Oklahoma Christian School Team Preview

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> 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"><strong>RIGHT HERE</strong></a>. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Overview (Class 2A Preseason Ranking: #7) </strong></span>Coming off a 5-5 regular season and 1st round playoff exit in 2019, we did not have OCS ranked in our top 10 to start the 2020 season. Man did that backfire. Led by transfer Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="63287" first="Denver" last="Wilson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="38734" first="Collin" last="Matteson"], who we will hit on more later in this preview, the Saints were one of the most dominant teams in 2A all season long. OCS finished the 2020 regular season with a perfect 10-0 record, and besides a couple of close games with Luther and Perry in the middle of October, the Saints did not allow a single opponent to come within 10 points of them. In the playoffs, the Saints got off to a hot start by dropping 70 on Kellyville but would live on the edge in their 2nd round and quarter-final matchups. They escaped both of those matchups with some late-game heroics, but that magic would run out in the semi-finals as they ran into the high-flying Metro Christian offense that left most defenses scrambling for answers in 2020. After coming within one game of the title round though, the Saints will certainly be hungry to finish what they started last season, and they have enough starters returning on both sides as well as a few new talented players that will should the train rolling for another deep playoff push in 2021. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2020 Results (14-1 Record – Lost In 2A Semifinals)</strong></span> Aug. 28 – Beat Christian Heritage 27-14 Sept. 4 – Beat Morrison 40-8 Sept. 11 – Game VS Crossings Christian Canceled Sept. 25 – Beat Chisholm 21-0 Oct. 2 – Beat Alva 33-14 Oct. 9 – Beat Newkirk 49-0 Oct. 16 – Beat Luther 23-15 Oct. 23 – Beat Perry 15-7 Oct. 30 – Beat Hennesey 55-0 Nov. 6 – Game VS Blackwell Canceled 1st Round – Beat Kellyville 70-41 2nd Round – Beat Community Christian 19-13 Quarterfinals - Beat Eufaula 24-20 Semifinals - Lost to Metro Christian 55-28 <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></span> [player_tooltip player_id="38734" first="Collin" last="Matteson"]<strong> - 2022 Wide Receiver</strong> After back-to-back seasons of dominance, Matteson comes into 2021 as a top 10 WR for us in the class of 2022, but his most natural fit at the next level may be on the defensive side as a cornerback or safety. Looking back at the 2020 season, it seems like Matteson was in the running for player of the week nearly every week with the video game-like stats he was able to put up at times. Against Luther in 2020, Collin was one of the sole reasons the Saints were able to escape with a win. He finished that night with 3 total touchdowns and 3 interceptions along with a couple of long returns on special teams. If the Saints want to make another deep run, they will need their star WR/DB to perform similarly to what we saw in 2020. [player_tooltip player_id="38746" first="Gage" last="Gilchrist"] <strong>- 2022 Defensive Lineman</strong> Gilchrist is another returning starter for OCS that looks to be a two-way playmaker for the Saints. We have him listed as a defensive lineman because that will likely be his best fit at the next level, but he was also a high-level contributor at offensive tackle in 2020. On offense, Gilchrist is a beast in the run game, most plays in 2020 ended with him pancaking whoever he got his hands on whether it was a zone scheme working up the field or on a gap/power scheme where he was dangerous coming downhill when asked to pull. On defense, Gilchrist is more of a power rusher who wastes no time bulldozing through offensive linemen before tackling the ball carrier or at least disrupting his path to allow his teammates to clean up the kill. [player_tooltip player_id="154212" first="Ace" last="Hodges"] <strong>- 2024 Offensive Lineman</strong> One of the younger starters on this roster, [player_tooltip player_id="154212" first="Ace" last="Hodges"] will look to build on a 2020 season that earned him a spot as one of the only 2024 offensive linemen to be ranked on the site. Hodges still has some growing to do physically before he is considered as a top prospect at the position in the state, but we really like what we have seen from him in his young career to this point. He has some very quick feet for a big man and his hand placement throughout the 2020 season was great as it allowed him to gain more leverage and take out a lot of D-Lineman that had a size advantage on him. Look for Hodges to be a mainstay on the OCS offensive line for years to come. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>More Names</strong></span> <strong>Garrett Wilson - 2024 Quarterback</strong><strong> Will Watson - 2022 Offensive/Defensive Lineman</strong> <strong>Maddox Trent - 2022 Offensive/Defensive Lineman</strong> <strong>Devyn Fisher - 2023 Running Back/ Linebacker</strong> <strong>John Roberts - 2023 Defensive Lineman</strong> <strong>John Michael Crooks - 2023 Kicker</strong> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Notable</strong></span> Starting in 2018, the OCS Saints made the jump or rather took a step down if you will, from class 3A to 2A. To the surprise of many though, it took a couple of years for the Saints to make the adjustment and become a serious threat in the class. After going 8-2 in the 2017 regular season and making an appearance in the 3A quarterfinals where they lost a close one-score game to Beggs, the Saints went 6-4 in 2018, 5-5 in 2019, and went 1-2 in the playoffs during those 2 seasons. Their fortunes would shift though in 2020 as they turned the corner as a team and took a huge step in Class 2A. The Saints finished with a perfect 10-0 regular season and an appearance in the state semi-finals. They’ve now proven that they have what it takes to compete and make a deep run in the class. The question now will be if they can carry their momentum from 2020 into this year’s campaign. If that is the case and they pick up where they left off last December we could be looking at a new perennial contender in Class 2A. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2021 Schedule/Games To Watch</strong></span> Aug. 27 – Christian Heritage Academy <strong>Sept. 3 – AT Morrison </strong><strong>- </strong>OCS handled them fairly easily in 2020 but Morrison did not quite find their groove until late in the season where they made a couple of upsets in the playoffs over Oklahoma Union and Wewoka before coming up just short in the Class A quarter-finals against a Ringling defense that suffocated just about every team they played a year ago. If Morrison can carry their late 2020 momentum into this game, it should be a little bit closer than the 40-8 blowout we saw a year ago. Sept. 17 – AT Crossings Christian Sept. 24 – Chisholm Oct. 1 – AT Alva Oct. 8 – AT Newkirk Oct. 14 – Luther <strong>Oct. 22 – Perry </strong>- This one may not look like a hot matchup on paper when looking at Perry's record from 2020 but that is the kicker here. They finished 2020 5-4 with a lot of games canceled and with 3 of their 4 losses coming to Cashion, Jones, and OCS. Outside of those games, they were about as dominant as you could ask for and they took OCS down to the wire in a close 15-7 game last season. If they can avoid another slow start in 2021 we expect this one to be close once again. Oct. 29 – AT Hennessey Nov. 5 – Blackwell <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Championship History</strong></span> <em><strong>1 State Championships</strong></em> 2012 - Beat Davis 44-41