Carl Albert Team Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day as we release more individual team previews as we get closer to the start of the 2021 football season. In case you missed it, you can check out our Preseason Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/2021-preseason-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RIGHT HERE</a>. Overview (Class 5A Preseason Ranking: #3) The Carl Albert Titans came into the 2020 season and it almost felt like the “Last Dance” in some respects. Long time stars [player_tooltip player_id="38534" first="Ben" last="Harris"] and [player_tooltip player_id="38487" first="Javion" last="Hunt"] were going into their senior seasons and had been so critical to the success of the TItans over the previous several seasons. Harris, Carl Albert’s four-year starting quarterback would finish his career as the most decorated quarterback in Oklahoma high school history. Harris finished his career 52-2 as QB1 with four state championships. Not bad. That certainly gives the Titans plenty of motivation to keep the dynasty rolling into 2021. They come in at #3 in our preseason rankings. As it stands right now, Class 5A appears to be deeper than it has been in recent years and will certainly make the road to Wantland Stadium a little more bumpy for the Titans if they are to make it back for another run at the gold ball. The Titans do have to replace those key names and only bring back four starters on each side of the ball. They’ll have a new head coach in Mike Dunn and the early part of their schedule features some really good competition so the Titans will need to be ready to go from the jump. In most years, Carl Albert has been securely at the top with a massive target. That target is still big as five-time champs, but they aren’t at the top to start this year, and that could make them more dangerous than ever as a powerhouse floating under the radar. <hr /> 2020 Results (11-1 Record - 5A State Champion) Sept 4 – Beat Midwest City 41-26 Sept 11 – Beat Del City 21-14 Sept 18 – Game AT Shawnee Canceled Sept 25 – Beat Guymon 63-0 Oct 2 – Lost To Bixby 56-14 Oct 9 – Beat Bishop McGuinness 56-35 Oct 17 – Beat Piedmont 42-7 Oct 23 – Game VS Western Heights Canceled Oct 30 – Beat Woodward 56-7 Nov 6 – Beat Lawton Eisenhower 31-0 1st Round – Bye Week 2nd Round – Beat Ardmore 49-14 Quarterfinals – Beat Bishop Kelley 36-20 Semifinals – Beat Collinsville 45-28 Championship - Beat Bishop McGuinness 33-21 <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="38684" first="Buddy" last="Bizzell"] - 2022 Running Back Carl Albert senior [player_tooltip player_id="38684" first="Buddy" last="Bizzell"] goes into his third year as a starter for the Titans and will be their number weapon this fall. Last year, after his breakout sophomore season, Bizzell showed that he wasn’t just a bruising running back as he played some linebacker too. As the Titans break in their new quarterback, Bizzell will be relied on to be the feature back and might spend a little more time on the offensive side of the ball, especially early on in the season. [player_tooltip player_id="150088" first="Reed" last="Dequasie"] - 2023 Quarterback We mentioned a new quarterback and for the first time since 2016, someone other than [player_tooltip player_id="38534" first="Ben" last="Harris"] will be QB1 for the Carl Albert Titans. That’s a lot for a new quarterback, let alone the championships and the 52-2 record that Harris had. Needless to say, [player_tooltip player_id="150088" first="Reed" last="Dequasie"] is stepping into a very bright spotlight. However, he’s in the right program that isn’t going to ask too much of him and he does have one of the best running backs in the state with [player_tooltip player_id="38684" first="Buddy" last="Bizzell"]. [player_tooltip player_id="165365" first="Ta’Shawn" last="James"] - 2023 Defensive Back Carl Albert’s [player_tooltip player_id="165365" first="Ta’Shawn" last="James"] is the early leader for breakout star for the Titans. The Carl Albert coaches are very high on the potential of James to be their next star and from what we’ve seen so far, we tend to agree with them. He’ll play both ways but we love what he brings to the table as a safety on defense. He’s incredibly athletic and get from point A to point B in the blink of an eye and when he gets to point B, he always has bad intentions and loves to lay a big hit. More Names Charles Fleming - 2022 Tight End Damorrion Brown - 2022 Wide Receiver Leterrill Cole - 2022 Offensive Lineman R.T. Sherman - 2023 Defensive Back Xavier Robinson - 2024 Linebacker Xzavier Thomas - 2022 Wide Receiver <hr /> Notable After winning four state championships and losing only two games in four seasons, head coach Mike Corley announced this offseason that he was retiring from coaching. Corley is still a fixture around the football program but the Titans and more importantly the Titan dynasty will have a new head coach this fall as Mike Dunn returns to his alma mater. Dunn comes home to Carl Albert after leading Del City for the last few seasons and coming back home was a no brainer for Dunn. However, he knows the position he’s stepping into and knows all too well what the expectations are for a program like Carl Albert. The Titans have captured the last five state championships in Class 5A and while they might be rebuilding and replacing some big names from the last several seasons, the expectations remain the same. The Titans are currently tied with Clinton for the third most state championships in state history. Only Ada (19) and Jenks (17) have more championships. Dunn not only knows the expectations but he embraces them. <hr /> 2021 Schedule/Games To Watch Sept. 3 - AT Midwest City - The 2021 Carl Albert season and the Mike Dunn era will begin on the road as the Titans will take a short bus ride to face their rivals from Midwest City. While the other two games to watch in this preview have plenty of storylines to get you excited, this one is just a good match-up. We’ll be honest, there aren’t too many storylines to go along with it but this is a meeting of two top five teams and that’s good enough for us. Midwest City has championship aspirations after making a run to the semifinals a year ago. The Titans will look to get the 2021 season off to another good start. Sept. 10 - Del City - A week after the season opener is the home opener and this one has plenty of storylines that write themselves. It’ll be the first home game of the year for new head coach Mike Dunn. The opponent will be the team that Dunn coached for the last few seasons before taking over the Carl Albert program this offseason. And let’s face it. Just like with the Carl Albert-Midwest City match-up, these teams are rivals, expect to win and they flat out don’t like one another. You know the Eagles will be coming to Gary Rose Stadium to make a statement at the expense of their old coach. Sept. 17 - Shawnee Sept. 24 - Guymon Oct. 1 - AT Guthrie Oct. 8 - AT Bishop McGuinness - While the first two games of the year have plenty of storylines, now we get to the main event in week six as Carl Albert will travel to face rival Bishop McGuinness. It’s amazing how rivalries evolve and go from team to team. At the start of the 2010’s, Carl Albert’s biggest rival was Guthrie. Fast forward to today and it’s Bishop McGuinness. That’s what happens when you play every year and then meet again in the state championship four out of the last five years. The Irish had to settle for silver all of those years and have this date circled on the calendar. Oct. 14 - Piedmont Oct. 22 - AT Western Heights Oct. 29 - AT Woodward Nov. 5 - Lawton Eisenhower <hr /> Championship History 16 State Championships (T-3rd Most In State History) 2020 - Beat Bishop McGuinness 33-21 2019 - Beat Bishop McGuinness 30-15 2018 - Beat Ardmore 17-10 2017 - Beat Bishop McGuinness 35-23 2016 - Beat Bishop McGuinness 34-29 2012 - Beat East Central 24-8 2009 - Beat Bixby 21-7 2006 - Beat Lawton MacArthur 14-10 2004 - Beat Booker T Washington 35-22 2001 - Beat Altus 28-11 2000 - Beat Ada 17-7 1999 - Beat El Reno 21-19 1998 - Beat Chickasha 34-12 1997 - Beat Chickasha 37-7 1993 - Beat Duncan 23-6 1989 - Beat Tahlequah 14-7