We’re past the halfway point of the regular season in Oklahoma high school football, and memorable matchups have continued to unfold.

Here’s a look at some key storylines after Week 6.

More: Oklahoma high school football scoreboard: OSSAA Week 6 schedule, scores & highlights

Best milestone: Western Heights captures first win since 2019

J.D. Runnels didn’t focus on the past.

When the OU football alumnus took over Western Heights’ program heading into this season, he didn’t delve into archives of game footage. He didn’t bother to tally the team’s losing streak, either.

“I wanted to start fresh,” Runnels said. “I wanted these kids to start fresh.”

That clean-slate approach produced a monumental result Friday night. Western Heights slipped past Hinton, 42-40, in a morale-boosting comeback thriller. The Jets claimed their first victory since October 2019, before the current players were in high school.

They had to pull off a gritty win at Hinton, a Class A program that entered Friday’s matchup undefeated.

Two early fumbles caused the Jets to fall into a 16-0 deficit, and later, they trailed 32-12.

“You go back to this feeling of, ‘Are we just giving up?’” Runnels said.

Instead, Western Heights responded with 30 points to take the lead.

Junior quarterback Allen Thompson, who holds an offer from the UNLV, led Western Heights with several massive plays, including a 70-yard scoring rush. Thompson accounted for 467 yards and five touchdowns, and Nick Holmes reeled in two touchdown passes for 69 and 42 yards.

The team’s perseverance led to an exuberant celebration featuring the quintessential Gatorade bath for Runnels.

Saturday afternoon, Runnels wanted the Jets to just enjoy the win, giving them a day off from practice and film study. The emotions were still fresh for the coach, whose voice started to break as he reflected on the game.

Runnels said when his algebra students recently asked why the football program has struggled, he told them to give him time. A turnaround can’t happen in a day.

The Jets (1-5), who compete on an independent schedule, took a key step Friday night.

“It was just that day,” Runnels said. “It was our time.”

More: Edmond Santa Fe’s Demarius Robinson helping Wolves rewrite last year’s wrongs in 4-1 start

Wildest rivalry: Blanchard collects 7 picks against Tuttle

Blanchard’s defenders outscored Tuttle.

They outscored Blanchard’s offense, too.

The Lions defeated the Tigers, 20-6, at home in their District 4A-2 rivalry, and the score alone doesn’t capture the game’s bizarre nature.

All of Blanchard’s points came from defensive touchdowns.

“It’s not, by any means, out of the ordinary for us to have a low-scoring, defensive battle,” said Blanchard coach Jeff Craig. “But for one team to have one offensive touchdown and the other team to have no offensive touchdowns and score everything on defense, it’s just kind of out of the norm.”

The Lions (5-1, 3-0) wreaked havoc on Tuttle with seven interceptions. Hudsen Periman and Rio Reynolds each added a pick six, and Brayson Carter scored the other touchdown on a fumble recovery. Carter, a junior defensive back, also tallied two interceptions and blocked a field-goal attempt.

“He’s kind of a guy that gets everything going,” Craig said. “Just a playmaker. He makes plays, and he’s a guy you can count on night after night that’s gonna be there, either side of the ball, offensive or defensive or on special teams.”

More: Deer Creek’s defense ‘growing up’ with key district win over Choctaw

New face to watch: Deakon Jones has breakout game for Stillwater

To lighten the load for Stillwater’s two-way starters, Chad Cawood turned to a freshman.

Deakon Jones gained a few reps at receiver against Tulsa Booker T. Washington. But when the Pioneers faced Sand Springs on Thursday, he proved himself as a varsity star.

Stillwater rolled past the Sandites, 35-18, as Jones caught five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Because of an injury, the Pioneers (4-2 overall, 3-0 District 6A-II-1) also called on Jones to step into the secondary, so he played defense in the second half.

“He’s a pretty talented ninth-grader,” Cawood said. “His future is bright.”

Senior receivers Trey Tuck and Talon Kendrick play on both sides of the ball, so Cawood said he gave them some rest with Jones in the lineup. Seasoned starter Heston Thompson also contributed with seven catches for 51 yards.

With so many ways to distribute the ball, senior quarterback Chance Acord completed 28 of 39 pass attempts for 342 yards and no interceptions.

Although the Sandites struck first with a field goal, the Pioneers quickly bounced back to stay perfect in district play.

“We’re kind of hopefully hitting a stride a little bit,” Cawood said. “But every game gets a little bit tougher as we go along here.”

More: Guthrie's 'got some dogs' on defense and it shows with fifth shutout in win vs. McGuinness

Extra points

• MJ Graham completed 20 of 26 pass attempts for 217 yards and three touchdowns in Westmoore’s 42-35 win over Broken Arrow.

• Nick Booker rushed for 139 yards and four touchdowns as Edmond Memorial defeated Yukon, 42-28.

• Braelon Adamah and LaDainian Fields each had two touchdowns as Del City flew past Sapulpa, 30-0. After exiting with an injury last week, Rodney Fields returned to the lineup and rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown.

• Malachi Nicholson rushed for 235 yards and two touchdowns in El Reno’s 27-14 win over Midwest City.

• Cannon Wood tallied 24 carries for 241 yards and two touchdowns in Piedmont’s 43-25 victory against Lawton Eisenhower. He also made 17 tackles.

• Shawnee’s defense created seven turnovers in a 37-0 rout of John Marshall. Ryan High led the Wolves with 17 tackles, and Deetrick Beavers rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

• Andy Bass completed all four of his pass attempts for 150 yards and three touchdowns as Heritage Hall rolled past Douglass, 63-0. Bass also rushed for two touchdowns before the Chargers benched the starters in the second quarter.

• Dallen Barton accounted for four touchdowns as Kingfisher shut out Mannford, 38-0.

• Oklahoma Christian School quarterback Garret Wilson hasn’t thrown a single interception through six games. He compiled 331 passing yards for four touchdowns as the Saints dominated Newkirk, 54-6.

• Coleman Ridley and Holden Manchester each rushed for two touchdowns in Crossings Christian’s 35-12 win over Star Spencer. Evan Crotts provided two interceptions.

• Cruz Jackson scored on all three of his receptions as Chandler stormed past Bethel, 62-21. Alec Jackson threw for 205 yards and four touchdowns, also adding a rushing score.

• Reed McMurtrey rushed for three touchdowns and threw for one in Minco’s 37-7 victory against Christian Heritage.

—Hallie Hart, Staff writer

More: Three and out: How Oklahoma high school football's top Week 6 games were won

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school football: Four downs looking back on Week 6