MUSKOGEE — Jamarian Ficklin’s heart kept racing throughout every step of his pregame regimen.

The quarterback known as “Byrd” noticed the anticipatory nerves as he loaded his car, ate breakfast, listened to music in the locker room and paced the field at Chad Richison Stadium.

But when the most important matchup of his Muskogee football career started, his restlessness disappeared.

“Once that kickoff happened, I just had a flow of relief,” Ficklin said, “because I was able to do everything that people said I couldn’t do.”

Ficklin, The Oklahoman’s 2023 All-State Offensive Player of the Year, has thrived with this mentality, fueling the rise of an underdog program.

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In a three-year span, he played a prominent role in shaping a losing team into a state finalist, shattering school records. The turnaround wasn’t complete until the Roughers headed home with the gold trophy that enticingly glimmered in the end zone at the University of Central Oklahoma, taking state for the first time since 1986.

Although Stillwater arrived as the reigning champion that had defeated Muskogee for a district title only a month earlier, Ficklin guided the Roughers to a 28-26 victory over the Pioneers, capping his stellar junior season with a Class 6A-II title.

He had spent years preparing for the moment.

Justin Ficklin, his father, said Byrd created specific goals in the fifth grade.

“He actually wrote them down at that stage, and then he just memorized them going into each year,” said Justin, Muskogee’s receivers coach. “When it came to the goals, he knew exactly what he needed to do.”

For a jump start on the rest of his goals, Byrd had to reach his first objective: winning the varsity starting job as a freshman.

Older peers were in the running, but Ficklin’s dedication and understanding of the game propelled him to the first-string spot. Ficklin said then-junior teammate Walker Newton shifted from quarterback to receiver/cornerback, encouraging Ficklin to step into the role that was clearly his.

During that season, the Roughers took a cautious approach with their freshman starter, limiting designed runs to protect him from burly upperclassman defenders. He posted some tremendous passing stats, but Muskogee floundered through a 2-8 season.

Then-first-year Muskogee head coach Travis Hill realized he needed to instill football fundamentals in the group, essentially starting from scratch, and leadership on the sideline wasn’t enough. The Roughers also needed someone to set the example on the field, so Hill leaned on the detail-oriented quarterback who has a knack for dissecting defenses.

Byrd, who received his nickname in infancy when his father endearingly compared his newborn son to a baby bird, uplifted his teammates as his young career took flight.

“That process started, and he was a big part of that process,” Hill said. “He does a lot of work on his own, goes out and trains on his own, so our kids saw that. Well, all of a sudden we have kids going to seven-on-sevens and doing extra work on the side.”

Hill compared the program’s rapid growth to a snowball. At first, the Roughers were possibly just "throwing dust,” he said. By Ficklin’s sophomore year, the ball was rolling as Muskogee went 10-2 with a state semifinal appearance and a new stadium.

Then his junior season arrived, and Ficklin rewrote the Roughers’ record books.

He has established himself as Muskogee’s all-time leader in career passing yards (8,492) and career passing touchdowns (91). He threw for eight touchdowns against Putnam West in September, surpassing the single-game mark he set just one season earlier.

As Ficklin grew and gained strength, Hill became more comfortable with letting him carry the ball, and that decision added another dimension to Ficklin’s prolific game. He holds the Roughers’ records for career rushing touchdowns (30) and single-game rushing touchdowns (five).

At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Ficklin is mobile and elusive, anticipating his opponents’ moves so he can evade sacks and create positive yardage in seemingly impossible situations. He can steadily gain yards on the ground before catching defenses off guard with deep passes. And he combines his dual-threat abilities for one of his signature skills: making tricky off-platform throws that sometimes amaze his coaches, including his dad.

“When he’s running, he’s just as dynamic with his arm or with his legs,” Justin said. “And so now, it puts pressure on defenses to now be accountable, where you (previously had) your linebackers dropping in coverage and not worried about him running. Now, you have to make sure your linebackers stay in the box to make sure he's just not taking off running because now, he can beat you both ways.”

He can, and throughout Muskogee’s 11-2 season, he did.

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In the Roughers’ district opener against Sand Springs, Ficklin accounted for six touchdowns with 218 passing yards and 171 rushing yards. In the state semifinals against Deer Creek, he compiled 250 passing yards and 175 rushing yards with five total touchdowns.

Ficklin finished the season with 4,196 yards, 52 offensive touchdowns and a pass completion percentage of 67.6. He also added some defensive highlights, including a pick six, at safety.

With his versatility, the Roughers rolled through playoffs, and the final challenge was a rematch with Stillwater.

Issues had stacked up in their regular-season contest against the Pioneers. Two-way standout Ondraye Beasley wasn’t available. Ficklin hurt his back partway through the game, playing through pain.

As the Muskogee community watched him in the state championship game, Ficklin didn’t let that recent loss fluster him. He had studied the intricacies of Stillwater’s defense and learned how to exploit gaps in their formations. He scored four touchdowns in the state championship game.

When he took a knee in the final seconds, the joyous reality sank in.

“I remember my linemen running up to me (and saying), ‘Byrd, we did it,’” Ficklin said. “After our 2-8 season, 10-2, we finally did it. We made history.”

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Although he won the once-elusive gold ball, Ficklin hasn’t crossed every goal off his list. He wants to repeat as a state champion, and he aspires to finish his varsity career with 10,000 passing yards and 100 passing touchdowns, his father said.

Those goals are well within reach.

With a year of varsity football ahead of him, Ficklin maintains the determined mindset that allowed him to stay in the zone throughout the state finals.

“Whenever I need to prove something, I feel like I can do everything a lot better,” Ficklin said. “Everything looks more perfect. Everything’s fluent. I just have no pressure. I’m just doing it, and I’m making it happen.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: All-State football: Jamarian Ficklin rewrites Muskogee's records