Class 5A Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's August and we are now less than a month away from the 2022 football season! After a month in July where we were previewing individual teams, we're taking a bigger picture look at the 2022 season. In this post, we take a look at Class 5A heading into the season. From our preseason rankings (which includes links to each team's preview) to the All 5A Team and much more, we'll get you ready for everything 5A heading into the season. Which games do you need to know about? What are some of the bigger storylines heading into the year? Get all of the answers right here with our in-depth 5A preview. And stay tuned throughout the week for more class previews. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong>Class 5A Preseason Rankings</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/carl-albert-team-preview-2/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/carl-albert-team-preview-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CARL ALBERT</a></strong><br><strong>2) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/bishop-mcguinness-team-preview-2/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/bishop-mcguinness-team-preview-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BISHOP McGUINNESS</a></strong><br><strong>3) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/mcalester-team-preview-2/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/mcalester-team-preview-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">McALESTER</a></strong><br><strong>4) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/guthrie-team-preview-2/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/guthrie-team-preview-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GUTHRIE</a></strong><br><strong>5) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/coweta-team-preview-2/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/coweta-team-preview-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">COWETA</a></strong><br><strong>6) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/grove-team-preview-2/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/grove-team-preview-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GROVE</a></strong><br><strong>7) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/del-city-team-preview-2/?conversions=no" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/del-city-team-preview-2/?conversions=no" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DEL CITY</a></strong><br><strong>8) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/ardmore-team-preview-2/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/ardmore-team-preview-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ARDMORE</a></strong><br><strong>9) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/noble-team-preview/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/noble-team-preview/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NOBLE</a></strong><br><strong>10) <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/collinsville-team-preview-2/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/collinsville-team-preview-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">COLLINSVILLE</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong>All 5A Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>OFFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB - [player_tooltip player_id='98174' first='Cal' last='Swanson'] - 2023 - Ardmore<br>RB - [player_tooltip player_id='57158' first='Emmanuel' last='Crawford'] - 2023 - Grove<br>RB - [player_tooltip player_id='268441' first='Isaiah' last='Hammons'] - 2023 - Guthrie<br>RB - [player_tooltip player_id='51871' first='Mike' last='Taffe'] - 2023 - Bishop McGuinness<br>WR - [player_tooltip player_id='38817' first='Brandon' last='Harper'] - 2023 - Noble<br>WR - [player_tooltip player_id='215200' first='Ladainian' last='Fields'] - 2024 - Southeast<br>OL - [player_tooltip player_id='54350' first='Brandt' last='Haag'] - 2023 - Bishop McGuinness<br>OL - [player_tooltip player_id='287378' first='Caden' last='Tahbonemah'] - 2023 - Lawton MacArthur<br>OL - [player_tooltip player_id='408754' first='Kayden' last='Blansett'] - 2023 - Ardmore<br>OL - [player_tooltip player_id='408755' first='Rayvon' last='Swindall'] - 2023 - Del City<br>OL - [player_tooltip player_id='215204' first='Tucker' last='Dry'] - 2024 - Durant</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>DEFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DL - [player_tooltip player_id='57157' first='Jaedon' last='Foreman'] - 2023 - Del City<br>DL - [player_tooltip player_id='154211' first='Malachi' last='Wrice'] - 2024 - McAlester<br>DL - [player_tooltip player_id='344123' first='XaDavien' last='Sims'] - 2024 - Durant<br>LB - [player_tooltip player_id='375218' first='Blake' last='Gilkey'] - 2023 - Collinsville<br>LB - [player_tooltip player_id='215197' first='Cannon' last='Wood'] - 2024 - Piedmont<br>LB - [player_tooltip player_id='307902' first='Landon' last='Davis-Barkus'] - 2023 - Shawnee<br>LB - [player_tooltip player_id='98180' first='Tango' last='McCauley'] - 2023 - Del City<br>LB - [player_tooltip player_id='101264' first='Zane' last='Shadid'] - 2023 - Bishop McGuinness<br>DB - [player_tooltip player_id='38778' first='Kanijal' last='Thomas'] - 2023 - Del City<br>DB - [player_tooltip player_id='57163' first='Mason' last='Ford'] - 2023 - Coweta<br>DB - [player_tooltip player_id='165365' first='Tashawn' last='James'] - 2023 - Carl Albert</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>KICKER/ATHLETES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>K - [player_tooltip player_id='408756' first='Stanley' last='Johnson'] - 2023 - Del City<br>ATH - [player_tooltip player_id='315543' first='Austin' last='Munson'] - 2023 - Bishop Kelley<br>ATH - [player_tooltip player_id='91049' first='Erik' last='McCarty'] - 2023 - McAlester<br>ATH - [player_tooltip player_id='360241' first='Sam' last='Rhoades V'] - 2024 - Bishop Kelley<br>ATH - [player_tooltip player_id='360239' first='Xavier' last='Robinson'] - 2024 - Carl Albert</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong>Mark Your Calendars</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>August 26th - Carl Albert AT Coweta</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top ranked Carl Albert is going to come out of the gates with a big test in week zero as they hit the road and come east to face off with Coweta. This is a big match-up for a couple reasons. One, these are two top five teams with Carl Albert at #1 and Coweta #2 and we could very well see this again in the playoffs, like we did last year. But two, Carl Albert doesn't travel to the east side very often but they'll test themselves against a very good Coweta team that will be hungry for another shot at the Titans after losing to them in the quarterfinals last year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>September 9th - Bishop Kelley AT Bishop McGuinness</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week two has become a big rivalry week in high school football and there are few rivalries that are bigger than the annual "Bishop Battle" between Tulsa's Bishop Kelley and Oklahoma City's Bishop McGuinness. The Irish will host the Comets this fall and the Irish have very high expectations coming into this season. Bishop Kelley has some serious talent returning but it's still young and unproven. These two have consistently played very close games, no matter what the rankings or records end up being. We expect another intense chapter to one of our favorite rivalries in Oklahoma. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>September 23rd - Ardmore AT Noble</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's only week four and the first week of district play but the stakes for playoff seeding don't get much more intense as Noble will play host to Ardmore. Coming into the season, Ardmore and Noble are the two favorites within this district. They'll have company like Lawton MacArthur and Midwest City but we expect these two teams to be at the top. We also expect this game to potentially turn into a shootout as both teams have two of the better quarterbacks in the state's 2023 class. We could see points as both teams look to air it out in this week four clash. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>October 7th - McAlester AT Coweta</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams have developed quite the rivalry over the last few years and that will continue this fall. Both teams come into the year as top five teams in Class 5A and they appear to be the favorites in this district. This is another district in 5A that is going to be incredibly competitive as Del City will certainly be looking to be crowned the district champ here. But the winner of this game will be in the driver's seat for the district crown. McAlester dominated Coweta from start to finish last season after the Tigers beat the Buffaloes in 2020. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>October 14th - Carl Albert AT Bishop McGuinness</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Similar to the "Bishop Battle" we don't need to say much about this rivalry as it's been one of the best in 5A football over the last six seasons. For those unfamiliar, Carl Albert rattled off five straight championships from 2016-2020 and four of those titles were at the expense of district foe Bishop McGuinness. Now as we head into the 2022 season, these two teams find themselves once again at the top of 5A with Carl Albert #1 and McGuinness #2. We'll see if they're still 1 and 2 in week seven but this is arguably the biggest game in 5A this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong>Notable Storylines</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>5A-2 Is The Toughest District</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are some tough districts every year and this year is no different but district two in Class 5A might be the toughest district in the state, regardless of class. And all you have to do is look at the preseason rankings in Class 5A to figure out why. This district has #1 Carl Albert, #2 Bishop McGuinness and #4 Guthrie all in the same district. Then throw in the fact you have teams like Piedmont and Shawnee, as well as Lawton Eisenhower and Southeast, who are both on the rise and have some talent returning. You have an absolute gauntlet of a district where week after week is going to be incredibly competitive. Only four teams can make it to the playoffs out of this district and when you have those top three teams that all look like locks for the postseason, that only leaves one spot for three to four teams. And what's crazy is you have three teams all within the top four of Class 5A and one of them is going to have to go on the road in the first round of the playoffs. This happens from time to time where one district is incredibly top heavy and that's the case in 5A-2. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Power Shift Out West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the better part of the last decade, Class 5A has been absolutely dominated by the west side of the state. You have the run from Carl Albert where they captured five consecutive state titles but they had company on that side of the state. Very rarely has an east side team been able to make it to the title game but that all changed last fall. Collinsville and McAlester were the top two teams in the class all season and they ended up meeting for the state championship in Edmond with the Cardinals winning their first ever gold ball. That was the first time in nearly two decades that two east side teams played one another for the state championship in Class 5A. Could that mean 5A is starting to balance out? We don't think so. Once again, the majority of the teams in the preseason top ten are west side teams, with three of the top four teams being from the west side of the state. Last year's runner up McAlester, their district foe Coweta and newcomer Grove could make some noise but it appears that the power in Class 5A is shifting back out west. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Strong Running Back Class</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 2A might also be in the conversation for this title but Class 5A might have the best group of running backs in the state. Take a look at some of the names that are in Class 5A and will be carrying the rock this fall. Four running backs made our preseason All State teams. McAlester's [player_tooltip player_id='91049' first='Erik' last='McCarty'], who was last year's Player Of The Year, Grove's [player_tooltip player_id='57158' first='Emmanuel' last='Crawford'], Bishop McGuinness' [player_tooltip player_id='51871' first='Mike' last='Taffe'] and Guthrie's [player_tooltip player_id='268441' first='Isaiah' last='Hammons']. All four have potential to be in the top ten among the state's top rushers this fall. Then you also have up and coming running backs like Carl Albert's [player_tooltip player_id='360239' first='Xavier' last='Robinson'] and Bishop Kelley's duo of [player_tooltip player_id='315543' first='Austin' last='Munson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='360241' first='Sam' last='Rhoades V']. There are some really good running backs in Class 5A this fall. And this isn't going to be just a ground and pound class. The quarterbacks and wide receivers are excellent as well. Overall, the offenses in 5A this fall are going to be among the best in the state. We expect to see quite a few shootouts in 5A football and games where the last team that scores ends up winning the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->