If you spent any time on the sidelines in Tuttle or Elgin this past winter, you know the air felt different. High school football in Oklahoma is a religion, sure, but Class 4A? That’s where the real, gritty drama lives. It’s the class where a single missed tackle in the quarterfinals doesn’t just end a season; it haunts a town for a decade. The 4a Oklahoma football rankings for 2025 told a story of two absolute juggernauts on a collision course that felt inevitable by mid-October.
Tuttle. Elgin.
For months, they traded the top two spots like a hot potato. Most experts—and the computer models—had them locked in at 1 and 2 from the jump. When they finally met at the University of Central Oklahoma for the state title, it wasn’t just a game. It was a 23-20 thriller that proved rankings aren't just numbers on a screen. They’re a reflection of culture.
The Final Standings: Who Came Out on Top?
Let’s be real. If you’re looking at the final 4a Oklahoma football rankings, the top is top-heavy. Tuttle finished the year a perfect 14-0. They didn't just win; they suffocated people. But Elgin was right there, finishing 13-1 with their only blemish being that three-point heartbreaker in the final.
Beyond the "Big Two," the landscape got a little wilder. Broken Bow emerged as a massive threat, finishing 11-2 and silencing a lot of doubters who thought their preseason hype was a fluke. Cushing also stayed relevant all year, riding a high-powered offense to an 11-2 record.
Here is how the top of the heap looked when the dust settled:
👉 See also: NFL Fantasy Pick Em: Why Most Fans Lose Money and How to Actually Win
- Tuttle (14-0): The undisputed kings. Their defense was a brick wall.
- Elgin (13-1): So close it hurts. They have one of the best offensive lines in the state regardless of class.
- Broken Bow (11-2): A physical, mean football team that nobody wanted to see in the bracket.
- Cushing (11-2): High-flying and fun to watch, though they ran into the Elgin buzzsaw in the semis.
- Grove (10-2): Consistently tough, though they struggled when the level of competition spiked in the late rounds.
Ada and Poteau also hovered in that top-ten conversation for the entire season. Ada, specifically, had some moments where they looked like they could crash the party, but they couldn't quite find the consistency needed to jump over the Tuttle/Elgin hurdle.
Why Rankings Don't Always Tell the Truth
Rankings are weird. You’ve probably noticed that MaxPreps might have a team at #4 while Skordle or the AP poll has them at #7. Honestly, it comes down to "Strength of Schedule."
Take a team like Bethany or Clinton. They both finished 5-6. On paper, that looks mediocre. But if you look at the 4a Oklahoma football rankings through a "strength of schedule" lens, those teams were playing monsters every week. They were battle-tested. That’s why you saw teams with five losses still making deep-ish runs or giving undefeated teams a scare.
The OSSAA districts are notoriously uneven. Some districts are "The District of Doom," where four of the top ten teams in the state are fighting for three playoff spots. Others? Not so much.
The Players Who Made the Rankings Move
You can't talk about these teams without talking about the kids on the field. The 2025 class was loaded.
✨ Don't miss: Inter Miami vs Toronto: What Really Happened in Their Recent Clashes
Antoni Kade Ogumoro over at Elgin? Basically a human forklift. When you have an interior lineman of that caliber, your rankings are going to stay high because you can run the ball whenever you want. On the other side, Tuttle’s success was built on a collective defensive discipline that you just don't see in high school very often.
Then you have guys like CJ Nickson from Weatherford. Even when Weatherford wasn't at the very top of the 4a Oklahoma football rankings, Nickson made them a threat. He's the kind of "edge" player that keeps offensive coordinators awake at night.
The Impact of Recruiting
It's kinda interesting how recruiting rankings and team rankings correlate.
- Ada’s Deante Lindsay stayed in the spotlight all year.
- Weatherford’s CJ Nickson brought national eyes to 4A.
- Elgin’s Ogumoro solidified that frontline.
When a team has a 4-star or high 3-star recruit, they usually "anchor" the team's ranking. Voters (and even the computers) tend to give those teams the benefit of the doubt in close games.
The Playoff Chaos
The playoffs are where the 4a Oklahoma football rankings usually go to die. We saw it this year. Wagoner, a perennial powerhouse, didn't have the "ranking" they usually do mid-season, but they turned it on when it mattered. They eventually ran into the Broken Bow offensive explosion, losing 70-35 in a game that felt like a video game.
🔗 Read more: Matthew Berry Positional Rankings: Why They Still Run the Fantasy Industry
Speaking of Broken Bow, that 70-point performance against Wagoner was probably the statement of the year. It shifted the "power rankings" overnight. People realized that while Tuttle was the favorite, the East side of the state was bringing some serious heat.
Next Steps for Fans and Coaches
If you're trying to keep up with the 4a Oklahoma football rankings for the upcoming cycles, don't just look at the win-loss column. Look at the "Points Against" category. In 4A, the champion is almost always the team that can stop the run in November.
Keep an eye on the junior classes at Elgin and Tuttle. Both programs have built "systems," meaning they don't just rebuild—they reload.
For the most accurate, real-time updates, you'll want to cross-reference the OSSAA official standings with local reporters who actually go to the games. Computer rankings are great for math, but they don't see the star quarterback limping in the fourth quarter or the weather turning a track meet into a mud bowl.
Actionable Insights for the Offseason:
- Track District Realignment: The OSSAA shakes up districts every few years. A powerhouse moving into a "weak" district can skew the rankings significantly.
- Watch the Trenches: In 4A, the skill positions get the headlines, but the rankings are decided by the offensive and defensive lines.
- Check the Non-District Schedule: If a 4A team is scheduling 5A or 6A-II opponents early in the year, they are preparing for a deep December run, regardless of what their early-season record says.
The 2025 season is in the books, and Tuttle sits on the throne. But in Oklahoma, the hunt for the next #1 spot starts the Monday after the trophy is raised.