Age-old rivals Red Oak & Kinta come almost 200 miles to meet in the state tournament

BETHANY — Red Oak's boys would holler out a play in the Class B state tournament Thursday afternoon, and a Kinta defender would beat the Red Oak player to the spot. Kinta would call out a play, and Red Oak defenders would do the same.

That's what happens when you drive 186 miles to play an opponent that's just up the road.

Red Oak-Kinta is an age-old rivalry. Colleagues in the Rock Island Conference in southeastern Oklahoma. Separated by 21 miles of state highways and a chunk of the San Bois Mountains, which makes it about a 33-minute trek.

“Oh, Lord, it's like Fight City,” said Kinta superintendent Patricia Deville. “Always a packed house. Three years ago, we were (ranked) third, Red Oak was No. 1. They started lining up at 4 o'clock. It's a very emotional game for both teams.”

In their only previous meeting this season, Red Oak routed Kinta, and the same happened Thursday at Southern Nazarene's Sawyer Center, where the Eagles of Latimer County beat the Eagles of Haskell County 58-37.

Too bad these teams from Little Dixie had to meet in the state quarterfinals. Part of the charm of state is playing opponents from other corners of the state. The Red Oak girls, for instance, played Forgan, from the Panhandle, in the state quarterfinals later Thursday. Red Oak to Forgan is 399 miles.

“We'd rather play somebody from the West,” admitted Red Oak coach Trey Booth. “Just something different, make new memories. That's what you do here. Build memories to last a lifetime.”

Of course, Red Oak beat Kinta in the state semifinals two years ago, and that's a memory neither team ever will forget. “Doesn't matter who you play,” Booth said. “It's special.”

Red Oak, population 500, is 45 miles east of McAlester, 13 miles east of Wilburton. Kinta, population 294, is 13 miles north of Wilburton. It's a rural part of the state that is fueled by schools. Academics, athletics, agriculture, not necessarily in that order.

The seven-member Rock Island Conference placed three of the eight teams in the Class B boys field, including Whitesboro, which played Earlsboro later Thursday.

“We take a lot of pride in our conference,” said Red Oak senior Cash Balentine.

Red Oak probably is a bigger rival to Kinta than Kinta is to Red Oak, since Red Oak has been the bigger state power in recent years, having won state titles in 2016 and 2009. But rivalries like this go far beyond recent years.

“I had the pleasure of beating ‘em in the ‘70s at the buzzer,” said 1974 Kinta graduate Cordell Johnson, who drove up to see the game. “If Red Oak beats us, they know they've got a good team. If we beat Red Oak, we know we've got a good team.”

The rivalry probably is bigger in the stands than on the court. Balentine said the players from each school don't know each all that well, but the adults seem to know each quite well.

“You have a generation that has played ball against each other, for the most part, in the Rock Island Conference,” said Deville.

Booth grew up in Red Oak, began his coaching career at nearby Buffalo Valley — another Rick Island member — and after 12 years there got the chance to return to his alma mater. So he's seen his share of Red Oak-Kinta games.

“Everybody knows everybody,” Booth said. “Same good-natured Southeastern Oklahoma rivalry.”

Just had to drive 186 miles to play it.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel.