Bold Predictions
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At this time next week, it’ll be game week! We’re less than two weeks away from the 2022 season kicking off. Week zero will get us started next week and we’ll wrap up in December with state championships in Edmond. Over the last two months, we’ve been putting up in-depth preview content every single day. From team previews, to preseason rankings and all state teams to class by class previews. In this post, we make some more predictions and these might be a little bold. The title might have given it away but these are our bold predictions heading into the 2022 season. Some are somewhat bold, some are scorching hot takes. Will any be correct? We’ll have to wait and see.
Carl Albert Begins Another Dynasty
So our first bold prediction might be the hottest take as we believe that the Titans are about to begin another dynasty, or continue one. Whichever way you define dynasties. Carl Albert is our preseason #1 team in Class 5A and we think that they’re the favorites to win the 5A title this year. But with such a young and talented team, we think that they’re set up to win championships this year and in the next two years as well. We said it was bold. We’re predicting at least a three-peat for the Titans and it will begin this year. And again, it depends on how you define dynasties because you can make the argument that they’re just continuing one. They won five straight titles from 2016-2020 with a semifinal loss last year ending their run. If they win another gold ball this fall, it will be six in seven years. And if they do indeed win three in a row, you can make that eight in a nine year stretch. The Titans not only have the ability to capture the gold ball this year, but with so many young and talented players that got playing time last year, we think that Carl Albert is set up for another big run over the next few seasons.
Dax Collins Dax Collins 6'2" | 180 lbs | ATH Poteau | 2024 State OK Is This Year’s Erik McCarty Erik McCarty 6'2" | 175 lbs | DB McAlester | 2023 State OK
Our next bold prediction is one that we’ve brought up a couple times this offseason. And it revolves around last year’s Prep Redzone Player Of The Year with McAlester senior Erik McCarty Erik McCarty 6'2" | 175 lbs | DB McAlester | 2023 State OK . The McAlester standout had a stellar sophomore campaign and then took his game to a new level during his junior year in 2021. He led McAlester all the way to the state championship game and was named the Player Of The Year behind an outstanding year on both sides of the ball. We think that this year’s version of Erik McCarty Erik McCarty 6'2" | 175 lbs | DB McAlester | 2023 State OK will be Poteau 2024 standout Dax Collins Dax Collins 6'2" | 180 lbs | ATH Poteau | 2024 State OK . We got a little look at what Collins can be as a playmaker on both sides of the ball last year as he became a breakout star for the Pirates as a sophomore. However, he wasn’t alone in the Poteau backfield. But now that he’ll be the main playmaker on offense, we expect him to put up some monster numbers this year and he’ll also be a big factor on defense, like McCarty was for the Buffaloes. Collins does have the ability to put the team on his back and it wouldn’t surprise us if he ends up being a finalist for the award that McCarty won last year and it also wouldn’t surprise us if Collins leads the Pirates to Edmond in December.
Edmond Memorial Makes The Playoffs
This final prediction might be the coldest of the three predictions as six teams in each district will now be making the playoffs in 6A-1. But we’ve made no secret about how Edmond Memorial is a team on the rise and we think that this is the year that they finally get some big wins. The Bulldogs won four games in the last four seasons combined. But we think that Edmond Memorial could match that win total in this season alone. The Bulldogs have some strong talent returning in their senior class and the younger classes have plenty of talent as well, making the Bulldogs a team to watch not only this year but in the next few seasons as well. The journey to punching their ticket to the playoffs is somewhat easier now with six teams in each district making it. But even if that rule was not put in place for this season, we think the Bulldogs would be threatening for a spot. There’s no doubt that six teams makes it easier but this is still going to be a fun team to watch. This program has struggled over the last five seasons but we think they’re about to turn it around in a big way.