The 2026 Oklahoma high school football playoffs begin Friday night, with Talihina opening defense of its state championship at home alongside fellow host Pocola, while Poteau and Panama hit the road for tough first-round matchups.
See all the playoff openers for Oklahoma high schools.
Quapaw (5-5) at Talihina (10-0) Talihina enters the postseason riding a 24-game winning streak as the Golden Tigers host Quapaw to open the Class A-II playoffs. The winner of Friday’s game advances to face the Wewoka-Southwest Covenant winner in the second round next week.
Morrison (5-5) at Pocola (8-2) District champion Pocola enters the playoffs as a No. 1 seed and welcomes Morrison to town. Morrison finished fourth in its district and brings a storied program history with 10 state championships, though most came in eight-man football decades ago.
The Pocola-Morrison winner will play the Tonkawa-Minco winner in the second round. If Pocola and Tonkawa both advance, it will mark the third consecutive year the two programs have met in the postseason, having split their previous two playoff matchups.
Panama (5-5) at Pawhuska (9-1) After finishing third in its district, Panama faces a long and difficult road trip to open the playoffs against Pawhuska, which finished second in its district behind Pawnee. The trip north is expected to take more than three hours by car. The Panama-Pawhuska winner plays the Mangum-Hooker winner next week.
Poteau (6-4) at Fort Gibson (9-1) Poteau enters the postseason as a No. 4 seed and travels to face a familiar foe in Fort Gibson. The Pirates and Tigers spent many years as district rivals, most recently during the 2022–2023 seasons.
Although it is a No. 4 vs. No. 1 seed matchup, Poteau benefits from surviving a grueling district in which Sallisaw finished undefeated, Broken Bow suffered just one loss, and Stilwell posted its best season in nearly 20 years.
Poteau and Fort Gibson share two common opponents in Hilldale and Grove. Poteau edged Grove 29-28 in overtime and shut out Hilldale 39-0, while the Tigers defeated Grove 49-15 and Hilldale 44-20. The Poteau-Fort Gibson winner advances to play the Ardmore-Bethany winner next week.
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