HIGH STAKES AND HOMECOMING FESTIVITIES HIGHLIGHT AREA FOOTBALL ACTION FRIDAY
Bartlesville Bruin football players enjoy the homecoming parade in downtown Bartlesville Thursday night. The Bruins take on undefeated Yukon Friday at 7 p.m. at Custer Stadium, following the homecoming coronation at 6:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Gammy’s Photos
Nowata’s Asiah Saxton (5) reacts after scoring one of his five touchdowns against Caney Valley, OK, last Friday in Ramona. The Ironmen defeated Caney Valley 48-0 and host Summit Christian for homecoming Friday night.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
Nowata’s Daeton Stevens (21) and Connor Sagan (34) take down a Caney Valley Trojan runner last week in Ramona. The Ironmen defeated Caney Valley 48-0 and host Summit Christian for homecoming Friday night.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
By Becky Burch
Oct. 3, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
Area high school football teams return to the field Friday night for a full schedule of district openers and homecoming celebrations. Following is a look at last week’s games and Friday’s matchups.
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BARTLESVILLE vs Yukon
The Bartlesville Bruins open Class 6A-1 district play at home Friday night against No. 5 Yukon in a high-stakes Homecoming matchup.
The contest features two high-powered offenses with nearly identical scoring outputs. Yukon enters the game averaging 44.4 points per game, while Bartlesville averages 41.2 points per game.
The undefeated Millers (5-0) present the biggest test of the season for the Bruins (3-1). For first-year Bartlesville head coach Matt Hennesy, who is implementing his own shifts within the Bruins program, Yukon serves as a blueprint for rapid program growth over five years.
Speaking on his weekly radio show Wednesday night at Dink's, Hennesy told Evan Fahrbach of Bartlesville Radio that the game will be a great measuring stick for him to see where his program stands compared to where the Millers were five years ago.
Yukon struggled through consecutive 1-9 seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24, going winless in district play both years. The program began its turnaround with a 3-7 campaign in 2024-25 before breaking through last season with a 6-6 record, a 3-2 district mark, and a 24-7 playoff victory over Deer Creek before falling to eventual state runner-up Owasso 45-7.
“They made a commitment with their funds, who they hired, how they’re going to do things, their facilities, and made a commitment in all the areas to go and actually compete in 6A-1,” Hennesy said on his weekly Coach's Show broadcast by Bartlesville Radio (KWON, KYFM, KRIG, KPGM).
The matchup features a battle of quarterbacks. Bartlesville's Michael Kent is throwing for 252.5 yards per game and adding 71 yards on the ground. Yukon quarterback Zealand Danielson is averaging 194.8 passing yards per game.
Kent’s top target has been Price Lusk, who leads the Bruins with 99.3 receiving yards per game, while Zayden Khalil paces the Millers with 71.3 receiving yards per contest. To balance the passing game, Yukon relies heavily on a potent rushing attack led by Prince Shelburn, who is averaging 121.8 yards per game on the ground.
Defensively, the Bruins are anchored by Drake Ford, who leads the team with an average of 9.5 tackles per game.
Following a downtown parade on Thursday, the Homecoming festivities continue at the stadium. The coronation ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m., with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early at Custer Stadium to secure seating and avoid traffic
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Dewey Bulldogger Braxton Braden (1) throws the ball during an earlier season game. The Bulldoggers defeated Crooked Oak last week and host Blackwell for homecoming Friday night.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
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DEWEY vs Blackwell
Elsewhere in the area, the Dewey Bulldoggers (3-1) are also chasing a Homecoming victory and their second consecutive district win. Dewey enters Friday's matchup fresh off a 27-21 road win over Crooked Oak last week. In that contest, Bulldogger quarterback Braxton Braden completed 8 of 22 passes for 144 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Fenix Bolding anchored the ground game with 57 yards on 11 carries, while Marshall McDaniel caught two passes for 59 yards and two scores.
Following a downtown parade on Thursday, the Bulldoggers will host Blackwell (1-3). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., immediately following the Dewey Homecoming ceremonies.
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Caney Valley, OK, Trojan Jaryn Viles (5) breaks a tackle against Nowata last Friday. The Ironmen defeated Caney Valley 48-0 and host Summit Christian for homecoming Friday night.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
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NOWATA vs Summit Christian
In another local Homecoming game, the Nowata Ironmen (2-2) will open district play against Summit Christian Academy on Friday. A Homecoming parade will be held Friday late afternoon in downtown Nowata, with the game kicking off at 7 p.m. immediately following the evening’s Homecoming ceremonies.
The Ironmen enter the matchup following a 48-0 road victory over rival Caney Valley (2-3) last week. Nowata found success primarily on the ground, racking up 371 rushing yards on 31 team carries and moving the chains for 14 first downs—all of them coming via the run.
Asaiah Saxton spearheaded the rushing attack, turning 16 carries into 297 yards and five touchdowns. Saxton found the end zone on touchdown runs of 42, 27, 70, 37, and 46 yards.
Adrian Odell played quarterback for the Ironmen, carrying the ball twice for one yard. Odell made his lone pass attempt count, completing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Woolman, who also contributed 16 yards on a single rushing carry. Nowata's ground game was further supported by Bode Smith, who took eight carries for 37 yards, and Daeton Stevens, who added 20 yards on four carries.
Summit Christian Academy (1-3) travels to Nowata looking for a reset after dropping its district opener to Pawnee 64-13 last week. The Eagles are chasing their second victory of the season, with their lone win coming against Mounds, 36-14, in mid-September.
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BARNSDALL vs Woodland
The Barnsdall Panthers (4-0) will look to protect their perfect record Friday night when they host the Woodland Cougars (1-3).
Barnsdall enters the matchup following a narrow 15-13 road victory over Fairland in its district opener last week.
Even with four loose balls on the night, Barnsdall managed to put up roughly 300 yards from scrimmage and counted on timely defensive plays down the stretch to lock down the win.
Woodland travels to Barnsdall searching for its first district win. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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SOUTH COFFEYVILLE vs Oilton
Further expanding the area's slate of festivities, it is also Homecoming week for the South Coffeyville Lions (1-3). The Lions will celebrate the occasion Friday night as they welcome the Oilton Panthers (0-4) to town for a district matchup.
South Coffeyville is searching for its first district victory after falling to Covington-Douglas 44-6 last Friday, a game in which the Lions got on the scoreboard with a second-quarter touchdown. South Coffeyville will look to bounce back and capture its second win of the season, following a 36-32 victory against Claremore Christian in early September. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at South Coffeyville.
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Copan Hornet Elijah Evans (13) runs the ball against Yale last Friday. The Hornets (5-0) defeated Yale 40-8 and head to Kremlin-Hillsdale Friday.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
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COPAN vs Kremlin-Hillsdale
The undefeated Copan Hornets (5-0) will put their perfect record on the line Friday night when they make a long road trip to face Kremlin-Hillsdale (2-2) Friday.
Copan travels fresh off a 40-8 victory over Yale at Sheets Field last week. In that contest, quarterback Zane Stricklin completed 8 of 15 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, while adding 28 rushing yards and two scores on five carries. Running back Raydn Martin spearheaded the offense out of the backfield, rushing for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries to go along with two receptions for 19 yards. Elijah Evans added 44 rushing yards on 14 attempts.
Through the air, Slayton Brewington caught three passes for 32 yards, Ruger Virden had two receptions for 22 yards, and Lane Willing caught an 11-yard touchdown pass. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Kremlin-Hillsdale.
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PAWHUSKA vs Morrison
The undefeated Pawhuska Huskies (5-0) will also look to keep their perfect record intact Friday night when they host the Morrison Wildcats (3-2) in a district matchup.
Pawhuska enters the contest averaging 46 points per game following a 30-0 shutout victory over Colcord last week. In that game, quarterback Jadon Spicer completed 9 of 18 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while adding 92 yards and a touchdown on seven rushing carries. Tripp Walker aided the passing attack with four receptions for 60 yards. On the season, Spicer is averaging 180.2 passing yards per game, Walker is averaging 67.2 receiving yards per contest, and Jenson Snodgrass is averaging 81.2 rushing yards and 18.4 points per game. Defensively, Dane Jensen leads the Huskies upfront, averaging 1.8 sacks per game.
Morrison travels to Pawhuska averaging 24 points per game. The Wildcats won their first two games of the season before dropping consecutive contests, most recently bouncing back with a 48-13 district win over Commerce last week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Pawhuska.
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CANEY VALLEY KANSAS vs Neodesha
The Caney Valley Bullpups put on an offensive clinic last week, racking up 588 yards of total offense to defeat Baxter Springs 64-26.
The Bullpups controlled the line of scrimmage from the opening whistle, generating 421 rushing yards on 54 team carries while moving the chains for 16 first downs. Caney Valley protected the football perfectly throughout the contest, committing zero fumbles and zero turnovers.
Traxcyn Garton opened the scoring for Caney Valley with a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Garton proved to be a multi-dimensional threat, later throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Drake Roberds in the second quarter before breaking free for touchdown runs of 45 yards and 40 yards during the third quarter.
The Bullpups also found strike-distance success through the air courtesy of quarterback Layne Denny, who connected with Roberds for two long-distance scoring plays. Denny found Roberds for a 43-yard touchdown pass just two seconds before halftime, and the duo struck again in the third quarter with a 78-yard touchdown connection.
Jace Buckley led the late-game offensive surge for Caney Valley. Buckley found the end zone three separate times on the ground, scoring on runs of 3 yards, 22 yards, and a final 65-yard touchdown burst in the fourth quarter to cap off the scoring.
Baxter Springs found offensive production through the air, compiling 279 passing yards on 30 completions, but was limited to 91 rushing yards on 18 carries by the Caney Valley defense.
The Bullpups travel to face the Neodesha Bluestreaks for an away game Friday at 7 p.m.