Union (Tulsa, Okla.) at Jenks (Okla.)
Mason Farquhar, Union
Photo by Oladipo Awowale
The Backyard Bowl – simply the best rivalry game in contemporary high school football. Two extremely successful programs – either Jenks or Union has won every single Class 6A state title since 1996 -- from neighboring districts playing annually in front of crowds that usually top 30,000 in a college stadium. That's pretty hard to match. The archrivals each traveled to Southlake, Texas, last week to open the year against Lone Star State powers. Jenks came away with a 27-23 win against Trinity (Euless) but Union didn't fare as well, losing to No. 12 DeSoto (Texas), 44-20.
Just the facts: In 1995, the last time a team other than Jenks or Union won the Oklahoma 6A title: Bill Clinton was President, the average price for a gallon of gas was $1.35, and only about one in 10 American adults used the Internet. Jenks won the 10th of its titles during that span last season. … Union has won five of the last six games against Jenks, but the Trojans still lead the all-time series (which dates back to 1949) by a margin of 31-19. The teams have actually met twice in a season – once in the regular season and again in the playoffs – every year since 2007.
Mitch Stephens: Jenks 42, Union 35
Kevin Askeland: Jenks 42, Union 7
Jamie DeMoney: Jenks 34, Union 27
Stephen Spiewak: Jenks 42, Union 28
Leland Gordon: Jenks 34, Union 27
Colin Ward-Henninger: Union 35, Jenks 34
Jamie DeMoney is in his 20th season covering high school sports and recruiting. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and compiles the National Prep Poll for World Features Syndicate.
