Week Nine Top Ten Games

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Every Monday, we break down the top ten games across the state of Oklahoma. It’s week eight and the race to the playoffs is heating up. While we could end up seeing a different postseason than usual, we’re still a few weeks away. Check out this week’s top ten games and check back every Monday for the latest top ten games. 1) VERDIGRIS (7-0) AT HOLLAND HALL (6-0) In our Week Nine Game Of The Week, we have Holland Hall hosting Verdigris in a battle of 3A undefeated teams. Next week, we’ll see another 3A showdown as defending champ Lincoln Christian faces Stigler. But this week is all about the Dutch and the Cardinals. And what a match-up we have as the Cardinals have been one of the top offensive teams in 3A this year, averaging north of 40 points per game. On the other side, you have a Holland Hall team that has shut teams down. They’ve only given up 20 points all season and have three shutouts. This could end up being a defensive battle as the Dutch are lead by superstar [player_tooltip player_id="38533" first="Owen" last="Ostroski"], who has turned into one of the biggest defensive forces in the state. Verdigris has a young star in the making with sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="38813" first="Reese" last="Roller"], who has over 20 sacks this season. 2) COWETA (7-1) AT BISHOP KELLEY (7-0) In a huge Class 5A showdown, we have Bishop Kelley hosting Coweta with the district championship on the line. Coweta has had to play every game on the road this year after damage to their stadium and field. They’ve worn the road warriors tag well. They’ve won seven straight after a season-opening loss to 4A’s #1 Wagoner. On the other side of the match-up, you have a Bishop Kelley team that is undefeated. The Comets have looked like one of the more complete teams in Class 5A this season. Offensively, they have a good blend of run and pass and they lean on their defense to slow down opponents. For Coweta, they are very similar to the Comets and have plenty of firepower of their own. The winner here will all but lock up the district title and will have to be considered a serious threat to Carl Albert’s Class 5A reign. 3) GUTHRIE (5-0) AT BISHOP McGUINNESS (5-2) Guthrie has certainly had a Covid-impacted season as they’ve had three games get cancelled. They currently sit at 5-0 and a top team in 5A but they haven’t really been tested, until this week’s road trip to Bishop McGuinness. Two of the three cancelled games were against fellow district powers Carl Albert and Piedmont. Because of that, we don’t really know how strong this Guthrie team truly is. On the other side, Bishop McGuinness has certainly tested themselves with a tough non-district schedule and back to back games against Carl Albert and Piedmont. After falling apart in the second half against the Titans a few weeks ago, the Irish bounced back last week with a strong win over Piedmont. Now they host an undefeated Guthrie team and we’ll know a lot more about the Blue Jays after Friday night. 4) STILLWATER (5-0) AT MIDWEST CITY (6-1) Stillwater has simply had bad luck in the scheduling department this season as they’ve had multiple games that have ended up being cancelled. That includes last week’s game. Because of that, the Pioneers probably had an opportunity to see Midwest City go on the road and get a huge win over previously unbeaten Putnam City North. That sets up a huge showdown in Midwest City as the Pioneers come to town with the district championship on the line. Stillwater has blown out everyone on their schedule and they appear to be on a crash course for another title showdown with Bixby. But after watching the Bombers in person last week, that Midwest City defense could cause some problems for the Pioneers. If the Pioneers dominate once again, can anyone slow them down? 5) COLLINSVILLE (7-0) AT PRYOR (6-1) In yet another 5A showdown, we have Collinsville traveling to Pryor with another district championship likely to be decided in this match-up. The Cardinals have been rolling behind their three-headed monster of juniors. Read more about them <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/10/scouting-report-collinsville/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RIGHT HERE</a>. On the other side, Pryor has been lighting up scoreboards all season long. Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="38570" first="Ben" last="Ward"] transitioned right in after starting for the last few seasons at Cleveland. All Ward has done is continue to put up monster numbers for the Tigers. This sets up Pryor with a huge opportunity to upset the undefeated Cardinals and take a big step towards becoming a true state title contender. However, to do that, they’ll have to do something that nobody else has been able to do and that’s slow down and stop Collinsville. 6) SPIRO (6-1) AT VIAN (7-1) Vian has completely bounced back after being upset on the road against Cascia Hall. Watching that game in person, I couldn’t help but feel that something was off with Vian. They didn’t seem like they were at 100%. In the last few weeks, it looks like they’ve gotten back to that and appear to still be a major title contender in Class 2A. Because of the loss to Cascia Hall, this makes Friday night’s game against Spiro more important as the Wolverines want to avoid having to go on the road in the first round of the playoffs. This is also a perfect measuring stick game as we’ll find out if the Wolverines are back to true contenders or if they have some problems going into November. For Spiro, they can absolutely play spoiler and in the process secure a home game in the playoffs with a win. 7) HERITAGE HALL (6-1) AT KINGFISHER (5-2) Heritage Hall has a short week to prepare for their annual rivalry clash on the road against Kingfisher. The Chargers stopped an Anadarko comeback on Saturday night and now have to face a Kingfisher team that had last week off after a cancellation with Mount Saint Mary. We’ll see two dynamic athletes in this match-up and the player that has the better game, their team will certainly be in a better position to win. For Kingfisher, they’re led by senior [player_tooltip player_id="38558" first="Cade" last="Stephenson"], who has transitioned nicely to running back. On the other side, Heritage Hall has enjoyed the breakout season from junior [player_tooltip player_id="48668" first="Gavin" last="Freeman"]. This young Charger standout has been an absolute lightning rod on offense, defense and special teams. This is a rivalry game, these teams are battling for playoff positioning, this game is huge. 8) MARLOW (7-0) AT FREDERICK (7-0) Frederick and Marlow will square off in a battle of unbeaten teams on Friday night. For the last few seasons, you can make the argument that Class 2A has been the deepest and most competitive class in the state. Here’s a perfect example of why that is the case as you have two unbeaten teams facing off in week nine and it’s still flying under the radar. Well, under the radar for most outside of those two communities. The winner here will be firmly in the discussion of championship contenders. The loser will have a long road back to get into that fight. The 2A playoff race is going to be one of the more exciting races to watch. And with the OSSAA’s decision last week to add a "play in round", we’ll have six weeks of 2A playoff action instead of five. Sign us up for more wild 2A football. 9) GROVE (5-2) AT WAGONER (8-0) The last test for the undefeated Wagoner Bulldogs comes on Friday when they host a Grove team that is playing some of their best football right now. This is a young but very talented Ridgerunner team that has the potential to put a scare into the top team in Class 4A. We’re very excited for this match-up because Wagoner’s defense has been one of the best in the state, regardless of class. Specifically, the rush defense for the Bulldogs has been absolutely lights out. Now they face a Grove team that has one of the best young running backs in the state with [player_tooltip player_id="57158" first="Emmanuel" last="Crawford"]. While the Bulldogs come into Friday as the favorite to slow down Crawford and the Ridgerunners, we are excited to see this match-up to see who will come out on top with the playoffs right around the corner. 10) BERRYHILL (1-3) AT VINITA (5-1) Berryhill’s 1-3 record is a great example of how strange this season has been for some of the programs across Oklahoma. They weren’t able to take the field until late September and lost their first three games. Two of them coming to Holland Hall and Verdigris. However, when you look at this roster, they still have talent. Now they travel to Vinita to face a Hornet team that has been in the 3A top ten for a few weeks now. The Hornets are feeling good as they get closer to a trip back to the playoffs. Despite the 1-3 record, Berryhill is a team you have to consider dangerous in the 3A playoffs. And for Vinita, the Hornets are determined to continue this momentum into the postseason. While most of the attention in 3A will be on our game of the week, don’t overlook this important match-up as the Chiefs head up to face the Hornets.