Every two seasons, the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) realigns the football districts and Weatherford’s district really did not change, except fo one team.
Weatherford typically plays in Class 4A-1 and with Anadarko dropping to 3A, 4A-1 needed a team. The team the OSSAA put in the district was Bethany, where Weatherford coach Reagan Roof spent 9 years, from 2008-16 as head coach, compiling a 67-33 record.
The teams in Weatherford’s district this season are Bethany, Cache, Chickasha, Clinton, Elk City, Elgin and Newcastle. The home district games feature Bethany, Cache, Elk City and Newcastle. The road trips feature Chickasha, Clinton and Elgin.
For the non-district games, Weatherford will not be playing Piedmont or Chisholm. The two teams they added were Kingfisher and El Reno. They will play at Kingfisher and at Woodward, but will host El Reno.
“This is the toughest schedule we have had since I have been the head football coach,” Roof said. “Our non-district games are tough and our district games are tough.
Our district is challenging every year, but it gets a lot harder when you add in a team like Bethany who has such a great program.”
Weatherford is expected by many to make a deep playoff run and be in contention for another district title, but 4A is tough and got even harder with the addition of a few really good football teams such as Ada, John Marshall and Skiatook. If Weatherford finishes in the top half of the district, they will make the playoffs and the competition will be anything but easy.
“Week in and week out, we will be challenged,” Roof said. “All we can do is play who is in front of us and control what we do.”
In the playoffs, they could face 4A heavyweights such as Tuttle, Blanchard, Wagoner or Poteau, just to name a few good teams.
Ada and Skiatook dropped from 5A and both have historically good programs. Ada has 19 football state championships and Skiatook has one state championship, but both teams have historically been competitive.
John Marshall bumped up from 3A and they have three state championships.