FOOTBALL PREVIEW: BARTLESVILLE, BARNSDALL, CANEY KS, COPAN, NOWATA, PAWHUSKA
Bartlesville High School’s Shaun Thrasher (44) pumps up the Bruins during a regular season game. Bartlesville travels to Collinsville on Friday.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Sept. 18, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
(Note: You can catch area football live Friday night on Bartlesville Radio stations. The Bartlesville vs. Collinsville showdown is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff on KWON (1400-AM and 93.3-FM), while the collision between Barnsdall and Nowata at Barnsdall, will be broadcast on KRIG (104.9 FM) and also on KYFM (100.1-FM). Radio and video coverage also are streamed live on the Bartlesville Radio website.)
Hard to believe but the fourth week of area high school football action is set to dial up this Thursday and Friday.
This also will be the final non-district test for a few programs prior to plunging into the tumultuous waters of district play.
Following is a look at this week’s schedule, followed by a breakdown of each game.
Thursday
CANEY VALLEY TROJANS at Cleveland junior varsity
Friday
BARTLESVILLE at Collinsville
NOWATA at BARNSDALL
Bluejacket at COPAN
Woodland at PAWHUSKA
Neodesha (Kan.) at CANEY VALLEY (Kan.)
———
BARTLESVILLE (0-2) at Collinsville (2-0)
Latest result for each team: Claremore 29, Bartlesville 20; Collinsville 52, Tulsa Edison 6.
2024: Collinsville 35, Bartlesville 33
2023: Collinsville 27, Bartlesville 14
2022: Collinsville 35, Bartlesville 25
OUTLOOK
It’s been a long, long time since a Bartlesville Bruin head football coach celebrated a win against the Collinsville Cardinals.
In fact, the Cardinals have won the last seven meetings, since 2018 — during the tenure of three different Bruin grid skippers — Lee Blankenship (2018), Jason Sport (2019-21) and current program chief Harry Wright (2022-24).
Will this be the year the Bruins can shake this huge monkey of futility against Collinsville off their back and at the same time rev up some momentum going into district games?
Friday’s showdown will be Bartlesville’s first road game. The Bruins went 0-2 to start the season in competitive losses to Newcastle and Claremore, the latter score being 29-20.
Collinsville has cut its teeth on a couple of weaker opponents, Oologah and Tulsa Edison, by a combined score of 86-6.
Bartlesville’s offense has strung together several long drives the past two games with sophomore Michael Kent under center.
But turnovers and penalties have exacted a rugged toll in killing drives. Injuries also have kept the Bruins from full strength.
Sophomore quarterback Michael Kent is averaging about 280 yards passing per game, with five touchdowns. Bartlesville has been picked off four times. He is among the state’s leaders with 64-percent completions (50-of-78).
Kent also has carried the ball for almost 200 yards as Bartlesville’s leading rusher.
Among Kent’s other positives has been utilizing his entire receiving corps, led by Boden Roberts, Gavin Thomas, Daeton Stevens, Harrison Ketchum and Matt Sears.
The kicking game is handled strongly by Dillon Burson, with Maci Alleman utilized as an onside kick specialist.
Defensively, the Bruins have had to play on their heels a good portion of the early season due to short fields set up by turnovers and special teams’ faux pas. The defense has stood up tough, made multiple fourth-down stops and other big plays. The key to the Bruins’ defensive play might be the health of its front-line standouts.
With two games and a bye week under its belt, Bartlesville could be primed to put its consistency issues behind it and produce a power performance that could build some momentum.
One interesting side-story to this matchup is the presence of Carter Vaughan in the Collinsville quarterback rotation. Vaughn played youth sports, including middle school, in Bartlesville prior to attending Collinsville. Among his highlights last week against Tulsa Edison was a 37-yard scoring pass.
Collinsville senior ballcarrier/linebacker Scott Rigby has rushed for more than 40 career touchdowns.
Ben Daniels is a Cardinal receiver with more than 1,000 yards receiving and recorded 95 tackles and seven interceptions prior to this season.
Beating Collinsville would be a giant step forward for Bartlesville. The Bruins have been so close the past seven years. Collinsville has barely squeezed out some of those wins: 37-34 in 2018, 20-17 (overtime) in 2019, 35-25 in 2022 and 37-27 last season.
The keys for Bartlesville appear simple: Win the turnover margin, try to avoid playing more than one score behind, get the running game going on first and second downs, play effective third and fourth down defense and avoid significant penalties.
This game also will sharpen the Bruin attack for their district opener the following week against Sand Springs.
————
Copan High School’s Payten Call (2) runs the ball with Shooter Brewington (20) blocking during an earlier season game. The Hornets host Bluejacket on Friday.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
————
Bluejacket (2-1) at COPAN (2-1)
Latest result for each team: Depew 34, Copan 14; Coyle 68, Bluejacket 18.
2024: DNP
2023: Copan 68, Bluejacket 20
2022: Copan 66, Bluejacket 50
OUTLOOK
The Copan Hornets battled last week at less than full strength in terms of personnel and it manifested itself in a surprising loss.
But, Copan head coach Trenton Kallenberger is hoping to have more players in uniform that are ready to power the Hornets back into the right direction.
Four-year starting senior Weston O’Rourke delivered both of Copan’s touchdowns and his senior teammate Teegan Caron racked up a two-point conversion.
In their first two games Copan had outscored opponents 100-0 and Kallenberger is hoping to see his offense shake itself awake against Bluejacket.
——
NOWATA (0-3) at BARNSDALL (2-0)
Latest result for each team: Barnsdall 54, Oklahoma Union 18; Chelsea 28, Nowata 16.
2024: Barnsdall 44, Nowata 34
2023: DNP
2022: DNP
OUTLOOK
These two teams engaged in a shoot-out last year but it’s hard to tell if that will be the pattern in this year’s rematch.
Barnsdall has displayed plenty of firepower, outscoring its first two opponents, 90-26. But those two teams are a combined 0-6, so one the Panthers are probably yet to be fully tested.
Even though Nowata also is winless, the Ironmen have played a pretty rugged schedule, including Class A-I elite power Pawhuska and a salty competitive Warner team.
Both teams feature new full-time starting quarterbacks — Lincoln Gott for Barnsdall and Adrian O’Dell for Nowata.
Gott has been amassing big piles of yards and points and utilizing his experience of four years in some starting capacity on varsity. O’Dell is a junior that has played effectively even though Nowata is in a reloading phase of offensive skill players.
Barnsdall’s Hayden Collins is one of the most devastating defensive forces in the state and should be a challenge for the Ironmen to try to deal with.
For Nowata, Brett Malone has been a power on ‘D’.
On paper, Barnsdall appears to be the favorite, especially on its Homecoming Night.
But Nowata is a spunky determined crew fired up by intensity to earn its first win.
The emotional recipe is there for a volatile matchup. Now it has to be settled between the lines.
———
Nowata High School’s Davionn Downing (22) returns a kick off with Adrian O’Dell (6) leading the way during an earlier season game. The Ironmen travel to Barnsdall on Friday.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
———
Woodland (1-1) at PAWHUSKA (3-0)
Latest result for each team: Pawhuska 44, Hominy 27; Woodland 14, Morrison 12.\
2024: Woodland 46, Pawhuska 8
2023: Woodland 38, Pawhuska 22
2022: Pawhuska 48, Woodland 46
OUTLOOK
Woodland has been a pain in what former President Ronald Reagan referred to as the “keister” the past two seasons.
While Pawhuska has been beating up on most of its opponents, the Cougars have managed to tame the Huskies.
But Pawhuska might be primed to write a completely different kind of script in this year’s meeting, especially on Homecoming Night.
The Huskies are coming off a chest-pounding 44-27 thumping of the Hominy Bucks on Hominy’s field. Pawhuska has appeared to be unstoppable so far, outscoring its opponents 170-44.
But the Huskies might be a bit beat up after three consecutive weeks of high-intensity action, especially last week in Hominy.
One thing’s for certain — neither team is overlooking the other.
Leading Pawhuska’s offensive attack is senior quarterback Kane Foreman, who threw the first couple of weeks and had thrown more touchdowns (10) than incompletions (eighth). He also ran for a couple of scores against Hominy.
Rounding out the Big Three producers for the Huskie offense have been junior tailback Vann Wildcat and senior receiver Corlin Cass.
Many others have stepped up too, including sophomore Jenson Snodgrass, senior Jarek Edwards, senior Logan Cass, junior Tripp Walker and sophomore Jimmie Wildcat.
Pawhuska’s defense has shut down opposing offenses like a power outage. Dane Jensen and the Wildcat and Cass boys have helped spearhead the unit.
On paper, Pawhuska looks pretty tough — if it is at near-or-full strength. But Woodland has proven the past couple of years it could put a bite on the Huskies.
Friday’’s collision will reveal a lot about the potential of both teams.
———
Neodesha (Kan.) (2-0) at CANEY VALLEY (Kan.) (2-0)
Latest result for each team: Caney Valley 52, Erie (Kan.) 6; Neodesha 35, Bluestem 8.
2024: Caney Valley 42, Neodesha 12
2023: Caney Valley 48, Neodesha 6
2022: Caney Valley 38, Neodesha 12
OUTLOOK
Caney Valley has definitely had the better the past few years of the Blue Streaks.
But both teams come in with unbeaten records, motivating both teams to keep the good times rolling.
Layne Denny has passed for 100-plus yards in back-to-back games — a rarity for Caney Valley quarterbacks.
Multiple ballcarriers have played strong, including last year’s returning rusher Traxcyn Garton. Drake Roberds has stepped up as a go-to receiver.
A victory would propel Caney Valley with momentum into what could it be its toughest regular season test next week against Christ Prep Academy (September 26).
———
CANEY VALLEY TROJANS (0-3) at Cleveland junior varsity
Caney Valley has been off for two weeks, due to a forfeit and bye week.
The Trojans’ roster number appears to be back up and the Trojans are eager to get back under the Friday night lights in this Thursday tilt.
———
DEWEY (1-2), bye
The Doggers are looking as strong through three games as they have in the past several seasons.
They outlasted Locust Grove and last week fell by just a touchdown at Checotah, 14-6.
They have a chance this week to heal up and continue to get on the same page with a retooled coaching staff, led by new head skipper Scott Sapulpa.
———
OKLAHOMA UNION (0-3), bye
The Cougars faced a grinding gauntlet in their first three games.
But they have plenty of talent and potential in the developing stage and this week off might help nurture a spurt of progress before they return to action on September 26.