Winless team eyeing playoffs

Oaks-Mission is 0-9 on the season, but still might make the Class B football playoffs with a win over South Coffeyville on Friday night.

C.D. Thompson is ready for a turn of luck. The past year has been tough for Oaks-Mission High School, where Thompson has been head coach the past six years.

An injury that led to a player being flown to a hospital abruptly ended last season’s playoff loss. This season, Oaks-Mission’s star player suffered a season-ending injury. Its quarterback moved.

For a community located 15 minutes from Arkansas, times haven’t always been easy. Football is still an escape, even in a down year like now.

Oaks-Mission has nine losses, but it still isn’t eliminated it from the Class B playoff picture.

It’s crazy and unheard of, but a victory Friday against South Coffeyville means an unlikely playoff berth.

“I’ve had teams go 6-4 and not make it, so if we win one game and make the playoffs with the kids I have I’m going to count this season as a success,” Thompson said.

Thompson, who is also the school’s principal, has spent his entire life in the small community. He’s seen kids from terrible situations thrive on the football field.

That’s why he’s remained strong.

“I just want to see some success for my kids,” Thompson said. “I need to be humbled myself too and that’s what this year has been.”

Thompson said 8 of 11 players on his team have individualized education program certification. A handful also come from Oaks Indian Mission, which houses children who are pre-delinquent, in need of supervision, deprived or boarded for education purposes.

That’s made winning tough.

Oaks-Mission had Cave Springs on the rope and even thought it took the lead late when it scooped and scored on a fumble. But officials ruled the play dead and Oaks-Mission went on to lose.

Then it had four straight bad snaps against Prue, leading to a rout.

Now, Oaks-Mission gets South Coffeyville, a team that has two wins. But one of those wins came from a forfeit.

“I’ve told them all year this is the most winnable game we have,” Thompson said.

And if a little luck can turn — like it did when Thompson won a coin flip to break a three-way tie in 2014 — then OaksMission will pull off the unimaginable.

“It’s pretty unique, ain’t it,” Thompson quipped.

District B-6 could come down to draw

Oaks-Mission won the luck the last time a district needed a three-way tie broken.

That could happen again to another district Friday. District B-6 could come down to a tiebreaker scenario that would lead to second place being decided by a coin flip or other tiebreaker.

It all comes down to Canadian’s game at Dewar. If Dewar wins that game by 15 or more points, a three-way tie for second place with Wetumka and Weleetka is formed without a headto-head tiebreaker.

Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association rules require a draw to determine second place, which results in a first-round home game. Third and fourth place will then be determined by head-to-head results.

OSSAA associate director Mike Whaley said he’s given the coaches multiple options, but an answer is expected no later than 9 a.m. Saturday.

They could meet on their own and determine the second-place winner by coin flip, drawing names or however they determine. They could do it over the phone. They could get Whaley on the phone with them if necessary. Or they could drive to the OSSAA Saturday morning and determine it there.