The phrase "flatter back" has echoed through every Oologah practice this season—a constant reminder to drive the ball low and hard toward the goal rather than launching hopeful high passes into traffic. On Tuesday night, senior Rylen Walters turned that discipline into pure magic.
In a blistering 62-second sequence late in the first half, Walters delivered two perfect assists to Allie Charloe, cracking open what had been a tight semifinal and propelling the Lady Mustangs to a commanding 4-1 victory over Regent Prep in the Class 3A state semifinals.
"If I don't do flatter back, Coach Bowers gets onto me," Walters said with a smile. "It's discipline for me to always do flatter back. I'm very thankful for that drill. Very thankful. My teammates were putting in work. I saw Allie in the box—she's always there for me. I kept the ball alive, kept it in play, didn't quit on it, knew she had my back and I just kept going."
The win sends Oologah back to the state championship game for the second time in three seasons. Fresh off a Class 4A state title in 2024, the Lady Mustangs (16-1) will face Cascia Hall at 1 p.m. Saturday at Rogers State University's Soldier Field in Claremore—a short 14-mile trip from their home stadium.
Cascia Hall advanced with a dramatic 3-2 win over Fort Gibson, converting two penalty kicks in the final 4:44 after trailing 2-1. But Oologah's path has been far more comfortable. The Lady Mustangs have dominated three straight home playoff games, outscoring opponents 14-1, and Tuesday's victory marked the sixth state championship-game appearance for head coach Sam Bowers.
"I think a lot of people counted us out when we graduated so many kids," Bowers said, referencing the seven key contributors lost from last year's 16-1 squad. "We graduated a lot of kids, and then you have a Division I scorer. People said we might finish third or fourth in your district. I just told this group, 'Hey, go make your own championship.' It's special because a lot of people doubted them."
From the opening whistle, Oologah controlled possession and applied relentless pressure, building a 3-0 halftime lead. Halle Barron opened the scoring, and Charloe added her two goals to set the tone. The Lady Mustangs' lone loss this season came to Rejoice Christian during the Bristow Tournament—before basketball season ended and key players like Charloe and Barron rejoined the squad.
"It's not always been pretty, but the first half of soccer is the best half of soccer we played all year," Bowers said. "We did everything perfect. We did everything right."
Now, with a state title on the line, Oologah is ready to prove that hard work, discipline, and a little "flatter back" can go a long way.