Class A Semifinal Preview

We have just two weeks left of the 2020 season, which means each class is wrapping up. In 2A &amp; A it is semifinals week and today we will run through the matchups in Class A. Unlike a lot of other classes we have covered, Class A has been chalk across the board so this Friday will feature 2 clashes of Titans as there is a total of one loss between our four semifinalists. Let’s dive in and take a deeper look at the matchups and players to watch for on each side. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>#1 Ringling (10-0) vs #4 Thomas-Fay-Custer (11-1) </strong><strong>Friday, 7 PM @ Thomas HS</strong></span> Our first Semifinal matchup features #1 Ringling vs #4 Thomas. Ringling comes in as one of the most dominant teams in the state across all classes and as the defending Champions in Class A. They are on a 22 game win streak that dates back to Week One of 2019 and they are better this year than they were a year ago in terms of offensive and defensive production. In 2020, Ringling brings an efficient offense to the semifinal that is averaging 35 ppg, and one of the best defenses in the state across all classes that has pitched 4 shutouts and is allowing only 4.6 ppg. They had a close call last week, winning by a slim margin of 21-14 against Morrison, but other than that, Ringling has not allowed more than 7 points in any game and has not won by any less than 15 points. Thomas comes in as the #4 team in the class and the only one of the four semifinalists with a loss. That loss, however, was against #2 Cashion back in September. Since the loss, Thomas has rattled off 10 straight wins which includes some close victories over #9 Hooker, #5 Pawnee, and a 9-3 Texhoma team that kept it close with Ringling for a large part of their 2nd round playoff matchup. The Terriers bring a well-rounded team into the semifinals, averaging 31.5 ppg on offense, and allowing a stout 15.5 ppg on defense. <strong>Ringling Players to Watch</strong> Ringling is very sound at most positions and has a handful of standouts, but their best players this season have been <strong>Kash Lyle, Brayden Johnson</strong>, and <strong>Kanyon McGahey</strong>. Senior RB/LB Lyle is among the state leaders in rushing in class A with over 700 yards and 11 TDs on the ground. JRs Brayden Johnson and Kanyon McGahey have been Ringling’s leading receivers this season, combining for over 450 yards and 4 TDs through the air, and they are both a part of Ringling’s lockdown defense with Brayden at LB and Kanyon at CB. <strong>Thomas Players to Watch</strong> Similar to Ringling, Thomas comes in with a well-rounded team that is led by a good group of Juniors and Seniors. On offense, the terriers are led by [player_tooltip player_id="53314" first="Jaxon" last="Ward"], [player_tooltip player_id="53316" first="Ethan" last="Hamberlin"], and [player_tooltip player_id="53322" first="Jaxen" last="Mannering"]. Ward has been an efficient QB all season and has had no trouble getting the ball into his playmaker’s hands. Hamberlin and Mannering are Ward’s top weapons at RB and WR and are also among the best two-way players in class A as both of them start on both sides of the ball. Thomas’s best player though is Oklahoma State Commit [player_tooltip player_id="38503" first="Aden" last="Kelley"]. Kelley has been one of the best defensive linemen in the state for a couple of years now and will be a handful for the Ringling O-Line as he and the rest of the Terriers are as hungry as ever to get to the state title game after coming up short in the semifinals last season. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Overall Analysis</strong></span> Unlike a lot of teams Ringling has played in class A this year, Thomas has a legit shot to take down Ringling when you look at their experience, talent, and motivation level. However, when you look at their offensive production against the top teams they’ve played, it is a bit discouraging. Thomas has gone 3-1 this year in their games against Cashion, Pawnee, Hooker, and Texhoma, but have only averaged 18 ppg on offense in those matchups. Ringling boasts one of the best defenses we’ve seen in some time in terms of points allowed, so if Thomas has trouble scoring against the likes of Hooker and Texhoma, they could be in for a long night against Ringling. I like Ringling to win and go to Wantland next weekend where they will attempt to repeat as champions in Class A. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>#2 Cashion (13-0) vs #3 Pawhuska (12-0) </strong><strong>Friday, 7 PM @ Pawhuska HS</strong></span> The second semifinal in Class A may be one of the most anticipated non-championship matchups of the 2020 playoffs as we have what many believe to be the top 2 teams in the class facing off before the title game. Cashion comes in at a perfect 13-0 with impressive wins over 2A Rejoice Christian, 2A Perry, #4 Thomas, and #10 Crescent. They have blown out nearly every team they have played this season with a 40 point margin of victory <span style="text-decoration: underline;">per game</span>. While it is not quite the lockdown unit that Ringling is, Cashion’s defense has been stout this year, only allowing 9 ppg. Their offense is also among the best in the state as they have scored 49 ppg and have only been held under 41 points once all season. Overall, they have been in the top 3 for Class A all season and are as hungry for that gold ball as anyone after falling just short to Ringling in the title game in 2019. Pawhuska enters the semifinals with a 12-0 record and one of the best offenses the state has ever seen. Averaging over 66 ppg, Pawhuska set a new state record for scoring in the regular season and have not slowed down one bit in the playoffs as they have outscored their opponents 102-6. On defense, they have pitched 4 shutouts and are allowing just over 13 ppg which is nothing when you look at their offensive production. <span style="font-size: 1rem;"> </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Since the beginning of district play, Pawhuska has not allowed a team in Class A to score more than 14 and have scored at least 44 points each week including weeks 4, 9, and 10, where they put up 92, 86, and 95 points. </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">They have been one of if not the most dominant teams across all classes this year as their starters rarely see the second half of games much less the 4th quarter due to the ridiculous leads they build in the first half.</span> <strong>Cashion Players to Watch</strong> With an offense as explosive as Cashion’s, it is only natural that they have a ton of guys with crazy stats on the year. To save some time though, I’ll only hit on the top few. At QB, Cashion has one of the state’s leaders in terms of yards and TDs in [player_tooltip player_id="52273" first="Ben" last="Harman"]. Harman has thrown for over 3800 yards and 55 TDs on the year. Most of his throws have gone to WRs [player_tooltip player_id="52276" first="Brexten" last="Green"] who leads Class A with over 1600 yards and 19 TDs, and [player_tooltip player_id="53312" first="Mason" last="Manning"], who has over 1000 yards and 16 TDs receiving. In the run game, Cashion is led by Senior RB [player_tooltip player_id="38609" first="Caden" last="Harrell"] who has rushed for over 1500 yards and 27 TDs. Cashion has a handful of guys who play both ways and excel on defense including Harrell but also have some stand-alone stars on the defensive side such as [player_tooltip player_id="53321" first="Jacob" last="Farrow"]. Harrell and Farrow have combined for over 160 tackles and have been one of the best LB duos in Class A this season. <strong>Pawhuska Players to Watch</strong> When you win by a score of 66-13 on average, you are sure to have stars all over the place and that is the case for Pawhuska. On offense, Pawhuska is led by Senior QB and North Texas Commit [player_tooltip player_id="38509" first="Bryce" last="Drummond"]. Drummond has been our top QB in the class of 2021 since the launch of this site back in July and he very well may end up as the player of the year for us in 2020. Drummond has thrown for over 3800 yards and 59 TDs this season and has also rushed for over 650 yards and has 18 rushing TDs. His top WRs, [player_tooltip player_id="59991" first="Mason" last="Gilkey"] and <strong>Dalton Hurd</strong>, have combined for over 2400 yards and 43 TDs. On defense, Pawhuska has 4 players who have gone over the 100 tackle mark in LBs <strong>Jack Long</strong> and <strong>Tyrel Richardson,</strong> and DEs <strong>Lesharo Wildcat</strong> and<strong> Hagen McGuire</strong>. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Overall Analysis</strong></span> This is possibly the biggest clash of Titans we've had in the playoffs that isn't a championship game in 2020. Both of these teams have dominated their competition this year, but something will have to give Friday night. I expect a shootout in this one with either team coming out on top as both have been spectacular this season, but I like Pawhuska to score last and head to the championship next weekend.