Woodward, Okla. — This could be a big week in several area football districts.

The 11-man schools are entering their fourth week of district play and  separation could really begin to show - unless some potential upsets make things a bit chaotic.

The 8-man districts are a little farther along, but the same type of scenarios exist.

Here is a look.

District 4A-1.

Key game happens in Boomer Stadium as Anadarko visits for homecoming.

The Warriors, ranked in the top 5, could move quite a bit closer to the district championship with a win.

But if the Boomers pull off the upset, you could see a 4-way tie for first place in the district come Saturday morning.

That would make the last 3 weeks of the season quite interesting.

The other district games this week have fairly solid favorites - Elgin over Cache, Clinton over Piedmont and Weatherford over Elk City.

Unless something unexpected happens, the 4 playoff teams from this district look like Anadarko, Clinton, Weatherford and Woodward with the order still to be determined.

Piedmont and Elgin have outside chances, but will need some help.

District 2A-1

Looks like the separation is already here in this district.

Barring something unforseen, Alva and Hennessey will play in week 10 for the district championship.

District A-1

It seems like Fairview and Texhoma are on track to meet next Thursday in Fairview for first place.

Fairview, though, has a potential hurdle to clear this week at Mooreland.

The Bearcats are 2-1 in the district and looking to get back in the picture to possibly host a playoff game.

It’s a bit of an uphill battle for the Bearcats as Fairview has outscored 6 opponents by a 303-56 margin, but Mooreland has the weapons on offense to compete.

Okeene is also 2-1 in the district and not necessarily out of the discussion.

Hooker is a potential playoff team, but the Bulldogs are coming off a 71-18 spanking at Fairview last week and it’s hard to tell how they will react.

District B-1

Top-ranked Laverne is sailing along so far and may face a test from once-beaten Garber on Friday.

May is the key word as Garber is trying to bounce back from a big loss to Pond Creek-Hunter last week.

If all the favorites keep winning, Laverne will visit Pond Creek-Hunter on Nov. 2 with the district championship up for grabs.

Garber is a pretty good bet for a playoff slot and about 4 other teams are still in the mix for the fourth position.

District C-1

Forgan and Balko are tied for first, but this remains Forgan’s district to win or lose. The Bulldogs have the best district win of the season so far at Sharon-Mutual.

The Bulldogs host Waynoka this week then have difficult back-to-back road games at Buffalo and Balko.

Balko also has a tough road game remaining at Sharon-Mutual and the Trojans have been dominant since losing to Forgan.

The Trojans, though, also have a major test this week as Buffalo comes calling.

Those 4 teams will likely make it to the playoffs out of this district.

The only other team with a realistic chance to slip in is Tyrone, but after blowout losses to Sharon-Mutual and Forgan earlier, the Bobcats still have to show they can stay with the district’s better teams.

*****

Is this the week for Northwestern to break through with its first victory since going full force into NCAA Division II?

The opportunity appears to be there with Southeastern coming in at 1-4, losing 4 straight after a season-opening win. And the atmosphere certainly should be right with the homecoming setting.

Look for a big day from the Rangers.



Johnny McMahan is managing editor of the Woodward News.