These are high school football programs that routinely play before autumn crowds of 10,000, but for the opening session of a Bixby-hosted, three-day team camp that also involved Illinois powerhouse East St. Louis, Edmond Memorial and Midwest City, only 67 people were in the bleachers when the Thursday morning session began.

There were quick whistles from the coaches, but there also was real hitting and fierce competition.

This was a May 29 treat — high-end, well-played football that featured Oklahoma’s No. 1 quarterback (Reisig, entering his senior season with the Redhawks) and Oklahoma’s No. 1 program (Bixby, reloading with new personnel and preparing for a run at what would be its sixth consecutive state championship).

This event began last year on an uncommonly hot day, but on Thursday there was cloud cover. The temperature was 78 when all of the players headed to a Bixby campus cafeteria for a shared feast of chicken tenders and fries.

“How about this weather!” Union coach Kirk Fridrich proclaimed, to which I should have replied, “How about this football!”

East St. Louis was the Illinois Class 6A champion in 2022 and the runner-up last season.

Bixby has prevailed in 74 of its last 75 games. In the Spartans’ first two seasons of 6AI competition, they were dominant champions. In eight seasons before that, there were seven 6AII titles.

And then there is Union — an elite program with eight championships since 2002 but none since 2016.

In 2021 as a freshman who quarterbacked Jenks to the 6AI crown and in 2022 and 2023 for the Redhawks, Reisig is 29-3 as a starter. After having considered offers from a Big Ten school (Minnesota), an SEC school (Missouri), an ACC school (Boston College), two American Athletic Conference schools (Tulsa and Memphis) and three Big 12 schools (Oklahoma State, BYU and Houston), Reisig committed to an incoming Big 12 member — Utah — in February.

I’ve written on several occasions that Reisig has more arm talent than any prep quarterback I’ve ever covered. My opinion on that hasn’t changed. His release reminds me a lot of the Aaron Rodgers release.

With a fast flick of the wrist, Reisig can deliver a 12-yard strike or a perfect deep ball, always with textbook spin. He did it again on Thursday, and it was fun to see him to do it a few times against the Bixby defense.

“For a defensive player, there’s not a chance to break on the football because (Reisig) gets it out so fast,” Fridrich shared. “Shaker’s goals are not just to be a great high school quarterback. He wants to be a great college quarterback. He never wants to waste an opportunity or a rep. He’s getting better.”

The Reisig assessment from Bixby coach Loren Montgomery: “He’s pretty good, isn’t he?”

And from Bixby quarterback Carson Kirby: “Shaker is the real deal.”

Combining Reisig’s time at Jenks and Union, he has started twice against Broken Arrow, three times against Jenks, twice against Union and three times against Owasso. As Reisig enters his fourth and final season of varsity football, however, he still hasn’t contended with Bixby in an actual game.

When Bixby won at Jenks in September 2021, Reisig was the Trojan backup. A week later, he was promoted to the No. 1 role and beat Union 22-0 in the Backyard Bowl. By season’s end, the Trojans were state champions and unbeaten in Reisig’s 11 starts. Five months after that, he moved to Union.

Bixby and Union have clashed only once over the last 12 seasons. In the 2020 opener, the Spartans won 34-0.

In 2022, a Bixby-Union championship game was expected. Owasso upset Union in a six-overtime semifinal classic.

Again in 2023, it felt like Bixby and Union were on a championship-game collision course, but Jenks eliminated the Redhawks. In a crazy semifinal contest played at Sand Springs, there was a power outage that resulted in 18 minutes of stadium darkness. After having led 21-0, Union was conquered 33-27.

Reisig’s Bixby counterpart is Kirby, who as a sophomore last season was the primary QB as the Spartans rolled to a perfect-season championship. Connecting with tall targets Blake Hogshooter and Emory Snyder for big-play touchdowns on Thursday, Kirby also put on a show.

During the track season, Kirby sharpened his speed game by anchoring Bixby’s 4-by-100 relay team and running the lead leg of the 4-by-200 relay. Kirby is the younger brother of former Bixby championship QB Connor Kirby — an extremely effective ball-carrier whose passing skills became more polished over time.

Carson Kirby also is a dual-threat weapon whose arm strength and passing-game confidence are obviously and significantly beyond last season’s levels. He was as good for Bixby on Thursday as Reisig was for Union.

“I have a different role now,” Carson Kirby said. “We graduated a lot of good players. I’ve got to be a leader.”

As Kirby and the other athletes scored some lunch, Fridrich approached Montgomery. The coaches shook hands and Fridrich said, “Thank you for the reps. This was good for our kids.”

There is no Union-Bixby game on the regular-season schedule. If these teams are destined to meet in a real 2024 game, it would happen during the postseason.

What a storyline that could be: Shaker Reisig, as a brilliantly gifted senior, tangling with the relentlessly successful Bixby Spartans on a championship platform.