6A-1 Semifinal Preview
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For Class 6A-1 and 6A-2, it’s semifinal week! The playoffs have just begun but for four teams in each class, they’re one win away from punching their ticket to Edmond in December. We’re taking a look at the 6A-1 semifinals in this post with a complete breakdown on Broken Arrow, Jenks, Mustang and Union as they continue their playoff journeys this week.
#1 JENKS (10-1) VS #5 MUSTANG (7-4)
Friday, 7PM @ Putnam City HS
The Match-Up: This is such an intriguing semifinal match-up because it’s a battle between polar opposite teams. With the top-ranked Jenks Trojans, we know what to expect from the defending champs and there will be little surprises that come from them this week. However, on the other side of the match-up is a Mustang team that is one of the toughest teams in the state to figure out. On one side of the coin, they went to Owasso and won, they beat up on Edmond Santa Fe to be in the semifinals. And they’re a few minutes away from being 10-1 coming into this week. Three of those four losses came in the final minutes of the game. However, you look at the other side of the coin and this is a Mustang team that was beaten by Norman and Moore, two teams that missed out on the playoffs this year. They’ve been one of the toughest teams to predict and your guess is as good as mine on which team we’ll end up seeing on Friday. For Jenks, they’ve been playing some of their best football right now and have this machine rolling at the right time once again. The Trojans are the only team to play within single digits of powerhouse Bixby and they’ve looked good ever since that week one loss.
JENKS PLAYERS TO WATCH
For the Trojans, the conversation, in our opinion, starts with the defensive side of the ball. We think that side of the ball, along with the running game, is the biggest strength that this team has and it all starts up front with senior defensive lineman
AJ Brown
AJ
Brown
6'1" | 300 lbs | DL
Jenks | 2022
State
OK
. The Jenks standout is not the biggest defensive tackle in the state and because of that, he’s been overlooked as a recruit but when you actually watch him play, he is very clearly one of the more dominant defensive linemen in the state. Brown is so powerful in his hands but he also moves incredibly quick. He’s been a match-up nightmare and he’ll look to cause havoc again this week that will lead to his defense making plays. On the other side of the ball, the Trojans have legit star power and like we mentioned, the running game gets most of the headlines. Junior running back
Jaiden Carroll
Jaiden
Carroll
5'10" | 180 lbs | RB
Jenks | 2023
State
OK
has had an excellent season with the Trojans and has continued to be one of the best in his class at that position. Carroll shares the backfield with freshman quarterback
Shaker Reisig
Shaker
Reisig
6'0" | 185 lbs | QB
Union | 2025
State
OK
and we mentioned the young QB as one of the players to watch during the playoffs because of how he’ll respond to playoff football. He was nearly perfect in their first round win over Norman North so he continues to impress. One of his main targets will be junior wide receiver
Ty Walls
Ty
Walls
6'0" | 175 lbs | WR
Jenks | 2023
State
OK
. The junior standout isn’t talked about across the state as he should because so much attention goes to the Jenks rushing attack. However, Walls has been arguably Jenks’ most consistent wide receiver all season and if the Trojans need a big play in the passing game, Walls has usually been that guy.
MUSTANG PLAYERS TO WATCH
Mustang counters Jenks’ stout defense with a high-powered offense that can win games running the ball or throwing it all over the yard. The Broncos have proven that throughout the season that they can win games in a variety of ways. It all starts with their breakout star junior quarterback
Tristen Russell
Tristen
Russell
5'11" | 175 lbs | QB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
. If you’ve watched what the junior QB has done this year, you’ll understand the “breakout star” term to describe him as he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in 6A-1 this year. He has put up monster numbers throwing the ball and he’s also not afraid to take a hit when running the ball or standing in the pocket and waiting until the last second. Russell will be a big key to Mustang’s success on Friday night as he’s going to get plenty of pressure from the Jenks front seven and how he handles that pressure will be big. He isn’t alone in the backfield as the Broncos have used several different running backs and overall athletes to help boost their running game. However, last week, it was Jay Bedford who was the standout running back and had a great performance in their victory over Edmond Santa Fe. He found the end zone multiple times and will certainly have a big role within the offense this week once again. As far as the passing game is concerned, the Broncos have arguably the best college prospect in the match-up with junior standout
Jacobe Johnson
Jacobe
Johnson
6'4" | DB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
, who is Mustang’s big play weapon at receiver but also a shut down corner on defense. Along with Johnson on defense is linebacker Cale White, who like Bedford, had a massive game in the first round and will certainly need to play like that again against Jenks’ stellar running game.
The History: The history in this match-up isn’t close to what we’ll see in the other 6A-1 showdown between Broken Arrow and Union. Jenks and Mustang just rarely face off on the football field, but when they have played, it’s been in the playoffs. They also have recent experience meeting each other as the last time they played was in 2019. Mustang hosted Jenks in the first round or quarterfinals, whatever you prefer to say in 6A-1 and the Trojans absolutely rolled, winning 55-28. They would eventually make it to the state title game where they fell short to Owasso. The only other time these two teams met was in 2008. On the football field, Jenks would beat Mustang 35-20 and advance to the championship game, where they would lose to Union. However, following that season, a Jenks player was announced as ineligible and Jenks was forced to forfeit their wins in 2008. So if you go back in the record books, it shows Mustang with a 2-0 semifinal victory.
EXPERIENCE
Jenks: It’s no secret that Jenks is one of the top programs in Oklahoma football history but some of these numbers are just mind-boggling. Jenks is headed to the semifinals for the 16th consecutive season. 2005 was the last time that the Trojans did not appear in the semifinals. There are some players on the Jenks football team that were not born the last time Jenks didn’t make it to at least the semifinals. Overall, this will be the 34th trip to the semifinals and they have a 28-5 record in semifinal match-ups. Jenks is also looking to punch their ticket to the title game for the fourth consecutive year.
Mustang: On the other side of the match-up, Mustang is heading to the semifinal round for the seventh time in school history, but they certainly have had more success since the split in Class 6A. Out of the seven trips, three of them have come in the last eight years. Overall, Mustang has a 2-4 record in the semifinal round or 3-3 if you want to count the 2008 semifinal against Jenks that was discussed above. The last time the Broncos won a semifinal was in 2005 when they beat Muskogee. They would go on to face Union in the title game and came up short 33-7.
#2 UNION (10-1) VS #4 BROKEN ARROW (8-3)
Friday, 7PM @ Owasso HS
The Match-Up: It’s the renewal of a rivalry between Broken Arrow and Union in the other semifinal clash. Broken Arrow surprised plenty of people across the state in their first round match-up when they stunned Owasso 41-40. The Rams had beaten the Tigers 42-3 in their regular season meeting and the Tigers will look to continue their “revenge tour” this week against Union. The newly christened Redhawks beat Broken Arrow early on in the regular season the week before Owasso beat BA. Union had no problems in their playoff opener as the district champs beat up on Yukon to advance to another semifinal appearance. Both teams have similar stories coming into this week as both teams made moves to play more athletic playmakers at the quarterback spot and it’s obviously paid off with both teams one win away from playing for it all. The Tigers played excellent football down the stretch of the regular season and continued that into the playoffs last week. Meanwhile, Union’s lone loss in the regular season came against defending champ Jenks in week two but they rolled to a district championship. BA is hungry to get another big win and Union is searching for their first state title appearance since 2017.
BROKEN ARROW PLAYERS TO WATCH
We mentioned both teams moving to different quarterbacks and we’ll start there with Broken Arrow as the Tigers have turned to senior Sterling Ramsey to lead the Broken Arrow offense. Ramsey replaced
Griffin Stieber
Griffin
Stieber
6'4" | 225 lbs | QB
Broken Arrow | 2022
State
OK
and the Tigers have certainly been executing in the new athletic look on offense. Ramsey had a big game against Owasso last week and was actually knocked out of the game before coming back and tossing the game-winning touchdown. Ramsey is one part of a very athletic backfield with Broken Arrow as senior
Maurion Horn
Maurion
Horn
5'11" | RB
Broken Arrow | 2022
State
OK
has become the workhorse back in the Tiger offense. It makes sense as Horn is arguably one of the best running backs in the state but has split time between offense and defense. However, he’s been outstanding carrying the ball for the Tigers and we don’t anticipate him slowing down anytime soon. Another two-way star for the Tigers is Oklahoma commit
Robert Spears-Jennings
Robert
Spears-Jennings
6'2" | WR
Broken Arrow | 2022
State
OK
, another top ten prospect in the 2022 class. Jennings is headed to OU to play safety but is still one of the best wide receivers in the state. Just like with Horn, Broken Arrow has tried to find the perfect balance for Jennings on the offensive and defensive side of the ball so he can make the most impact on the game. In a playoff environment, we anticipate he’ll be playing a few more plays on both sides of the ball. On that Tiger defense is one of the more underrated linebackers in
Dietrich Moore
Dietrich
Moore
6'0" | 210 lbs | LB
Broken Arrow | 2023
State
OK
as he’s an outstanding athlete overall. He can make plenty of plays on that side of the ball and has even shown an ability to help out in special teams.
UNION PLAYERS TO WATCH
Continuing the athletic quarterback theme, we go over to Union where senior
Rovaughn Banks
Rovaughn
Banks
5'10" | 200 lbs | ATH
Union | 2022
State
OK
has been leading the Union offense for the majority of the second half of the season. Banks is definitely a dual-threat QB and showcased his abilities to hurt a defense with the pass and run last week against Yukon. He finished with four touchdowns passing and another two touchdowns rushing with over 200 passing yards and over 100 rushing yards. Just like with Ramsey at BA, Banks is joined in the backfield by a dynamic running back with senior
Antonio Smith
Antonio
Smith
6'0" | 180 lbs | RB
Union | 2022
State
OK
. The senior standout went over the 1,000 yard mark in their victory last week and between Banks and Smith, Union has one of the best rushing attacks in 6A-1 football this year. And a dominating offensive line certainly helps pave the way for those two senior standouts. A junior standout who plays on both sides of the line of scrimmage is
De’Marion Thomas
De’Marion
Thomas
6'4" | 340 lbs | DL
Union | 2023
State
OK
. We first saw Thomas last year as a dominating defensive lineman who has transformed into a two-way star for the Redhawks. Thomas will be a big key to Union’s success on Friday night with his performance on both sides of the ball. Another player who will certainly be needed in order for Union to make it to the title game is senior and Oklahoma commit
Jayden Rowe
Jayden
Rowe
6'2" | DB
Union | 2022
State
OK
. Just like BA, Union has an OU commit who plays a little wide receiver and is also heading to the next level to play defensive back. Rowe has also played a little wide receiver for the Redhawks this season. However, his play as a shutdown corner is certainly going to be more critical in the semifinal clash on Friday night.
The History: As mentioned above, there is certainly more history in the Broken Arrow-Union semifinal clash as these two teams routinely meet every year in non-district play. It’s been a one-sided match-up that appears to be starting to turn as Broken Arrow has had the edge recently. From 1990-2017, Union held a 36-1 record against the Tigers. However, since meeting in the 2018 regular season, Broken Arrow is 4-2 against the Redhawks. The Tigers fell short this year in their regular season meeting where Union won 38-28. That was a game that featured Union jumping out to a big lead and then holding off a Broken Arrow rally in the second half. These two teams have plenty of playoff history as well. They have faced off 12 times in the playoffs, with Union holding an 11-1 advantage, including beating the Tigers in the quarterfinals a year ago. The lone Broken Arrow victory in the postseason came in 2019 when the Tigers knocked off Union 35-31.
EXPERIENCE
Broken Arrow: The Tigers are headed to the semifinals for the 14th time in school history and similar to the other semifinalists, they’ve taken advantage of the 6A split. This will be their fourth semifinal appearance in the last eight seasons. Broken Arrow is 4-9 all time in semifinal appearances with their last win coming in 2018 before they captured the school’s first ever state championship. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they haven’t had much luck against Union in semifinal clashes. The Redhawks are undefeated against the Tigers in semifinal appearances.
Union: Just like rival Jenks, Union has played in plenty of semifinals in their history. Friday’s game will be the 29th time that Union has played in the semifinal round. They currently hold a 17-11 record in semifinal contests but the majority of those losses came to the rival Trojans. With the exception of last year as they lost to Edmond Santa Fe in the semifinal round. Since the split in Class 6A, Union has made every semifinal except for one and that was when Broken Arrow beat them in the 2019 quarterfinals. This will be their seventh appearance in the last eight seasons.