Bias remembers Braggs finishing with a 28-2 record, the only losses to Class A Warner. On the way to the state title, the Braggs “Lassies”, as they were called in a Phoenix headline from that year, beat Boynton and Schulter in the playoffs leading up to the state tournament.

Gayla Rambo, then Gayla Stanfill, doesn’t recall any of the games almost 40 years ago. But the office manager in a Tulsa physical rehabilitation center will never forget the return trip home to Braggs after she and her teammates won the title.

“It was very exciting when we came into town,” she said. “The highway was lined with cars and people flashing their lights yelling and screaming. There was a lot of excitement.”

The thrill of being on that team and in the state tournament still hasn’t worn off.

“Is there any one moment that stands out? When that final buzzer (in the championship) rung,” Smith said. “We had one thing in mind and that was to win the game. I still get excited about it.

“Every game was like a holiday because we loved it. We were in a small town and that’s all we had to do. We were good and we knew we were good.”

For Bias, who now lives in Bixby, that 1969 Braggs team remains special.

“It was an awesome feeling to win the state championship,” he said. “The atmosphere was so electrifying. I wish every girl, boy or coach could experience winning a state championship.”