Week Three 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 three features several great match-ups across the state. There are quite a few ranked teams that are off this week as they prepare for district play opening up in week four. But that doesn’t mean we still don’t have some good games and really strong players across the state in action on Friday. Be sure to check back every Thursday for the Players To Watch feature and then again every Sunday for our Top Performers!
4A’s #1 Cushing has gotten out to a 2-0 start with impressive wins over Bristow and Perkins-Tryon. They’ll face another solid 3A club as they host Berryhill on Friday night and it’ll be a clash of styles as Berryhill’s rushing attack and stout defense face Cushing’s high-powered passing attack, led by senior quarterback Blaze Berlowitz Blaze Berlowitz 6’3″ | 195 lbs | QB Cushing | 2023 State OK . Despite a few years of strong production, Berlowitz is still flying under the radar in the 2023 class as a quarterback prospect. So far this season, Berlowitz’s numbers are once again impressive and he (along with another Cushing standout) should definitely get a little more attention moving forward. Last week in the win over Perkins-Tryon, Berlowitz threw for over 350 yards and also added 50 yards on the ground. Berlowitz has been one of the top passers in Class 4A for the last few seasons and he’s on pace to do it once again this year. There’s a reason why they’re currently sitting in the top spot in Class 4A as this offense has the chance to be one of the best in the state, regardless of class. They face their toughest test so far against Berryhill on Friday.
We go from one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the 2023 class to one of the more underrated running backs with Chandler senior Casmen Hill Casmen Hill 5’11” | 175 lbs | RB Chandler | 2023 State OK . Like Berlowitz, Hill has produced at an extremely high level over the last several seasons and he’s off to a great start this fall as he has helped the Lions crack the top ten rankings in Class 2A. Hill had a spectacular game in their season opening win over Stroud, where he ran for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries. The Lions also have some momentum going after knocking off Bristow in overtime last week. They’ll need that momentum this week as they play host to Poteau, a top five team in Class 4A. This is a great running back match-up as Hill and the Lions will go up against 2024 running back Dax Collins Dax Collins 6’2″ | 180 lbs | ATH Poteau | 2024 State OK from Poteau. When it comes to Hill’s recruitment, he’s another head-scratcher in the state’s 2023 class. He has years of proof that he can play at the next level with his production. But Friday’s clash with Poteau will give Hill and the Lions a big stage to perform.
Grove has picked up right where they left off last year as they’re once again one of the more dominant teams early on in the season. And once again, one of the standouts on the offensive side of the ball has been senior running back Emmanuel Crawford Emmanuel Crawford 5’10” | 170 lbs | RB Grove | 2023 State OK . Last year, Crawford was one of the top running backs in the state and he’s back for more this season. What’s really impressive about what Crawford is doing so far this year is his production in the pass game. He actually doesn’t have as many carries as he did early on in the season last year but his receiving stats have gone up dramatically. But we believe that Crawford will get a healthy amount of carries on Friday as they play host to Wagoner. If you’re reading this, you probably already know the Grove-Wagoner story from last year. This game was a district game but with Grove moving up to Class 5A, this is now the final tuneup before both teams enter district play. And with the way the game ended last year, both teams have had this game circled on the calendar for a very long time.
Defending 5A champion Collinsville has had no problems so far this season as they’re off to a 2-0 start with dominating wins over Oologah and Skiatook. They hit the road this week to face Bartlesville. The biggest question surrounding the Cardinals would be how they replace their big three of Andrew Carney, Brayden Gilkey and Oscar Hammond. So far after two games they haven’t had many problems. Emerging as a potential star in 5A football has been senior quarterback Kaden Rush Kaden Rush 6’3″ | 200 lbs | QB Collinsville | 2023 State OK . The senior filled in for Carney last year when he missed time in the middle of the regular season but this is his first shot at being QB1 for the Cardinals and he’s making the most of it. In his first two games, Rush has thrown for over 500 yards and eight touchdowns while completing nearly 80 percent of his passes. He’s also taking care of the ball with no interceptions. Rush is definitely a name to watch this fall and if torches Bartlesville on Friday, the rest of Class 5A should be worried about the defending champs making another possible run to Edmond.
Highlights
Pawhuska is looking to bounce back after a tough loss to rival Hominy in week two. The schedule doesn’t get much easier as they face another strong Class A team with a dual-threat quarterback in Woodland. The Huskies will still benefit from having the best quarterback in the match-up with senior QB Todd Drummond Todd Drummond 6’4″ | 200 lbs | QB Pawhuska | 2023 State OK . Despite the loss to Hominy, Drummond is off to a great start on his senior season, despite the Huskies having to replace some of Drummond’s top receivers from a year ago. Last week against the Bucks, Drummond opened up the offense and would end up throwing the ball over 50 times. Hominy did a good job limiting Pawhuska’s offense early on but eventually, the Huskies were able to put up some points. Mainly known for his passing numbers, Drummond can also run the ball as well. He leads the team in rushing touchdowns so far this season and had an excellent dual-threat performance in a week one win over Cashion. He would throw for over 250 yards and run for over 150 yards as well.