3A Season In Review

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! The 2020 season has come to an end but that doesn’t mean we’re done having content every day here at Prep Redzone Oklahoma. In fact, we’re just heating up and continuing our postseason series today. Be sure to check back every day for new postseason content from our season in review series to All-State teams and much more! On Monday, we released our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/12/final-team-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Final Team Rankings</a> for the 2020 season. Tuesday, we announced the ten finalists for our first-ever <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/12/2020-player-of-the-year-finalists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prep Redzone Oklahoma Player Of The Year</a> award. Wednesday, we kicked off the season in review series with a look back at the 2020 season in <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/12/6a-d1-season-in-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Class 6A-D1</a>. Then we continued that series with a look back at the season in <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/12/6a-d2-season-in-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Class 6A-D2</a>. Following that, we rewinded and reviewed 2020 for <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/12/5a-season-in-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Class 5A</a>. Yesterday, it was time to take a look back at <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/12/4a-season-in-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Class 4A</a>. Today, we look at Class 3A. STATE CHAMPION – HOLLAND HALL DUTCH Holland Hall moved up from 2A to 3A this season but that didn’t stop them from having high expectations. With nearly everyone returning, the Dutch entered the 2020 season expecting to contend for a state championship. Holland Hall had never won a state championship but that would no longer be the case following the 2020 season. Holland Hall made sure to put Oklahoma on notice relatively early on in the season when they blew out Cascia Hall and eventual 2A champ Metro Christian by a combined score of 91-7 in the first three weeks. The Dutch came into district play and remained dominant. Three of their district opponents would get shut out by a Holland Hall defense that ended up being one of the best in Oklahoma. Holland Hall would give up double digit points on only two occasions and both came in the playoffs. The closest game Holland Hall had all season was a 31-7 victory over Berryhill. That was the closest anyone came to knocking off the Dutch. So nobody came close to knocking off Holland Hall and keeping them from a perfect season. All in all, this team was complete and one of the best in Oklahoma. They simply had no flaws and it showed with how the blew out every team that stood in their way of a state championship. They would roll to the state title game and face off with defending champion Lincoln Christian. They made quick work of Lincoln and dominated the state title game from start to finish. Whether it was offense or defense, the Dutch could not be stopped. PLAYER OF THE YEAR [player_tooltip player_id="38533" first="Owen" last="Ostroski"] - Defensive Lineman - Holland Hall Holland Hall senior <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prepredzone.com/player/owen-ostroski/">[player_tooltip player_id="38533" first="Owen" last="Ostroski"]<img class=" ls-is-cached lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/Owen-Ostroski-4-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/Owen-Ostroski-4-150x150.jpg" /></a> knew that 2020 could be a special season with the amount of talent the Dutch would have coming back. And he made sure this offseason that he would be ready to help his team make that run at the state championship. Ostroski transformed himself from a good player to arguably the most disruptive player in the state of Oklahoma this year. He has the championship, he has the stats to back it up, but throw on his tape from this year and you’ll see what we mean. None of Holland Hall’s opponents were excited to have to block Ostroski for all four quarters. And there are plenty of clips of Ostroski treating opposing linemen like rag dolls as they failed to slow down the Holland Hall big man time after time and week after week. BREAKOUT STARS [player_tooltip player_id="48668" first="Gavin" last="Freeman"] - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back - Heritage Hall The Chargers came into 2020 with some big time players in the senior class. However, the player that ended up being Heritage Hall’s runaway star and playmaker was junior [player_tooltip player_id="48668" first="Gavin" last="Freeman"]. The junior standout ended up catching over 20 touchdowns but was also an impact in literally every aspect of the game. He ran the ball, played defense and also returned kicks in special teams. Not only did Freeman put up big numbers but he also made big plays. He finished the season with some of the longest touchdowns in the state. There isn’t exactly a stat that backs that up but Freeman was routinely making eye-opening plays every single week for the Chargers. [player_tooltip player_id="52787" first="Max" last="Brown"] - Quarterback - Lincoln Christian Without a doubt the biggest question mark for Lincoln Christian coming into 2020 would be around the quarterback position. The defending champion Bulldogs had to replace three-year starter Chase Ricke. While there was a quarterback battle early, it was junior [player_tooltip player_id="52787" first="Max" last="Brown"] who would establish himself as the guy for the Bulldogs. Brown was outstanding once he got more comfortable in the Lincoln Christian offense. Brown was your prototypical dual-threat quarterback. He threw for 27 touchdowns and also added 13 touchdowns on the ground. While he was a breakout star for the Bulldogs this year, next year, he’ll be a big reason why they’re once again a state title contender. [player_tooltip player_id="38813" first="Reese" last="Roller"] - Linebacker - Verdigris One of the several times we wrote about Verdigris sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="38813" first="Reese" last="Roller"] was following a regular season game where the young standout had five sacks. We wrote about how memorable that would be and how rare that was. We were immediately wrong as the following week, Roller would wrack up five sacks in a game once again. Two games, ten sacks, and Roller was one of the best at his position. Verdigris has several sophomores that will keep the Cardinals as contenders over the next few seasons. Roller is certainly one of those guys, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We’re looking forward to seeing how he grows as a leader on this defense. OTHER TOP PLAYERS [player_tooltip player_id="38589" first="Austin" last="Mages"] - Quarterback - Perkins-Tryon Perkins-Tryon was in a brutal district, one of the most competitive in all of Oklahoma this season. Because of that, the win-loss record didn’t end up being what they would have liked. However, once again leading the way for the Demons was senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="38589" first="Austin" last="Mages"]. Over the last few seasons, Mages has been one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in Oklahoma. Mages has put up big numbers in the air but also on the ground. While it’s easy to look at his stats and say that his number one ability is running the ball, he’s improved every year as a passer. [player_tooltip player_id="38541" first="Bruce" last="Engle"] - Linebacker - Stigler Stigler made a run to the semifinals but would fall short of the championship game as they ran into the Holland Hall buzzsaw. However, one player that stood out for Stigler not only this year but over the last few years has been linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="38541" first="Bruce" last="Engle"]. The senior just wrapped up his third consecutive season with at least 100 tackles. He’s been an impact player for the Panthers since very early on in his career. Engle and the Panther defense had one of the best units in 3A football and there are plenty of coaches glad that Engle is finally graduating. [player_tooltip player_id="38558" first="Cade" last="Stephenson"] - Running Back - Kingfisher You can make the argument that Kingfisher’s [player_tooltip player_id="38558" first="Cade" last="Stephenson"] is a good candidate for breakout star in 2020. The Yellowjacket standout made the complete transition this year from quarterback to running back. Kingfisher utilized their weapons in the best way and it didn’t take Stephenson long to be an impact player for Kingfisher at the running back position. He was without a doubt Kingfisher’s best athlete on the field and early on in the season it was apparent that he would be one of the top backs in 3A football. [player_tooltip player_id="61135" first="Ethan" last="Roush"] - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back - Holland Hall You can make a solid case that Holland Hall’s [player_tooltip player_id="61135" first="Ethan" last="Roush"] was one of the breakout stars during the 2020 season. However, he had a solid season last year as a sophomore and we had some expectations for him to take that next step this year. He exceeded all of those expectations and was two-way star for the eventual state champion Dutch. It’s hard to pick what side Roush was most valuable on. He was a weapon on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver but he also ended up being one of the state’s best ball hawks at defensive back. [player_tooltip player_id="38651" first="Evan" last="Raines"] - Defensive Lineman - Verdigris You read about one of the breakout stars in Roller at Verdigris. Here’s a big reason why Roller was able to put up those monster sack numbers. Senior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="38651" first="Evan" last="Raines"] lined up close to Roller in a lot of situations throughout the season. Raines has been one of the more dominant defensive linemen in the last two seasons and would cause the need for double teams. Roller took advantage of that. So while Roller has the numbers, you have to give some credit to the door that Raines was able to open for him. Jesse Rose - Linebacker - Kingston In addition to Holland Hall moving up from 2A to 3A, Kingston also made that leap and similar to the Dutch, they made it look effortless. Kingston went into the playoffs unbeaten and a big reason behind that was their defense and senior linebacker Jesse Rose. The senior led the state with nearly 30 sacks on the season. He ended up with 27 sacks on the season and was an absolute terror for opposing offenses. Rose was certainly a big reason behind Kingston’s success on the defensive side of the ball with those sack numbers. [player_tooltip player_id="38543" first="Kolbe" last="Katsis"] - Wide Receiver - Lincoln Christian Lincoln Christian senior [player_tooltip player_id="38543" first="Kolbe" last="Katsis"] was the bright spot coming into the 2020 season. Lincoln won the 2019 state championship but they would have a ton of new faces coming into 2021. Katsis was one of the key pieces that was returning. Not only did Katsis step up for his team as they defended their title, he ended up being one of the top receivers in the state this season. Katsis helped lead Lincoln Christian back to the state championship game. His quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="52787" first="Max" last="Brown"] was a breakout star but Katsis was Brown’s go-to target. [player_tooltip player_id="67113" first="Logan" last="Smith"] - Running Back - Sulphur We’ll make the argument that Sulphur senior running back [player_tooltip player_id="67113" first="Logan" last="Smith"] is one of the most underrated players in Oklahoma from this season. 3A was loaded with really good players and teams and Sulphur flew somewhat under the radar. The Bulldogs have put out some really good running backs over the last few seasons and Smith is just the latest example of that. The Sulphur senior ran for over 2,000 yards and was one of the state’s leading rushers. Smith had some of the best individual game performances that you’ll see this season. [player_tooltip player_id="63294" first="Marc" last="Gouldsby"] - Wide Receiver - Holland Hall Similar to Katsis, Holland Hall’s [player_tooltip player_id="63294" first="Marc" last="Gouldsby"] is without a doubt one of the best unsigned wide receivers in Oklahoma’s senior class. He should be on the shortlist for any college that is looking for a receiver for their 2021 class. Gouldsby beat defenses in a variety of ways and has the ability to continue that at the next level. Oh and by the way, even though Marc is graduating, we’ll still see a Gouldsby standing out on the Holland Hall offense. Younger brother Kordrell is a freshman and is expected to be Holland Hall’s starting quarterback in 2021. [player_tooltip player_id="38568" first="Wallace" last="Clark"] - Quarterback - Holland Hall Our final player is another Dutch standout as senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="38568" first="Wallace" last="Clark"] was the center point of a Holland Hall offense that was outstanding. While the defense got a lot of praise this year, and rightfully so, the Dutch offense put up some monster numbers as well. Clark was the signal caller for all of it and played a near perfect season. While his future is on the baseball diamond as he’s signed with OU, his senior season really propelled him to being one of the better quarterback prospects in Oklahoma’s senior class. TOP STORYLINE Private Schools Reign Supreme Again There is a growing argument in Oklahoma that private schools should be in a separate class from public schools and should only compete against other private schools, especially in the playoffs. 3A football this season could be a good example of the possible unbalanced playing field. Three of the four semifinalists this year were private schools as the final four included Heritage Hall, Holland Hall, Lincoln Christian and Stigler. Heritage Hall and Lincoln Christian met in the semifinals for the third straight year. Holland Hall absolutely torched Stigler. 3A has been dominated by the private schools in the last few seasons. First it was Heritage Hall, then Lincoln Christian captured gold in 2019. This year, Holland Hall beat Lincoln Christian to win the state title. While I don’t necessarily agree with the argument of "private versus public", I do understand the frustration. However, just like with anything else in sports, what this comes down to is winning. If Jenks and Union didn’t win two decades worth of state championships, uninterrupted, they wouldn’t have split up 6A. If the private schools in Oklahoma weren’t dominating and winning championships today, we wouldn’t hear about "private versus public". Other states have separated their private schools like many in Oklahoma want to see happen. And if we learned anything from the 6A split, we could very well end up seeing private schools playing themselves right into their own class in the near future. EARLY LOOK AT 2021 Picking up where we left off on the big storyline from 2020, if you’re not a fan of private schools competing against public schools, you might avoid 3A football again in 2021. The Dutch ran all over 3A football in 2020 and there’s a good chance that they’ll be doing it again in 2021. They return some absolute firepower and will once again be the favorite to raise a gold ball. Runner up Lincoln Christian isn’t going anywhere as they return their quarterback and will no doubt reload in other areas. And although Heritage Hall graduates some key pieces on both sides, you’d be foolish to think the Chargers won’t be in the mix. Now, there are other teams that will be fighting to dethrone those three programs. Verdigris has things rolling right now and the majority of their best players are sophomores right now. They’ll be good for a couple years. Kingston showed that moving up from 2A to 3A was nothing to them as they went unbeaten in the regular season. Vinita also returns one of the more dynamic players in the state with [player_tooltip player_id="38678" first="Kyron" last="Downing"]. 3A will be interesting in 2021, but it might not be much different than what we saw this season.