Carl Albert Team Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! It’s the month of July and that means it’s preview time! Throughout the month of July, we are publishing 100 team previews to get you ready for the 2022 season. This is something that began last year and has become even bigger and better this year. We’re looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state. From defending champs, to top contenders and dark horses, we’ll have complete coverage every single day with new teams from Class 6A down to A. In this post, we take a look at the Carl Albert Titans. A perennial power in Oklahoma, they’re reloaded and ready to take back the Class 5A crown. Carl Albert Titans (5A Preseason Ranking: #1) After five consecutive state championships, graduation hit the Titans hard going into last season and before you knew it, the Titans were 0-2 to start the season, a position they hadn’t been involved with in quite a while. But Carl Albert would not only turn things around, they would do it in Carl Albert-style by winning their next ten games and capturing another district championship. They would fall to eventual state champion Collinsville in the semifinals. And only at Carl Albert does a district championship and a semifinal loss feel like a "step back". But that’s part of building a successful program like what Carl Albert has. Fast forward to today, and second-year head coach Mike Dunn is ready to not only lead the Titans to a district championship, he has much higher expectations for his alma mater this season. And as we head into the 2022 season, the Titans are back on top and the expectations for a state championship are just as high. They come into this season as the #1 team in our 5A preseason rankings and once again have a big target on their back. Something that they’re certainly used to. With seven starters returning on offense and another six starters back on defense, the Titans have one of the more talented teams in the state, especially in the skill position department. The Titans might have taken a "step back" last year but all eyes will be on Carl Albert this fall and we expect them to be right back in contention for a state championship. <hr /> 2021 Results (10-3 Record - Lost In Class 5A Semifinals) Sept. 3 - Lost To Midwest City 14-9 Sept. 10 - Lost To Del City 52-20 Sept. 17 - Beat Shawnee 36-14 Sept. 24 - Beat Guymon 42-6 Oct. 1 - Beat Guthrie 22-19 Oct. 8 - Beat Bishop McGuinness 35-34 Oct. 14 - Beat Piedmont 28-10 Oct. 22 - Beat Western Heights (Forfeit) Oct. 29 - Beat Woodward 51-13 Nov. 5 - Beat Lawton Eisenhower 21-14 1st Round - Beat El Reno 42-7 Quarterfinal - Beat Coweta 14-7 Semifinal - Lost To Collinsville 27-20 <hr /> Key Losses To Graduation Buddy Bizzell - Running Back/Linebacker Charles Fleming - Offensive Lineman Xzavier Thomas - Defensive Back <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="353412" first="Billy" last="McDown"] - 2025 Athlete The first of several young prospects that have the Carl Albert coaches fired up coming into this season is 2025 athlete [player_tooltip player_id="353412" first="Billy" last="McDown"]. The young standout is arguably the most versatile prospect on Carl Albert’s roster and the coaches believe not only could he play several different positions for them this fall, but he could have a major impact at every position he lines up at on the field. McDown is definitely a 2025 prospect to keep an eye on this fall as his sophomore season might be his breakout season. He’s already considered one of the top overall prospects in the class and his talent should be on display throughout the season. [player_tooltip player_id="150088" first="Reed" last="Dequasie"] - 2023 Quarterback 2023 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="150088" first="Reed" last="Dequasie"] has a year under his belt as QB1 of the Titans and now he can just focus on football. As a junior, Dequasie was stepping into a position where he had to replace one of the more successful quarterbacks in state history in Ben Harris. Not exactly the easiest position to move into. Dequasie did help lead the Titans all the way to the 5A semifinals and another district championship. We expect him to definitely be more relaxed as he goes into his senior season and with so much talent around him, he’s going to be able to put up some numbers and help lead the Titans back into the playoffs and gunning for another gold ball. [player_tooltip player_id="294261" first="Trynae" last="Washington"] - 2025 Tight End Another 2025 prospect that the Titan coaches are fired up about is tight end [player_tooltip player_id="294261" first="Trynae" last="Washington"], better known as Trey. Washington is a big tight end and receiver type that will give the Titans a reliable receiver in the passing game this season. He had an excellent freshman season and was one of Carl Albert’s top receivers. Expectations continue to go up for Washington as the Carl Albert coaches believe not only is he one of the best in this class but he’s going to be a special weapon for them over the next few seasons. Washington could end up being Carl Albert’s leading receiver this fall and it wouldn’t surprise us. [player_tooltip player_id="360239" first="Xavier" last="Robinson"] - 2024 Running Back The Titans lose powerhouse running back Buddy Bizzell but they replace him with yet another powerhouse back as the Titans are currently on a very impressive streak of running backs over the last six years. 2024 running back [player_tooltip player_id="360239" first="Xavier" last="Robinson"] is ready to become the guy within the Carl Albert offense and he’s an absolute tank. Just like Bizzell, Robinson has also spent some time at linebacker and he brings that physical play to the offensive side of the ball. Like many of Carl Albert’s young and talented prospects, Robinson has already gotten attention from colleges and a big junior year will help him in that department. More Names To Know [player_tooltip player_id="353419" first="Caden" last="Davis"] - 2025 Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id="287381" first="Caleb" last="Cornell"] - 2023 Tight End Tanner Norman - 2024 Offensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id="165365" first="Tashawn" last="James"] - 2023 Defensive Back <hr /> 2022 Schedule/Games To Circle Aug. 26 - AT Coweta - What a great way to kick off the 2022 season with a top five match-up in Class 5A as the top ranked Titans will travel east to face off with #5 Coweta. Carl Albert historically hasn’t faced east side competition in non-district play very often so this will be a rare trip to the Tulsa-area. And throw in the fact that both of these teams are in the top five of our preseason rankings AND Carl Albert knocked off Coweta in the playoffs in last year’s quarterfinal round and you have all the hype you need going into this week zero clash. Both teams expect to contend for a state championship this fall and they get their season started going head to head. Sept. 2 - Midwest City Sept. 9 - Muskogee Sept. 16 - Elk City Sept. 22 - AT Lawton Eisenhower Sept. 30 - Shawnee Oct. 6 - AT Southeast Oct. 14 - AT Bishop McGuinness - This has become one of the absolute best rivalries in Oklahoma high school football over the last decade. Not only are Bishop McGuinness and Carl Albert district foes, but they’ve made it a regular thing to see each other again in the state championship game. Four of Carl Albert’s five straight titles from 2016-2020 came at the expense of Bishop McGuinness. These two teams played a fantastic game in the regular season last year and this begins a two-week stretch for Carl Albert that will more than likely decide who the district champion is going to be and who might have to go on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Oct. 21 - Guthrie - We mentioned that Carl Albert-McGuinness rivalry. Before that rivalry took off, there was Carl Albert and Guthrie. And Guthrie is back to contending regularly in Class 5A after a few years of finishing lower in the district. The Titans will return home after facing McGuinness and Guthrie will come to town in week nine. If the Titans are able to go 2-0 during this stretch, they’ll have a great shot at capturing the district championship, setting themselves up for a run in the playoffs. Just like with the McGuinness game, this Guthrie game a year ago was one of the best in the regular season in Class 5A and the Titans came out on top. Nov. 4 - AT Piedmont <hr /> Notable We mentioned how losing in the semifinals after winning five straight state championships is a "step back" for a program like Carl Albert but there was also some history involved. Prior to the semifinal loss to eventual champion Collinsville, the Titans had one of the more unique records in Oklahoma. They were a perfect 17-0 in semifinal appearances before falling to Collinsville last year. Every time the Titans made the final four, they punched their ticket to the championship game. That crazy stat came to an end last fall. But here’s another that’s still in play. Carl Albert hasn’t had a graduating class that has failed to win a state championship in their four years of high school since the late 80’s. Let that one sink in. Sooner or later, the Titans are going to win another gold ball. History says so. <hr /> Championship History 16 State Championships 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