Bixby (OK) football focuses on growth, not national rankings

Every week on the national high school football scene has brought some type of chatter around the No. 1 ranking given to the Bixby Spartans of Oklahoma, via the Massey Ratings, but that couldn’t be further from the minds of those preparing on a weekly basis.

That’s because the 10-time Oklahoma state champions are laser focused on the weekly task at hand, though the national attention has drawn more buzz around the Spartans’ football program. Bixby head coach Loren Montgomery focuses on developing his players and not allowing outside noise to disrupt the process he’s led since 2010.

“It’s just been a growth process,” Montgomery said.

“It’s all about developing players. We have a crazy good weight-room culture. We’ve been fortunate enough to have a ton of continuity in our staff. I’ve been here 16 years, our offensive coordinator has been here 15 and our defensive coordinator, 15 or 14. Several of our assistants have been here the whole time. We’ve got great facilities. A great community. Friday nights are awesome. Just a lot of good things going in our football community.”

Many around the country know of the usual suspects on the national high school football scene like Bishop Gorman (Nev.), IMG Academy, Mater Dei and the list goes on of teams. The question that pops up commonly on a weekly basis when comments begin to spread on the Massey Ratings national high school football Top 25 is who exactly are the Bixby Spartans?

The high school football version of the “Dos Equis guy”, Montgomery was proud to talk about the program and where it was when he started and where it’s at now.

“We’re in a suburb of Tulsa and we’ve gone since 2010, when I took the head coaching job in Bixby, we were moving from 5A to 6A, and we had approximately 1,200 students then and now we got 2,200 students,” Montgomery said.

“The community is growing at a pretty rapid clip and with that, our football program struggled the first three or four years to be honest with you. Then we got our first group of guys that we had begun to develop and we won our first three (state championships) in ’14, ’15 and ’16. It’s a rural community that’s kind of turning suburban.”

Another question, which was asked by The Rundown host Drew Johnson to Rivals on a Tuesday evening podcast was ‘Could Bixby compete with some of the top teams nationally?’ That answer for this reporter is yes and that’s because of the prolific play of their offense.

In watching film from Bixby’s 66-35 victory over Jenks back on Sep. 26, the number of formations and pre-snap shifts an opposing defensive coordinator would need to prepare for on any given Friday night would leave you with headaches after film study.

From tight, compact formations paired with play-action fakes springing a wide open route runner on one play to an uptempo offense that is always poised to go for it, whether deep inside of their own territory or not, Bixby’s attack would pose problems for any and all teams defensively nationwide.

The Spartans this season has scored 56 touchdowns and totaled nearly 3,600 yards of offense, averaging an eye-popping 66.4 points per game, which that average went up after last week’s school-record 92-0 win over Enid last Thursday. Montgomery said that the team did just about everything it could to avoid a game like last week’s, from removing starters after the first quarter and imposing a running clock.

It’s games like last week’s that begs the question to Montgomery, would Bixby be opposed to playing teams out of Oklahoma for the 2026 season and beyond?

“That’s something definitely that we’ve talked about as a program,” Montgomery said.

“We may get to do this year because our redistricting is late. We’re not a private school. We’re subjected to the kids that we have. It’s year to year to year, the strength of your team is always going to be a little different.”

The players that the Spartans boast on this year’s current 7-0 team is the most Division I players that Bixby has ever had during Montgomery’s time as head coach.

Headlining the team as the only four-star prospect, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, is offensive tackle Kaeden Penny (Oklahoma commit), who also doubles up and plays on the defensive line as well.

Besides Penny, the Spartans have other future Power 4 level players, including three-stars Braeden Presley (Oklahoma State commit), Emory Snyder (West Virginia commit) and linebackers Trey McGlothlin, Cord Nolan (Texas Tech commit).

Bixby has won seven straight state championships dating back to the 2018 season and are gunning for another Class 6A crown, an eighth consecutive and No. 11 for the program.

Though all the talk with Bixby has been question marks on whether they have been deserving of being ranked so high by national rankings, the Spartans are focused on the next game. That next time they take the field is tomorrow night at Bronco Stadium against the Mustang Broncos, led by Florida State quarterback commit Jaden O’Neal.

If you haven’t had a chance to see what the Spartans do as a team via film, do yourself a favor and watch them play. Chances are you might see one of the more entertaining high school football teams you’ve seen this 2025 season.

For the Spartans, it isn’t about the entertainment of the rankings but about the growth and getting to 8-0 is all they’re worried about.

“That’s the constant message we send to our kids is that winning isn’t easy,” Montgomery added.

“No matter what the situation we have to be focused and not succumb to human nature, which is to relax, right? I feel like our staff tries to combat that by putting a lot on our kids plates so they’re forced to mentally focus during a week of preparation and to get ready for the game.”

How to Follow Oklahoma High School Football

For Oklahoma high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the state, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Sooner State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the gridiron excitement across the state of Oklahoma.