backyard Bowl on the Calendar

The Backyard Bowl between Jenks and Union packs both sides of the stadium every fall, and a local plans their Friday around it even when their team isn’t playing.

Jenks and Union meet again on September 25 this season, continuing a rivalry that’s run since 1923.

The winner takes home the Backyard Bowl Trophy and keeps it until the next Friday the two teams meet again.

Traffic backs up on the roads near whichever stadium hosts it that year.

Tourists read that as a normal Friday.

Locals already left early.

5. Naming Their Team’s Radio Voice

McAlester’s football broadcasts have carried the same voice since 2017, according to the station’s coverage.

McAlester Radio’s Brandon Green calls nearly every varsity football game on radio station KNED.

Fans in the stands can still hear him through a radio propped on a tailgate.

That’s routine, not celebrity.

Ask a McAlester local who’s on the radio Friday night, and they won’t hesitate to name him.

6. Flipping to the Friday Night Highlights

Oklahoma City and Tulsa each carry Friday-night football coverage on local TV, and a local already knows which show to check.

Oklahoma City TV station KFOR runs Friday Night Heroes, its weekly high school football recap.

Tulsa TV station KJRH broadcasts Friday Night Live at 6 p.m. from a game of the week, with highlights following on the 10 p.m. news.

Same habit, different city.

A local checks in before checking their phone.

The Rivalry National Voters Noticed Too

Jenks and Union's Backyard Bowl earned a spot in a national bracket for the country's best high school football rivalry, voted on by Sports Illustrated's high school site in 2023.

Jenks holds the historical edge, up 44 wins to Union's 24 with one tie across their first 69 meetings since the rivalry began in 1923.

Union hasn't forgotten those numbers.

That head-to-head margin doesn't stop either side's fans from showing up in force every fall.

A rivalry that outsiders vote on nationally is still one only Friday night regulars can recite from memory.

What Championship Weekend Looks Like in Edmond

Chad Richison Stadium turns into "Championship Central" for two weekends every December, and Edmond fills up with families from every corner of Oklahoma.

OSSAA splits its 12 championship games evenly across those two weekends, six classes one weekend and six the next.

The same 12,000-seat stadium crowns the state's biggest 6A programs and its smallest eight-man schools within days of each other.

One stadium, every class.

Fans who can't make the drive can still watch every game live through the NFHS Network, the high school sports streaming service that carries OSSAA football.

Families who do make the trip fill hotels and diners across Edmond for both weekends.