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A lifelong of friendship trumps a college rivalry.

That reality was on display all day Wednesday when Kingfisher High School had one of its most prolific signing days in history...with more yet to come.

Six KHS seniors signed National Letters of Intent during various ceremonies throughout the day.

Three of those signees were to NCAA Division I schools and another to a powerhouse NMA program while spurning potential DI offers.

Right in the middle of it all were Ian Daugherty and Bijan Cortes.

Daugherty fulfilled a longtime dream when he signed to play baseball at Oklahoma State University.

Cortes made good on his January commitment when he signed to continue his basketball career at the University of Oklahoma.

Despite the two schools being obvious in-state rivals, the two were side-by-side much of the afternoon.

Whether at Cortes’ early-afternoon signing ceremony at the APB, the Cortes celebration at Ross Hall or later in the evening during Daugherty’s signing on the grass at Homier Field, the two were side-by-side, practically arm-in-arm, Cortes in his OU crimson and cream and Daugherty in his Cowboy orange and black.

“I’m just happy for him,” Cortes said. “We’re really good friends and we’ve been friends for quite a while, so I’ll keep supporting him no matter what.”

Daugherty has long been considered a top college prospect and committed to the Cowboys in August 2018, the beginning of his sophomore year.

Although he’s been Kingfisher’s ace on the mound, his prospects were built on his abilities as a catcher.

Perfect Game USA grades him at 9.5 on a 10-point scale.

According to its grading system, a prospect who earns a 9 is a “potential top 10 round pick and/or highest level college prospect.” A player with a 10 is a “potential very high draft pick and/or elite level college prospect.”

Cortes is regarded as a 3- or 4-star prospect depending on the scouting service and rated as one of the top two or three players in Oklahoma’s class of 2021.

When the basketball team posed with Cortes and fellow teammate Matthew Stone, who signed with the University of North Texas, there was Daugherty in his OSU baseball shirt with his arm around Cortes.

Then when it was friends and baseball teammates posing with Daugherty at his ceremony, Cortes, in his OU gear, grabbed the seat right next to Daugherty and even briefly flashed the “pistols firing” hand gesture.

When Cortes committed to the Sooners, OSU was on his short list.

“Yes, it would have been cool to be at OSU together, but I am proud of him for achieving his dream, even if it means he’s going to OU,” Daugherty said.

“Lifelong friendships will always trump rivalries. Wherever Bijan would have gone, I would have supported him.”

Kingfi sher has had Division I athletes sign in the past. Curtis Lofton. Charles Ramsdell. Derek Patterson. Kaden Jackson. Jace Sternberger (twice!).

The school has had big before.

Lofton was among the top in-state recruits in the football class of 2004.

Jackson and Sternberger were part of a 2014 class that had six athletes from football alone sign to play at the next level.

However, the depth of this year’s KHS class might go untouched.

“It was a special day,” said KHS Athletic Director Jay Wood, who made his way to ceremonies at the APB, the golf course and the baseball field. “When you consider the size of Kingfisher, to have this many high-profile athletes in one class is really spectacular.”

Boys basketball coach Jared Reese introduced Cortes and Stone during their signing to a group that included media from Sooner Scoop, KFOR-TV and The Oklahoman and summed it well.

“This is something new that we haven’t experienced a whole lot in the basketball program... well, ever, with two Division I athletes at the same time,” he said.

Stone joins Cortes as one of the top senior prospects in Oklahoma and had multiple Division I offers before choosing North Texas during an announcement earlier this fall.

Like Daugherty, Maddi Kamas found the school of her dreams early and stuck with it.

She committed to play golf at Oklahoma City University as a sophomore and cemented the deal with her signature last week.

While Kamas, not only one of the top female junior golfers in the state, but the country, could have had her pick of Division I schools, she knew from the outset that NAIA’s OCU was the place for her.

That hasn’t stopped the question: “Why didn’t you pick a bigger school?”

“Too many times to count,” said Kamas when asked how often that is asked of her. “It’s been brought up after almost every win.”

Which is often. Kamas won every tournament leading up to state as a sophomore. She’s won on the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour, the Texas Junior Golf Tour and more.

And each time people want to know why she’s picking a small school that sits just off NW 23rd Street.

“Too many people get caught up in the size of the school when in reality it doesn’t matter if it’s DI, DII or NAIA,” she said.

“I chose OCU because that’s where I see myself spending the happiest four years of my life with my best friends and a coach that I have an extremely incredible bond with. Family and education come before golf and I have already found a family within my future teammates and coach (Marty) McCauley and his wife Sara.”

OCU isn’t bad at golf either. The women’s program has eight NAIA national championships and dozens of All-Americans.

McCauley was among those on hand when Kamas signed Wednesday at Kingfisher Golf Course. The group included family, teammates, friends, KHS golf coaches and administrators.

“People see the big names we’ve had this year and that’s great,” Wood said. “But it shouldn’t overshadow the fact there are others who have also worked hard and achieved something special as well.”

In other words, it’s quantity and quality with this KHS class.

The Yellowjackets’ baseball team saw Brady Friesen sign with Redlands Community College and T.J. Parker with Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa as they sat alongside Daugherty.

Olivia Wilcox signed the previous week with Mid-America Christian University to continue her softball career. Mia Farrell is signing this week to play softball at Southwestern Christian.

And the class still won’t be done.

Maverick Ridenour has at least one basketball offer. Jarret Birdwell could be entertaining offers in basketball and/or football. Britt Taylor could very well extend her basketball career at the next level.

Will Taylor and Tate Taylor will have their choice of baseball programs.

And then there’s Cade Stephenson, who will have his own decision to make... not just about a school, but a sport.

He started to rack up a lot of baseball interest over the summer, but his football recruitment has really heated up since the season began.

Already with some DI offers in his pocket, Stephenson is now garnering interest from the likes of the UNT and Iowa State.

In other words, years from now the class will be looked upon as one of the most talented to have walked the halls of KHS.

“All things considered, it’s a special, special group,” Wood said.