Class 2A: Oktaha 2, Howe 1

Chants thundered from the Oktaha faithful as pitcher Madison Capps pumped her fists, and head coach Kia Holmes finally exhaled.

The relieving sigh was years in the making. Holmes’ faith had been tested all weekend. Momentum swung, nerves frayed but belief never broke.

That resolve delivered gold.

Oktaha edged Howe 2-1 to win the Class 2A state championship, securing the program’s first title since 2006.

“It seemed like the momentum was not in our favor early, but I really never had a doubt,” Holmes said. “Mainy because this group is just like that. They’re gritty, and are never gonna quit. If they get beat, you’re gonna have to earn it.”

Star ace Capps delivered yet again in the circle. After striking out 12 against Pocola on Friday, she followed with five strikeouts across seven innings while also going 2 for 3 at the plate.

Locked at 1-1 in the sixth inning, junior Kardin Robinson came through with the decisive RBI, driving in Aubree Davis.

The victory capped a 34-4 season. It now stands as the best record in program history.

“It took us a lot to get here,” Capps said. “Our chemistry really improved since July. At the beginning, there was a lot of bickering going on between us, but then we finally came together when it really mattered. We all made sure to just have fun, even when things weren’t going the way we wanted.”

For Holmes, this championship means more than hardware.

She’s coached most of these players since kindergarten, taught them in P.E., and watched them grow— on and off the field. Oktaha softball isn’t just a program. It’s family.

After the final out, Capps and Holmes led the routine chants in direction of the Oktaha crowd.

“Go big blue, go big blue, go!”

Although Oktaha was donning its pink breast cancer awareness jerseys, that message stood true while echoing throughout Devon Park for minutes on end.

“It’s more than a job for me,” Holmes said. “This is the place I love, grew up at and Oktaha has built me. A lot of the time I can’t believe I actually get paid to do this. Not a lot of people get to call their job a dream come, which is pretty awesome to do here.”

Class A: Arapaho-Butler 5, Caddo 3

Kylin Oakes stepped into the batter’s box with sweaty palms and history on her shoulders.

But nerves didn’t win — her swing did.

With a 2-0 count, the Arapaho-Butler junior crushed a two-run homer to left field, igniting the momentum her team needed to dethrone a dynasty.

That blast sparked Arapaho-Butler to a 5-3 victory over Caddo, earning the first softball state championship in program history and snapping Caddo’s four-year reign atop Class A.

“Yesterday I did not have the best day, so I was a little nervous at first,” Oakes said. “I got two balls to start, and I was thinking to just hit the ball and put my best swing on it, no matter what.

“I was just glad that I could help us make history.”

Oakes finished the day batting 2 for 4, while teammates Kynlee Brinkley and Piper Sawatzky each tallied three hits.

Sophomore ace Lauryn McHenry sealed the deal in the circle, striking out five batters across seven innings while going 2 for 3 at the plate.

It marked redemption for Arapaho-Butler after falling to Caddo in the spring slowpitch championship.

“After we lost to them in the spring, I told them this was just a taste and to let it fuel us through our off season,” head coach Luke Thompson said. “And I pushed them hard this summer — harder than we’ve ever worked, and now we see the benefits. It took a lot of commitment and dedication to be the last one standing here today, so it’s pretty special.”

The victory capped a 33-8 season. It gave Arapaho-Butler just its second state title in school history and first since its girls basketball team won in 1994.

“This win is just a validation of our program,” Thompson said. “We thought we were among the best teams in Class A the last few years, and we came up short a few times. This just validates what they believed and what we already knew.”

Class B: Leedey 4, Red Oak 2

For Daycee Danielson, winning a state championship was never a question of if — only when.

Last year’s runner-up finish to Stuart planted a seed. It didn’t discourage Leedey, it sharpened them.

Early mornings. Late nights. Endless reps. A team known for slowpitch success was determined to rewrite its fastpitch legacy.

And Leedey did that.

For the first time in program history, Leedey captured the Class B fastpitch state title, defeating Red Oak 4-2.

“We were so used to seeing gold balls on our walls — but all of them said slowpitch,” Danielson said. “This is fastpitch, and everything feels so much harder, so it’s even more rewarding. To actually win it after all our hard work is a dream and I love how we’ve competed each day.”

Danielson crushed a two-run home run in the top of the third. She finished 1 for 3 with two RBIs, just a day removed from a three-hit performance against Caney.

Star ace Blake Puffinbarger kept things at bay for a complete game in the circle, totaling five strikeouts.

The championship completes a 37-8 season, a stunning rise for a team that endured a 26-loss season in 2021.

“To see these girls rally together is just special,” Leedey coach Eric Castle said. “We have a great group of girls that are even better people, and when you look out into the crowd you can see why.”