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Tulsa-area rivals Owasso, Bixby to move season-opening game

One of the highly anticipated opening-week games in Oklahoma high school football is a rematch of a state championship thriller from last season.

Now, according to a published report, the game will be moved to a new venue - albeit a familiar one for the teams involved.

According to a story in Thursday’s Tulsa World, Owasso and Bixby - both located in the Tulsa suburbs - plan to move its rivalry game, dubbed the “Battle of the Burbs,” to Chapman Stadium on the University of Tulsa campus. The game will also be played on Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Originally, the game was to have been played at Bixby, but the Tulsa World reported that the Spartans’ stadium holds about 7,000 spectators, whereas Chapman Stadium holds 30,000. The Spartans will remain the home team with the matchup moved to Tulsa.

Chapman Stadium also served as the site for the “Battle of the Burbs” for the 2022 and 2023 games, with the Spartans winning both games. Last season, the game was played at Owasso, with the Rams winning that matchup.

However, the two teams faced off at the end of the year for the Class 6AI championship, and in a down-to-the-wire finish, Bixby prevailed in overtime, 43-42, on a successful two-point conversion play.

That gave Bixby its third straight title since moving up to 6AI, along with its seventh straight gold ball and its 10th championship over the past 11 seasons.

The rematch next month marks the return to the sidelines for Owasso coach Bill Blankenship, who led the Rams from 2017-23 before retiring. However, he was lured out of retirement when then-coach Antonio Graham left Owasso after one season to become the new coach at Tulsa Union.

Blankenship is also very familiar with Chapman Stadium, having served as an assistant at Tulsa and later as the Golden Hurricane’s head coach.

The Owasso-Bixby game is also the first game that will be played on the brand-new turf surface at Chapman Stadium. Tulsa - under first-year coach Tre Lamb - kicks off its season two nights later at home against Abilene Christian.