BROKEN ARROW — In the end, especially if you compare it to the NFL, this defied most preseason finales.

Both Muskogee and Broken Arrow went with their starters or regulars the entire half of football to conclude the fourth and final half of the Broken Arrow Tiger Classic here Friday and it had the intensity one will expect of next week’s openers for both teams — or in the Oct. 3 battle back here that will most likely help shape the District 6A-3 playoff picture.

What was learned from the 7-7 tie is that both defenses are tuned and ready. Give the Tigers credit for a shutout — it was their offense that helped produce Muskogee’s points when cornerback Brenton Bogar stepped in front of a receiver and returned a Cale Fulps pass 57 yards for a score.

For Muskogee, the question left from the scrimmage was the offensive woes, particularly on the line. An exceptional Tigers’ defensive front controlled that matchup almost at will, limiting the Roughers ground game to 12 yards and quarterback Archie Bradley to 3-of-5 passing for 33 yards. To Bradley’s credit, a 41-yard pass on a play-action bootleg was dropped.

It isn’t worrying Roughers coach Matt Hennesy.

“We’ve been preparing for Owasso’s odd stack the whole time (since fall practice started). We had some busts out there, some of it attributed to that and some not. But it shows when you don’t prepare for particular looks. I was just pleased with the overall effort and intensity.”

Bogar’s interception gave Muskogee a 7-0 lead with 6:19 on the clock but on the ensuing drive, Tigers running back Steven Hopper broke loose on clearly the longest play from scrimmage, a 56-yard touchdown run and most of his 99 yards rushing at the 4:19 mark.

All told, BA had 172 yards. Muskogee 24. Bradley’s 19-yard pass to wideout Ryan Smith was the longest play from scrimmage. Muskogee caused two turnovers, the other a fumble recovery by nose tackle Robert Thomas.

In the first session, Muskogee beat Bixby 14-0, scoring a pair of second-quarter touchdowns against last year’s 5A runner-up. Bixby then beat Bartlesville 21-7.

“It wasn’t a meaningless game, none of them are,” said BA coach Ron Lancaster, whose team beat Bartlesville 28-0 in its other session.

Against the Spartans, defensively, the Roughers showed up well again. They didn’t produce near the negative-yardage plays they produced against Miami last week, but they kept Bixby out of the end zone and in all, allowed just three first downs. Defensive end Matt Messer had the biggest play, a 9-yard loss on a quarterback sack on the Spartans’ second possession of the scrimmage.

The Muskogee offense, which had four three-and-outs in the first quarter, got its first first down when Vernon Scott carried for 30 yards up the middle to the Bixby 12 before following it with a 12-yard run sweep. Both were Scott’s longest runs of the session and some of the few, but enough, big plays offensively.

The Roughers followed that up with a clock-consuming, nine-play drive that ended on Bradley’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Ruben Gaines off a rollout. Another highlight of the drive was Bradley connecting for 14 yards on a slant to Cole Chapman.

“Our shape was better,” Hennesy said after the first scrimmage. “We’ve had the heat we haven’t had before this week and it’s hot tonight. That considered, I think we got better.”

The real tests begin Friday at Owasso (kickoff: 7:30 p.m.).