Week Five Players To Watch
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Every single Thursday on Prep Redzone Oklahoma, we’ll take a look at five players that you need to know about heading into the week of games. Week four features several marquee match-ups, especially in Class 5A this week. In this post, we have a mix of two-way stars, emerging defensive standouts and breakout players! Be sure to check back every Thursday for the Players To Watch feature and then again every Sunday for our Top Performers!
After missing the Tuttle game in week three, it is expected that Guthrie star running back Isaiah Hammons Isaiah Hammons 5’8″ | RB Guthrie | 2023 OK will be back as the Blue Jays open up district play on Thursday night on the road in Piedmont. Guthrie had a bye week in week four and will travel to Piedmont Thursday night in a match-up featuring two top ten teams. We talked with Guthrie head coach Kelly Beeby prior to the Tuttle game and he mentioned that if it was a district game, Hammons would have probably been in the lineup. Fast forward two weeks, and we have no reason to think he won’t suit up against Piedmont. With Hammons back in the lineup, the Blue Jays have one of the best rushing attacks in the state. He’s been one of the best backs in Class 5A for over a year now. We’ve mentioned how tough this district is and the Blue Jays can’t afford to slip up in any district games.
In the biggest game of the week, it’s #3 Del City hosting #6 McAlester in a 5A district clash. We wrote earlier this week that it’s the biggest two weeks of the season for McAlester as they face the Eagles and then #1 Coweta on the road next week. Del City has been absolutely dominant so far this season but Friday’s clash against McAlester will test the Eagles. One of their top players over the last three years has been senior defensive back Kanijal Thomas Kanijal Thomas 6’1″ | DB Del City | 2023 State OK , who is committed to Kansas State. But in addition to being a lockdown corner, Thomas has emerged as arguably the top playmaker within the Del City offense. The Eagles were a run-heavy offense last year but this year they’ve become more balanced and Thomas has become the leading wide receiver. Thomas and the Eagles are hungry to truly contend for the Class 5A state championship this season.
One of the more underrated games in the state this week comes in Class 2A as Victory Christian travels to Beggs in a battle of 2-2 teams. These two teams are 2-2 but have played tough non-district schedules. Beggs bounced back from back to back losses with a dominating win last week. One of the biggest match-ups in this game will be the Beggs rushing attack going up against the Victory Christian front seven. Leading that Victory unit is junior linebacker Teyton Chandler Teyton Chandler 6’1″ | 200 lbs | LB Victory Christian | 2024 State OK , who is a linebacker on the rise within the 2024 class. Chandler is incredibly experienced and leads a Victory defense that will need to be playing at their best to slow down Beggs 2024 running back Red Martel Red Martel 5’11” | 195 lbs | RB Beggs | 2024 State OK . Like Chandler, Martel is one of the best at his position within the 2024 class. This game had massive playoff implications last year and will once again this fall.
Highlights
There might not be another player in Oklahoma that could be considered a bigger breakout star than Muldrow senior Trenden Collins Trenden Collins 6’2″ | ATH Muldrow | 2023 State OK . Over the last two years, we’ve liked Collins as a defensive back and he also played some wide receiver. This year, he’s moved to running back and has become the top rusher in the state. Collins has already run for more than 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. Before last week’s win over Checotah, Collins had at least three touchdowns on the ground in the previous four games. And he’s also making an impact on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive back. Collins has been one of our weekly top performers multiple times this year and we cannot wait to see what he does this week. The Bulldogs have climbed into the top ten rankings but face arguably their toughest test of the year when they host Berryhill.
Lawton is off to a 4-0 start and will hit the road to face off with Ponca City on Friday night. The Wolverines are determined to not only make it back to the playoffs but make another deep run in the postseason. Leading the way on the offensive side of the ball is the duo of quarterback Devarius Hardy Devarius Hardy 6’3″ | 180 lbs | QB Lawton | 2023 State OK and athlete Tyron Amacker Tyron Amacker 6’0″ | 170 lbs | ATH Lawton | 2023 State OK . For Amacker, he’s emerged as a legitimate two-way star and the best weapon on the Lawton offense. Last week, he had a dominating performance in their win over Putnam City. Whether he was impacting the game as a receiver or carrying the ball, he put up some big numbers. The Wolverines will look to remain undefeated against Ponca City and not get caught looking ahead to the biggest games of the year. In week seven and eight, they play Choctaw and Deer Creek and those two games will tell us a lot about the Wolverines as a contender.