Sapulpa moving from 6A to 5A in most sports
Posted on 01/15/2020
Sapulpa Chieftains football takes the field during 2019 season(SPS) -- The Sapulpa Chieftains athletic programs will soon be the new kids in town.

Well, not all of them.

The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association has approved new districts as a result of the most recent Average Daily Membership numbers, which were released in late 2019. The ADM, which refers to student enrollment, is used to determine classifications. With that approval, which came during the OSSAA's January meeting, Sapulpa will move from 6A to 5A in most sports.

Basketball, cheer, cross country, football, golf, slow-pitch softball, tennis, track, and volleyball will begin competing at the 5A level beginning with the 2020-21 school year.

Baseball, fast-pitch softball, soccer, and wrestling will remain in 6A through the 2020-21 school year. Those sports redistricted earlier during this school year and won’t be up for reclassification again until the 2021-22 school year.

So what does the transition mean for our programs? We’re now the third largest of the 32 schools in 5A and will compete against schools with similar enrollment numbers to ours. Sapulpa High School was the smallest of the 32 schools in 6A. According to the Tulsa World, the Chieftains haven’t played at a level equivalent to 5A since 1977.

The OSSAA assigned Sapulpa to District 5A-4. The Chieftains will compete against Claremore, Collinsville, Glenpool, Tulsa Memorial, Nathan Hale, Pryor, and Tahlequah.

The other 5A schools on the east side of the state include Bishop Kelley, Coweta, Durant, East Central, Edison, McAlester, Rogers, and Shawnee.

With the move to 5A and our rivals to the north remaining in 6A, that doesn’t mean the Highway 97 Rivalry is going away. The Sapulpa Athletic Department has been in discussions with Sand Springs administration about scheduling non-district games with the Sandites.