Football Preview: Bixby Spartans vs. Norman Tigers
Two dominant signal callers in Carson Kirby and Phoenix Murphy are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Bixby Spartans will be playing at home against the Norman Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Bixby will be looking to keep their ten-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Bixby is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Oklahoma's top teams: Deer Creek, who was ranked tenth in their home state at the time (Bixby was ranked second). Bixby took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 48-10 victory over Deer Creek. Considering the Spartans have won seven contests by more than 27 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Kirby was his usual excellent self, throwing for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Bixby also got a significant boost from Cooper Parker, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 87 yards.
Bixby was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 172 rushing yards in 22 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Bixby didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Emory Snyder, Brody Scott, Nathan Hobbs, and Tyler Wright picked up one apiece.
Norman aren't just finding success at home, as their game on Friday extended their overall winning streak to four. They came out on top against Mustang by a score of 40-28.
Norman got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Murphy out in front who threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes, and also rushed for 43 yards. Kam Donald was another key player, rushing for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Bixby's record now sits at 8-1. As for Norman, their record now sits at an identical 8-1.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Bixby has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 242.3 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Norman has preferred to attack from the air: they average 290.2 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Bixby against Norman in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, as the team secured a 59-20 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Norman's Crew Noles, who rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries, and also threw for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Bixby still be able to contain Noles? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
