5A State – McAlester Players To Watch

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> The Class 5A state championship is set for 7PM on December 4th at UCO. For the first time since 2005, two east side teams will be playing for the Class 5A state championship. And that might not come as a surprise as it’s the top two teams from the start of the season as #1 McAlester faced off with #2 Collinsville. Prep Redzone Oklahoma will have the most in-depth championship preview and state title game content that you will find anywhere!. In this post, we take a look at the McAlester Buffaloes and their players to watch heading into the state championship game. <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38690" first="Chase" last="Faber"] - 2022 Linebacker</strong></span></p> Hanging on the wall in the offices of McAlester is the flag representing the "black death" from history. The elite defenses in McAlester history have had the "Black Death Defense" nickname and this year’s unit has earned that nickname. Led by senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="38690" first="Chase" last="Faber"], the McAlester defense has been one of the best in the state and they’ll be asked to step up one more time in the title game. Collinsville has one of the best rushing attacks in the state and Faber will play a huge role on Saturday with trying to stop them. Faber has been lights out for three seasons now and is one of the best linebackers in the state. <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Dakota Moton - 2023 Running Back</strong></span></p> Whenever you talk about McAlester and specifically their running game, most people just talk about [player_tooltip player_id="91049" first="Erik" last="McCarty"] but that’s not the full story. Fellow junior running back Dakota Moton has been a breakout player for the Buffaloes and has played a key part to McAlester’s offense this season. Because Moton has had a breakout year and the Buffaloes haven’t missed a step, McCarty hasn’t had as big of a workload this season. He’s still put up numbers, but just not as many carries because Moton has been able to put in work this season. McAlester’s offense hasn’t missed a step with Moton in the game. <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91049" first="Erik" last="McCarty"] - 2023 Running Back</strong></span></p> The junior running back [player_tooltip player_id="91049" first="Erik" last="McCarty"] is one of the best running backs in the state, regardless of class. He set the single season record for touchdowns at McAlester last year during his sophomore season and he’s already broken that record with his performance this year. McCarty does have Moton in the backfield with him so he’s been able to also be an impact player on the defensive side of the ball. However, when the Buffaloes need a big play, expect it to come from McCarty during the championship game. McCarty has been outstanding for two seasons now and we don’t expect that to change during the title game. <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Killian Barnes - 2022 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</strong></span></p> When we saw McAlester during the season, Killian Barnes was a pleasant surprise to the Buffalo offense and defense. Barnes has been a two-way star for the Buffaloes and has been just as valuable on both sides of the ball. Like Moton, Barnes has been a breakout star and unless you've seen the Buffaloes, you might not know about him coming into this title game and that would be a mistake. Barnes is one of McAlester's leading receivers and he also is near the top of the charts in interceptions on defense. McAlester is certainly a run-first team but when they throw, Barnes has been a weapon that has made plays. <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Trent Boatright - 2022 Quarterback</strong></span></p> And finally, the signal caller leading this McAlester offense has been senior QB Trent Boatright. The Buffaloes haven't just been a team that runs the ball every single time they come out. Boatright has thrown the ball around quite a bit this season and has over 20 touchdowns with just 3 interceptions on the season. Just like with Collinsville, the Buffaloes are a run-first team but when they need to throw the ball, they have a quarterback that can make plays with his arm. In addition to Barnes, Boatright has a few other weapons to get the ball to at the receiver position and Boatright will try to close out his career with a title. <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>OTHER NAMES TO KNOW</strong></span></p> <p class="p1"><strong>- [player_tooltip player_id="160657" first="Avion" last="Simon"] - 2022 Offensive Lineman</strong> <strong>- Lleyton Bass - 2022 Wide Receiver</strong> <strong>- [player_tooltip player_id="154211" first="Malachi" last="Wrice"] - 2024 Athlete</strong></p>