Finally, Muskogee able to break its lengthy title drought with 6AII championship triumph

Party is now on for 'resilient' Roughers and their fans after first title since 1986

EDMOND, OKLAHOMA - Thirty-seven years of pent-up almosts and couldn't-close-its erupted into a sea of green on the green turf of Chad Richison Stadium here Friday.

A good chunk of Muskogee, alumni and of course, players and coaches, began partying like it was 1986, but never mind about that year. Make room, last state champions, for the 2023 edition.

It'll have its own special story after the Roughers knocked off defending Class 6AII state champion Stillwater, 28-26, on the University of Central Oklahoma campus. A story of gutty resiliency.

The saying heard around there - no one is tougher than a Rougher - had an exclamation point on it here. For the second straight week, the Roughers had to rely on a two-point conversion stop.

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Last week, it was senior edge man Anthony Watson, whose stop after two offsides penalties backed Muskogee to the 1 brought the Roughers here instead of hometown Edmond Deer Creek. This time, it was senior defensive back Deyonn Bowler, who rushed the the edge and wrapped up Pioneer running back Talon Kendrick just shortly after the handoff, denying Stillwater's best shot at overtime with 20 seconds to play.

"I wanted to make a play. I just had to make a play," Bowler said. "Our deal was just to fight, just to fight. We knew if we stopped them there, the ring was ours."

"Fight" as in exuberant effort, was what got Bowler into a little bit of trouble earlier in the quarter. With his team up, 28-20, and looking to seal the deal after driving from the Rougher 11 to the Pioneer 20, he took a handoff, and while trying valiantly to break tackles, lost possession of the football, and Trace Clark's recovery gave Stillwater a shot with 3:41 to play.

But Muskogee, never trailing but fully answered after each score - all except Brodey Clark's extra-point attempt that hit the crossbar to keep it at 21-20 after Kendrick's third touchdown of the game with 2:29 to go in the third - shut it all up with senior Kayden McGee's recovery of the onside kick. One kneel-down later, it was done.

A team that was winless three seasons ago during COVID and 2-8 after Travis Hill was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach among three finalists, moved to 11-2 and finished the long road back, not only from those first painful years but the last time a gold ball was hoisted by this program.

"These kids, every one of them deserve this," Hill said of his team and second state titlist to serve as head coach since Tulsa East Central in 2005. "That's a championship team over there in the white (referring to Stillwater's white jerseys). Now, we're a championship team.

"These kids, they dealt with all the non-negotiables we put forth that had to be put forth in order to get here. Most of that was just flat growing up and doing the right thing, making common-sense choices, and acting like you represent your teammates as much as yourself."

The Rougher players themselves remarked dealing with adversity helped them handle situations like the end of Friday's title game that much better.

"We matured through a lot of stuff to the point where we were telling each other, we're not going to let adversity get us down, and you saw that all day long (Friday)," said junior quarterback Jamarian Ficklin, who rushed for three touchdowns of 1, 19 and 2 yards and threw for another, a 29-yarder to junior receiver Ondraye Beasley. Beasley broke a wave of tackles at the 15 and again inside the 5 to make it past the goal line.

"When our turnover happened, we said the defense is going to get that stop. They scored, but OK, we're going to get the stop on the two-point conversion, and we did. We were resilient, and that's defined us."

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One of Hill's first hires was former Stigler head coach Chris Risenhoover as offensive coordinator and mentor for Ficklin. Rise, as Risenhoover is called, had numerous state title contenders at that 3A outpost, but always seemed to run into the private school monsters. He found a clearer path in 6AII.

"There's no private schools here, but there's good football here," Risenhoover said. "Sixteen teams do make the odds better. Travis was the right hire, and when he got the job, I knew there was a chance, I knew I was getting old and running out of gas, and I wanted a ring before my career ended.

"And it's been great. We've made it happen on both sides. There's never been any animosity on staff. Both sides feed off each other and the kids are now that way. We've learned to do that over the last three years and these are the results."

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Added defensive coordinator Steve Craver, the former University of Tulsa defender: "When these kids needed to stand strong, they stood strong. I can't say enough about them.

"When it came down to it on both sides, they reached deep down and stepped up."

And that's why there was bedlam in the south end zone well after the clock hit triple zeroes. Muskogee rose, from a group of four finalists, each game from the semifinals on decided on a play inside the 5.

And now they're on top like they were in 1986.

"We're going to party all night," said Bowler.

Photos by Michael Kinney

-- Mike Kays | @SBLiveOK