Top Positional Matchups to Watch in the Second Round: Class 6A

The second round of the playoffs is just a couple of days away which means it’s time to break down a few of the matchups. Usually, we give breakdowns of the bigger picture and look at each team as a whole, but today we’re going to look at some key positional matchups that could very well decide some of the games in Class 6A. Class 6A-I Westmoore vs Edmond Santa Fe - [player_tooltip player_id="38515" first="Garret" last="Humann"] vs [player_tooltip player_id="38489" first="Collin" last="Oliver"]/[player_tooltip player_id="38512" first="James" last="Burnett"] The last time these two played earlier this season things got ugly quick as Santa Fe blew out Westmoore 69-14. A large portion of the Jaguars’ struggles on offense came from the pressure Edmond Santa Fe was able to generate. In total, Santa Fe had 5 sacks, 4 TFLs, and a handful of QB hurries. Oliver and Burnett combined for 3 sacks and 2 TFLs alone in that game and were in the backfield all night. This matchup could say Westmoore’s OL vs Santa Fe’s pass rush, but everything starts with your best players going against your opponent’s best players. If Westmoore can’t keep Oliver and Burnett out of the backfield they may be in for a long night once again. Union vs Broken Arrow - [player_tooltip player_id="38488" first="AJ" last="Green"] vs Broken Arrow’s Linebackers It is no secret that both teams will want to run the ball to control this game, and I could have included BA’s lethal duo of RBs in this, but I chose to include the matchup with the most stars on both sides. [player_tooltip player_id="38488" first="AJ" last="Green"] had his way with Enid in Union’s first-round matchup, but he will have a much tougher time doing so against this Broken Arrow defense. With [player_tooltip player_id="38511" first="Darryan" last="Moss"], [player_tooltip player_id="47299" first="Buddy" last="Mack"], and [player_tooltip player_id="38789" first="Dietrich" last="Moore"], [player_tooltip player_id="38488" first="AJ" last="Green"] will have his work cut out for him in the open field. The last time these two teams played, Broken Arrow got the better of [player_tooltip player_id="38488" first="AJ" last="Green"] in their 14-7 victory over Union with 7 TFLs and a handful of tackles at or near the line of scrimmage. It could be said for both sides, but if Broken Arrow’s LBs can contain Union’s run game, we could be looking at another defensive battle which would likely favor Broken Arrow. Mustang vs Owasso - [player_tooltip player_id="48802" first="Dominique" last="Dunn"] vs Owasso Front seven [player_tooltip player_id="48802" first="Dominique" last="Dunn"] had a monster night against Yukon last week with nearly 300 yards rushing. If Mustang has any hope of staying in this game then he will have to have a similar performance. However, with [player_tooltip player_id="38516" first="Emaud" last="Triplett"], [player_tooltip player_id="45655" first="Brenden" last="Dye"], [player_tooltip player_id="38563" first="Michael" last="Jamerson"], and others plugging up the run lanes that will be no easy task. Mustang’s best bet at winning this game is to score early and often, and that all starts in the run game with Dunn. Norman North vs Jenks - [player_tooltip player_id="63291" first="Gabe" last="Trevilson"] vs Jenks' Front Seven As Michael said earlier this week, Norman North is going to have to score some major points to compete with Jenks, and that starts in the run game with their star RB [player_tooltip player_id="63291" first="Gabe" last="Trevilson"]. Trevilson struggled to get going early against Norman a week ago before pulling off some big runs at the end of the game. He will not have the same luxury of starting slow this week though as [player_tooltip player_id="61129" first="Colemon" last="Thurber"], [player_tooltip player_id="38621" first="Tyson" last="Ward"], and the rest of Jenks’ front seven will be coming out firing from the word go. If Norman North can’t get their playmakers on offense going early their chances to win go down to nearly zero. Class 6A-II Sand Springs vs Stillwater - [player_tooltip player_id="63317" first="Daren" last="Hawkins"] vs Stillwater secondary This was a hard one to pick matchup wise, not because Sand Springs doesn’t have good players, but more because Stillwater is just so sound at every position and is not likely to lose this early in the playoffs. However, this matchup will still be a fun one to watch as Hawkins, a top 150 player in the class of 2021, goes up against a Pioneer secondary that is loaded with future college stars. It might not decide the game, but this matchup has the potential to be the most competitive across the board in this game. Choctaw vs Putnam City North - Choctaw’s Offense vs PC North’s Offense I wanted to narrow this one down to one or two guys on each side but couldn’t because both teams have playmakers all over the field on offense. This game should be a close one in general with multiple position battles to watch, but at the end of the day, although these two won’t go against each other directly, this game could turn into a shootout. Choctaw will roll out [player_tooltip player_id="38780" first="Steele" last="Wasel"], [player_tooltip player_id="51854" first="RJ" last="Jackson"], Terrill Davis, and RB La’Trell Ray who has been excellent as a runner and receiver this year to go against PC North’s [player_tooltip player_id="51055" first="Carson" last="Laverty"], Amaurion Norment, Tyce Mythen, and Kayhon Russell who have all been red hot as of late. This game could turn into a whoever has the ball last will win situation and will be one we will be closely watching. Bixby vs Del City - [player_tooltip player_id="38679" first="Braylin" last="Presley"] vs Del City’s LBs With the talent on Del City’s defense this could’ve been Bixby’s WRs vs Del City’s DBs but with the way [player_tooltip player_id="38679" first="Braylin" last="Presley"] has been playing lately I had to go with him against the LBs on the other side. Presley has torn through just about every defense he has faced this season and has a thing for having historic nights in big games (see Carl Albert and Booker T games this year), but has yet to see a defense quite like Del City’s. With division 1 talent all over the place with [player_tooltip player_id="38498" first="Rejhan" last="Tatum"], [player_tooltip player_id="38497" first="Donovan" last="Stephens"], [player_tooltip player_id="57157" first="Jaedon" last="Foreman"], and [player_tooltip player_id="61130" first="Jayson" last="Smith"], Del City has a chance to contain [player_tooltip player_id="38679" first="Braylin" last="Presley"] and force [player_tooltip player_id="38531" first="Mason" last="Williams"] to make some big throws down the stretch, something he is capable of but has not had to a lot of this season. With Del City’s struggles on offense this year, this game could get lopsided fast in favor of Bixby, but if the Eagles can minimize the damage Presley does in the run game and control the clock on offense, they might have a shot at taking the Spartans down to the wire. Booker T Washington vs Midwest City - [player_tooltip player_id="47959" first="Micah" last="Tease"] vs [player_tooltip player_id="38499" first="Makale" last="Smith"] This is one of my favorite positional matchups because it is the only one on one of the list and features two of the best in the state at their respective positions. [player_tooltip player_id="47959" first="Micah" last="Tease"] has been a nightmare for DBs all season long and [player_tooltip player_id="38499" first="Makale" last="Smith"] has been the same for opposing WRs and QBs in 2020. Something will have to give in this matchup between these two, and when it does, it could be the game decider. Even if these two aren’t matched up on each other all night, it will be no walk in the park for [player_tooltip player_id="47959" first="Micah" last="Tease"] as Midwest City boasts one of the best secondaries in the class with guys like [player_tooltip player_id="55911" first="Brandon" last="Wright"] , Brian Wilson Jr, and others lurking in the back.