Week One Top Ten Games
In this article:
Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Every Monday, we’ll take a look at the top ten match-up’s across the state of Oklahoma. We’ll break down the two teams, tell you what to…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingGet 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!
Every Monday, we’ll take a look at the top ten match-up’s across the state of Oklahoma. We’ll break down the two teams, tell you what to look for and who to look for from a player perspective. This week’s slate of games is outstanding across the board and features a great blend of big games and rivalry clashes. Check back every Monday so you know where the best games will be every single week!
1) 6A-2 #1 BIXBY (1-0) AT 6A-1 #3 JENKS (1-0)
We don’t have to hype this one up much right? Right. Well, we’ll do it anyway. It’s state champ against state champ as Bixby will travel to Jenks to square off with the Trojans. In 2018, Bixby opened the season with a 28-14 loss to Jenks. Since then, the Spartans haven’t lost in 37 consecutive games. And that includes two straight wins over the Trojans, including a 50-point beat down the following year in 2019. The Spartans are going after history this season and the Trojans are looking to not only play spoiler on Friday, but to end a two-game losing streak to the Spartans. Both teams opened up the year last week with wins over Mansfield schools. Bixby absolutely hammered Mansfield Timberview at home while Jenks had to go to overtime with Mansfield Summit on the road. It is without a doubt the best game in week one.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bixby:
Christian Burke
Christian
Burke
5'11" | 180 lbs | QB
Bixby | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Quarterback
It was a good first start for Bixby’s next QB1 as
Christian Burke
Christian
Burke
5'11" | 180 lbs | QB
Bixby | 2022
State
OK
threw for nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns. Bixby’s offense was clicking and looked like they were already midseason form as they blew out Mansfield Timberview on Friday night. This week’s rivalry clash against the Trojans will be a much tougher test. Burke is off to a good start but there will certainly be a step up in competition as he goes against a Jenks defense that is very talented.
Jenks:
AJ Brown
AJ
Brown
6'1" | 300 lbs | DL
Jenks | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Defensive Lineman
Leading that Jenks defense is the big man up front in senior defensive lineman
AJ Brown
AJ
Brown
6'1" | 300 lbs | DL
Jenks | 2022
State
OK
. The Trojans are very talented on that defensive side of the ball and Brown anchors it all from the defensive tackle position. Jenks does feel like the underdog here coming into this match-up of champions and if Jenks is to pull off the upset, Brown and the Trojan defense have to limit the Bixby big plays. And in big games like this, it all starts up front on the line of scrimmage.
2) 6A’2 #4 STILLWATER (0-0) AT 6A-1 #4 EDMOND SANTA FE (0-1)
This is certainly a game to watch even though these two teams are in separate divisions of Class 6A. But it’s a big game for a number of reasons. The first is Santa Fe looking to bounce back after last week’s loss to Owasso. As we learned last year, Santa Fe started the year 0-2 after losses to Owasso and Stillwater but went on to play for the state title. However, the Wolves would like to bounce back sooner rather than late after last week’s loss. And on the other side you have a Stillwater team that is opening their season on Friday. The Pioneers will look very different and we haven’t made much of a secret about how we want to see the 2021 version of the Pioneers. After losing so many important seniors, can this Stillwater team simply reload and once again be a contender in 6A-2? Our first answer comes Friday.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Edmond Santa Fe:
Scott Pfieffer
Scott
Pfieffer
6'3" | QB
Edmond Santa Fe | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Quarterback
The first of two quarterbacks here is Edmond Santa Fe’s
Scott Pfieffer
Scott
Pfieffer
6'3" | QB
Edmond Santa Fe | 2022
State
OK
. The senior quarterback is in charge of a Santa Fe offense that has the potential to be one of the best in 6A-1. Everyone knows that he has an All American at receiver with
Talyn Shettron
Talyn
Shettron
6'3" | WR
Edmond Santa Fe | 2022
State
OK
but even without Shettron, the receiver group has some talented players. If Pfieffer does his job and gets the ball out to these playmakers, Santa Fe is going to be able to score some points on Stillwater Friday night.
Stillwater:
Gage Gundy
Gage
Gundy
6'3" | 200 lbs | QB
Stillwater | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 Quarterback
The other quarterback is one that we’re very excited to see as a Gundy is back under center for the Pioneers. All the rumors around
Gage Gundy
Gage
Gundy
6'3" | 200 lbs | QB
Stillwater | 2023
State
OK
is that he could be even better than older brother Gunnar, who was one of the best quarterbacks in school history and led Stillwater to back to back state championship appearances. Gage certainly looks the part in person but this will be the first time to really see him with the lights on and it’s definitely a tough first start.
3) 3A #4 PLAINVIEW (0-1) AT 4A #2 TUTTLE (1-0)
In yet another match-up of top five teams, we have Tuttle playing host to Plainview. We love week one! Both teams have state championship aspirations. Both teams are incredibly talented. And this should be an outstanding match-up. Tuttle opened their season with a shutout victory over Sulphur. Meanwhile, Plainview tripped up in a game against Pilot Point out of Texas. But if you know anything about Pilot Point, you won’t take too much away from Plainview for the week zero loss. Tuttle has dominated the series with Plainview, even when the Indians made a run to the state title game in 2019, they lost to Tuttle in the regular season. But both teams appear to be fairly even coming into this season and into this match-up. Tuttle has one of the better defenses in the state, but they’ll be tested on Friday night.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Plainview:
Morgan Pearson
Morgan
Pearson
6'2" | 220 lbs | ATH
Plainview | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 Wide Receiver
Plainview wide receiver Morgan Perason will be arguably the best athlete that Tuttle sees all year and this will also provide the Tigers with a great test. In a few weeks, they’ll open up district play against Cushing, who has one of the best passing offenses in 4A. Trying to slow down Pearson and Plainview will give Tuttle an idea of what they need to improve on before week four. Because Pearson will be able to make plays, Tuttle just has to limit those and keep him out of the end zone.
Tuttle:
Tyler Woodson
Tyler
Woodson
5'10" | 165 lbs | RB
Tuttle | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 Running Back
Plainview did a really good job containing Pilot Point superstar running back Ish Harris in week zero. Meanwhile, Tuttle junior running back
Tyler Woodson
Tyler
Woodson
5'10" | 165 lbs | RB
Tuttle | 2023
State
OK
scored a touchdown last week and Tuttle will make no secret that they want to run the football with Woodson behind a very talented offensive line. Woodson will provide a different look for Plainview as he’s a few inches shorter than Harris. He’ll try to blend in with the tall offensive line and find a hole and accelerate.
4) 4A #9 WAGONER (0-0) AT 5A #5 COWETA (1-0)
Out of the rivalry games on this top ten, this one might feature the most bad blood between the two schools. These two do not like each other and Coweta is ready to erase the memory of the last decade. In the last eleven years, these two have squared off every year and Wagoner is 10-1, including winners of the last eight in a row. Coweta has been close but Wagoner always figures out a way to put the rival Tigers down. Coweta got their season off to a great start last week in Oklahoma City by beating Bishop McGuinness, a team that eliminated them in the 5A quarterfinals a year ago. Wagoner is opening their season on Friday night as a defending champion, but with only a couple starters returning. Coweta is determine to continue their “revenge tour” this week and it would feel a little more special putting down their rivals from down highway 51.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Coweta:
Gage Hamm
Gage
Hamm
6'4" | QB
Coweta | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Quarterback
He’s going into another season as QB1 for the Coweta Tigers and he has some weapons around him. When it comes to throwing the ball, the Tigers should have no problem with Hamm and some of the skill players he has. Then you throw in the added element of him running the ball and it gives the Tigers a true dual-threat quarterback. Coweta might also get creative with how they utilize Hamm and add him to some different things that they want to do this fall.
Wagoner:
Gabe Goodnight
Gabe
Goodnight
6'1" | 220 lbs | LB
Wagoner | 2022
OK
– 2022 Linebacker
One of the few players with significant experience returning for Wagoner is senior linebacker
Gabe Goodnight
Gabe
Goodnight
6'1" | 220 lbs | LB
Wagoner | 2022
OK
. The Bulldogs have some very talented young players that will end up being some big names later this year. But they are inexperienced at this point and Wagoner will lean on the experience of Goodnight, especially on the defensive side of the ball while some of those young players get used to playing at this level. Goodnight and the Wagoner defense will have their hands full slowing down the balanced Coweta offense.
5) 5A #3 CARL ALBERT (0-0) AT 6A-2 #5 MIDWEST CITY (0-1)
Another big rivalry game will take place when Midwest City plays host to Carl Albert. Both teams are hungry to get on the field for two very different reasons. Midwest City got beat down by McKinney Boyd out of Texas last week in a 37-0 loss. Meanwhile, Carl Albert will be playing in their season opener on Friday night after a pair of scrimmages. The Titans are five-time defending state champions in Class 5A but all eyes will be on them as they have plenty of new faces coming into this year, including new head coach Mike Dunn. The Titans have owned the recent rivalry with the Bombers, winning in the last three straight meetings. Before that, the Bombers had never lost to their Mid-Del rival. As for what to expect on Friday, we can guarantee that you’ll see some hard-hitting and fantastic athletes making plays.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Carl Albert:
Buddy Bizzell
Buddy
Bizzell
6'1" | RB
Carl Albert | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Running Back/Linebacker
While there are plenty of new faces on the Titans this year, one of the familiar ones is
Buddy Bizzell
Buddy
Bizzell
6'1" | RB
Carl Albert | 2022
State
OK
, who will be lining up at running back and linebacker. Bizzell is a three-year starter for the Titans and will be leaned on especially early on this season as they work in a new quarterback for the first time since 2017. Bizzell is a thundering running back who will have to fight for everything he can get against this Midwest City front seven, who are very talented.
Midwest City:
DeAngelo Irvin Jr
DeAngelo
Irvin Jr
5'8" | QB
Midwest City | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 Quarterback
We have written quite a bit about Midwest City’s quarterback
DeAngelo Irvin Jr
DeAngelo
Irvin Jr
5'8" | QB
Midwest City | 2023
State
OK
following his breakout sophomore season. And according to people we’ve talked to this offseason, Irvin has a very bright future on the baseball diamond, but before he thinks about that, he has another season of high school football. Irvin could be the X-Factor in 6A-2 and help lead the Bombers to some big wins this fall. But it will start with their rivalry clash against the Titans.
6) 2A #5 MILLWOOD (0-0) AT 3A #5 HERITAGE HALL (0-0) (Thurs.)
This match-up has become a very good rivalry between two Oklahoma City schools that have state championship aspirations every single year. The last couple of years haven’t been kind to Millwood when they’ve run into Heritage Hall but this year they bring back much more experience and are once again strong contenders in an absolutely loaded Class 2A. On the other side of the match-up, you have a Heritage Hall team that is ready to get back into the championship spotlight. For years, the Chargers were championship-level but they’ve been bounced out of the playoffs in the semifinals and are hungry to work their way back to the championship picture in Class 3A. Both teams are also opening their seasons on Thursday and it’s the only match-up in our top ten that at least one team hasn’t taken the field for a full game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Heritage Hall:
Gavin Freeman
Gavin
Freeman
5'10" | WR
Heritage Hall | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Wide Receiver
If you’ve been subscribed to our website for a while now, you’ve seen plenty of posts about wide receiver
Gavin Freeman
Gavin
Freeman
5'10" | WR
Heritage Hall | 2022
State
OK
for Heritage Hall. The senior standout is one of the best athletes in 3A football and this is a great opportunity for him to showcase his talent against a very athletic and talented Millwood defense. Freeman is a player that can completely change a game and make a big play in the blink of an eye. Millwood needs to know where he is at all times.
Millwood:
Micho Lavine
Micho
Lavine
6'3" | 210 lbs | ATH
Millwood | 2024
State
OK
– 2024 Running Back
On the other sideline for Millwood, we can’t wait to see the young standout
Micho Lavine
Micho
Lavine
6'3" | 210 lbs | ATH
Millwood | 2024
State
OK
. Millwood has a great 1-2 punch of Lavine and junior standout
Rickey Hunt Jr
Rickey
Hunt Jr
6'0" | 175 lbs | RB
Millwood | 2023
State
OK
. With those two players in the same backfield, the Falcons are going to be able to be one of the better offenses in 2A football. And that 1-2 punch will certainly provide a difference on Thursday night. With Hunt and Lavine running the ball, it keeps Heritage Hall and their dynamic receiver
Gavin Freeman
Gavin
Freeman
5'10" | WR
Heritage Hall | 2022
State
OK
on defense. The longer they can do that, the more success they’ll have.
7) 3A #3 LINCOLN CHRISTIAN (1-0) AT 2A #2 JONES (0-1)
For the second straight week, these two teams are featured in the top ten games as both Jones and Lincoln Christian play two of the more difficult non-district schedules. Lincoln Christian opened their season with a blowout win over 2A’s #3 Beggs and now their attention shifts to #2 Jones. On the other side, you had Jones opening their renovated stadium with a loss to Bethany. The Bulldogs have had plenty of success against Jones in recent memory and the Longhorns certainly remember last year. They had a 21-7 halftime lead over Lincoln in Tulsa and were outscored 28-0 in the second half and would lose. Add that to the fact that this match-up features two of the absolute best quarterbacks in the state and we have a great week one battle. But more on those two right below in “Players To Watch”.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jones:
Carson May
Carson
May
6'5" | QB
Jones | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Quarterback
The first of the two quarterbacks is Jones senior and Iowa commit
Carson May
Carson
May
6'5" | QB
Jones | 2022
State
OK
. The Jones standout is and has been one of the top quarterback recruits and prospects in the state for two seasons now. May just looks the part as a quarterback at the next level. He can make just about every throw in the book and he made some of the best throws we’ve seen in person in their loss to Lincoln Christian a year ago. May is also an underrated athlete as he can tuck it and run.
Lincoln Christian:
Max Brown
Max
Brown
6'2" | 200 lbs | QB
Lincoln Christian | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Quarterback
While May is more of a prototypical quarterback when it comes to being a prospect,
Max Brown
Max
Brown
6'2" | 200 lbs | QB
Lincoln Christian | 2022
State
OK
, a Central Michigan commit, is more of a dual-threat prospect. Lincoln does a great job of mixing Brown’s passing abilities and then also calling designed runs for the talented athlete. Brown has improved tremendously as a passer and it showed last week in their win over Beggs. Brown has some new receivers in this year’s offense but they already looked like they were in sync in week zero.
8) #5 BROKEN ARROW (1-0) AT #2 UNION (1-0)
Similar to the Bixby-Jenks match-up, this Broken Arrow-Union match-up also features a pair of schools coming off wins over Mansfield schools. Broken Arrow went on the road and dominated their Mansfield opponent while Union officially opened their renovated stadium with a dominating performance as well. The Tigers have been waiting for this date as Union was the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last year after Broken Arrow had won the regular season meeting. Union is ready for the first of three straight games in a four-week span against some of the best teams in 6A-1. They host BA, rival Jenks in week two and open district play against Owasso in week four. It feels like November already. As if that wasn’t enough, also throw in the element of Broken Arrow head coach Josh Blankenship returning to Union, where he was a star quarterback, and also coached under Union head coach Kirk Fridrich about a decade ago.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Broken Arrow:
Griffin Stieber
Griffin
Stieber
6'4" | 225 lbs | QB
Broken Arrow | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Quarterback
Similar to Burke at Bixby, Broken Arrow’s
Griffin Stieber
Griffin
Stieber
6'4" | 225 lbs | QB
Broken Arrow | 2022
State
OK
was very successful in his first varsity start at quarterback. The Tigers went down to Texas and had no problems in week zero, as Stieber was a perfect 9-9 with over 200 yards. He certainly has weapons around him in the skill positions but going on the road against Union will be a much tougher task. Union’s secondary is full of talented players that could make things tough in a hurry for the senior quarterback.
Union:
Makhai Belt
Makhai
Belt
5'10" | WR
Union | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Defensive Back
One of those talented players that Stieber is going to have to keep his eye on is Union senior Mekhai Belt. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Union is incredibly deep and very talented on the defensive side of the ball. Belt has continued to get better over the last two seasons and had a fantastic season opener in their big win on Friday night. Belt was all over the place on the Union defense and even came up with two interceptions. He could make another impact play on Friday.
9) 6A-2 #7 SAND SPRINGS (1-0) AT 5A #9 BISHOP KELLEY (0-1)
Bishop Kelley let one slip away in week zero as Poteau knocked off the Comets 35-28. Bishop Kelley had a decent lead in that one but the Pirates would rally to beat Bishop Kelley. Meanwhile, Sand Springs got a a huge rivalry win over Sapulpa, where they trailed 14-0 and would go on to blow out the rival Chieftains. This match-up is all about the comeback. Bishop Kelley gave up one last week, Sand Springs made one and last year, in their 2020 meeting, Bishop Kelley rallied to knock off the Sandites late in the contest. Sand Springs looks like a team that can truly cause some problems in Class 6A-2 and Bishop Kelley is always a team to watch for in Class 5A. While both teams are in absolutely brutal districts, this match-up will give us another clue as to how serious these two are as contenders.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bishop Kelley:
Will Pickard
Will
Pickard
6'2" | 210 lbs | QB
Bishop Kelley | 2022
OK
– 2022 Quarterback
Bishop Kelley senior quarterback
Will Pickard
Will
Pickard
6'2" | 210 lbs | QB
Bishop Kelley | 2022
OK
could have a big night if the Comets can throw the ball. Sapulpa was able to have success in the passing game and the Comets could pick up where they left off. Bishop Kelley is usually a run-first football team and that might be the case again on Friday night. But to avoid an 0-2 start, the Comets will need to put up some points because Sand Springs showed that they can explode on the offensive side of the ball.
Sand Springs:
Gabe E Brown
Gabe
E Brown
6'0" | 220 lbs | LB
Charles Page Highschool | 2022
State
OK
– 2022 Linebacker
We could write about several offensive standouts for Sand Springs, especially considering the 50+ points they scored on Friday in their rivalry win over Sapulpa. But we’re going to defense with their senior linebacker
Gabe E Brown
Gabe
E Brown
6'0" | 220 lbs | LB
Charles Page Highschool | 2022
State
OK
. Because Sand Springs did give up some plays in the passing game to Sapulpa, but that’s not really what Bishop Kelley does. If the Comets are very run-heavy, that’s where Brown and the Sandite front seven will be able to shine on Friday.
10) #3 BOOKER T WASHINGTON (1-0) AT #8 DEL CITY (0-0)
These two teams have become very familiar with one another after meeting in the playoffs in 2018 and 2019 and then facing off in week one last year. It’s a top ten battle between two teams that in very similar positions. Both teams have some of the best athletes in the state and both teams are looking to join 6A-2’s elite like Bixby and Stillwater and even throw in Choctaw. Both teams have the talent to compete for a state championship but this is just a step towards doing so. Booker T Washington looked in midseason form when they went on the road and dismantled Southmoore in week zero. For Del City, Friday’s game with the Hornets will be their season opener and the first game as head coach for Robert Jones, who replaces Mike Dunn. Both teams have multiple future D1 players so this one is definitely worth the price of admission.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Booker T Washington:
Lathan Boone
Lathan
Boone
6'1" | 175 lbs | QB
Booker T Washington | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 Quarterback
Booker T Washington dominated Southmoore in week zero and their quarterback
Lathan Boone
Lathan
Boone
6'1" | 175 lbs | QB
Booker T Washington | 2023
State
OK
was nearly perfect. In fact, his two incompletions was a drop on a wide open pass and an incompletion when a receiver missed his spot. Boone has some of the best wide receivers in the state and the Hornet offense could be incredibly difficult to slow down because you don’t know WHO to slow down. Boone was excellent last week spreading the ball around and when he’s doing that, it’ll be a problem for defenses.
Del City:
Kanijal Thomas
Kanijal
Thomas
6'1" | DB
Del City | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 Defensive Back
Booker T Washington might have the best group of wide receivers in the state. That could be true. But Del City has one of the best shutdown corners in the state with junior
Kanijal Thomas
Kanijal
Thomas
6'1" | DB
Del City | 2023
State
OK
. The Del City standout is one of the top overall prospects in the 2023 class and he’s familiar with some of the Booker T Washington standouts after playing with them on Sooner 7. Thomas can only line up against one receiver but he’ll be a huge key in Del City’s success slowing down their passing attack.