Who are the midseason high school football coach of the year candidates in Oklahoma?

Check out these 15 coaches who have done phenomenal work in 2022 thus far

By Glen Brockenbush 

Photo of Elgin football coach Chalmer Wyatt 

As the football season reaches the back nine (or final weeks of the regular season, to be more accurate), we’ve come up with 15 coaches who have, thus far, put themselves in position to be SBLive Oklahoma’s Coach of the Year by season’s end.

The criteria to make this list is varied, from coaches behind surprising turnarounds to those who took a powerhouse and kept the train rolling.

See what you think of our choices at the halfway point of the regular season.

Tanner Allen, Waynoka

Speaking of trains, we start with the Railroaders of the 8-man ranks, where Waynoka appeared to be set up for a good 2022 season. But Coach Allen has his team looking like genuine contenders.

The Railroaders opened the season with a blowout win against reigning Class B runner-up Balko-Forgan, and have mercy-rule victories against district foes Boise City and Buffalo, putting them at No. 3 in the Class C rankings.

It also sets up a de facto district title - and potential battle for the No. 1 ranking in the state - with defending champ Timberlake this week.

Lee Blankenship, Mustang

It would almost feel sacrilegious to have a list of top coaching jobs in Oklahoma and NOT include a Blankenship.

We knew the Broncos would have some talent back from last year, but they’ve exceeded expectations, having blown out most of their opponents, beating Owasso by 10 and if not for a narrow loss to a good Edmond Deer Creek team, they’d be unbeaten.

Dale Condict, Wagoner/Rusty Morgan, Cushing

I’m grouping these two together because it will be the winner of this weekend’s game who will earn more “look at the job he’s doing” around the state.

Cushing has cruised through the season and is deservedly No. 1 in Class 4A. And much like many of the coaches you’ll see on here, Rusty Morgan deserves credit for helping that offensive machine hum, just as his players do.

Meanwhile, Wagoner’s 3-2 record may not look impressive to the naked eye, but both losses were close results against quality 5A opponents (28-20 to Grove, 9-7 to Coweta). And if the Bulldogs can pull off a road “upset” (can a state power like Wagoner truly upset anyone?), they likely win the district title, set themselves up for a deep playoff run and allow for piles of praise to be heaped upon coach Dale Condict.

Rob Gilbreath, Sequoyah-Claremore

The Eagles started the season 4-0, allowing less than 14 points a game through that stretch. And while they suffered their first loss of the season last week, they played well enough against Rejoice Christian to actually move up in the polls.

Tim Harper, Coweta

Maybe this is cheating a little bit, finishing this as Coweta smacked McAlester on Thursday night.

But to be fair, Harper was already a strong candidate for this list. The Tigers are looking like one of the best - if not THE best - 5A has to offer.

Justin Hannah, Turpin

The Cardinals still have their toughest tests ahead of them (Shattuck, Laverne, Balko-Forgan), but through five games, they’ve allowed 30 total points. That’s extraordinary.

Travis Hill, Muskogee

The 5-0 Roughers have big games still on the schedule, but wins against Midwest City Carl Albert and Sand Springs were impressive enough to give Hill and Muskogee statewide respect.

Brent Marley, Rejoice Christian

It certainly helps to have a Division I prospect leading your offense, but you don’t put up the kinds of numbers the Eagles are putting up without kids buying in. That’s why I give Marley and his staff so much credit.

Chance Wilson is a tremendous talent, possibly the best player in the state, but we’ve also seen extremely talented teams take a dive because they’re undisciplined or don’t have good cohesion.

Zac Maynard, Elk City

The Elks were one of the big stories of 2021, going from a program that endured a 23-game losing streak from 2017-20 to the state semifinals. But with plenty of talent from a year ago - including star running back DayDay Thompson - gone, it was unclear as to how good Elk City would be this year.

But after beating traditional Texas small-school powerhouse Canadian in overtime, the Elks got revenge on the team that beat them twice in 2021, ousting Clinton 14-12 on Sept. 30. It was just the second time Elk City had beaten the Red Tornadoes since 2004.

Elk City still has to play against Weatherford and Chickasha, but the district appears to be the Elks for the taking. After taking over for the revered Dave Meadows, Maynard is making a legacy all his own.

Loren Montgomery, Bixby

Considering what the Spartans lost from last year, considering they moved up to the biggest and toughest class in Oklahoma high school football and considering they haven’t missed a beat, you have to applaud Montgomery for keeping the ship going.

You also have to wonder, as long as they keep this streak going, where he ranks among the coaching greats in the state’s history.

Cade Shearwood, Stigler

Unfancied by many to start the season, Stigler is 6-0, led by one of the stingiest defenses in Class 3A. The Panthers are giving up just four points per game.

Chuck Terry, Walters

To appreciate where Walters is now (undefeated), you have to look at where they were (a 23-game losing streak just a couple of seasons ago). For that alone, Terry should be praised.

Rafe Watkins, Prague

Watkins is a living legend in Oklahoma high school football and Prague is his latest stop. The Red Devils are unbeaten and look to be genuine district champion material, not where most thought they’d be.

Matt Williams, Vinita

The third coach from District 2A-8, Williams deserves plenty of kudos for the Hornets being 5-0 and averaging more than 44 points a game.

Chalmer Wyatt, Elgin

If you just started paying attention to Elgin football this season, you might look at the lopsided wins, the conveyor belt of young talent and think this is a powerhouse program that is used to doing what it wants to opponents.

The truth is, the Owls are in their first year in Class 5A and are two years removed from a winless season. There are still some crucial games on the schedule (at Noble, at Lawton MacArthur and Midwest City), but the Owls are very much in the thick of the district title race.