Broken Arrow claims No. 1 in 6A-I rankings after Bixby upset

Broken Arrow holds the No. 1 ranking in Class 6A-I football for the first time since 2019, according to Tulsa World’s Class 6A-I rankings.

The Tulsa World moved the Tigers to the top of its Class 6A-I poll after Broken Arrow's 17-14 victory at Bixby's Spartan Stadium on Friday, Oct. 30. The win also clinched the District 6AI-1 title for Broken Arrow.

The last time the Tigers sat atop the 6A-I rankings was during the 2019 preseason and through the first three weeks of that season, according to the Tulsa World.

Hill served as defensive coordinator on Broken Arrow’s 2018 team, which won the school’s only state football championship.

Broken Arrow Public Schools officials hired Hill away from Muskogee in December 2024, the Tulsa World reported. The 64-year-old Hill has elevated the 2026 Tigers to the No. 1 ranking in the state's largest classification.

The game that flipped the rankings

Heading into the Oct. 30 showdown, Bixby averaged 49 points per game while Broken Arrow averaged 46, according to the Tulsa World. Neither team scored after halftime.

Quarterback Shamar Banner rushed for more than 100 yards and a touchdown for Broken Arrow and was named the game's most valuable player. Defensive back Bryson Brown recorded a late-game interception that ended Bixby's 24-game win streak. Defensive lineman Jackson Ayers recovered a key fumble, and safety Semaj Stanford coordinated the Tigers' defense on the field.

Bixby quarterback Isaiah Butcher, described by the Tulsa World as the Spartans' most consistent run-game weapon, was injured during the third period and carted from the field. His availability for the postseason had not been determined as of the Tulsa World's Saturday, Oct. 31, report.

5A shakeup

In Class 5A, OK Preps Extra reported that Sapulpa made the classification's biggest jump after defeating Coweta. The two teams switched spots in the rankings.