Coin flip in catfish restaurant lot decides Oklahoma playoff spots

As of 9:11 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

Two Oklahoma high school football teams are in the playoffs, and a third is done for the season, after a coin flip in the parking lot of a catfish restaurant around midnight late Friday, Nov. 6, the Associated Press reported.

Gore, Liberty and Central Sallisaw finished in a three-way tie for the last two playoff spots in Class A-II, District 3, according to AP. The tie could not be broken by head-to-head results or point differential, so it came down to heads or tails.

Heads goes home

The three head coaches, Nathan McCurley of Gore, Nate Green of Liberty and Jeremy Thompson of Central Sallisaw, met at Catfish Roundup in Seminole, just off Interstate 40, News On 6 reported. Each flipped a specialty coin, and the odd one out would stay home.

After a representative of the state high school athletics association explained the rules, the coins flew, AP reported. McCurley's came up heads. The other two came up tails. McCurley nodded and shook the other coaches' hands, according to AP. News On 6 said Gore finished 6-4.

"We talked about possibly going to a football field and turning the lights on, but what's more Oklahoman than standing in the parking lot of Catfish Roundup and settling who gets to go the playoffs on a coin toss," Trinity Johnson, an assistant director of the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, told News On 6.

"Unique situation. Really cool situation to be a part of," McCurley told the station. "I'm really proud of our community. I'm proud of our kids, proud of our coaches."

On to the playoffs

Green said the berth means a lot to Liberty. "Our school history, we don't have a lot of trips to the playoffs. So it's a big deal," he told News On 6.