Choctaw Standouts From Friday

<!-- 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>On Friday night, #2 Choctaw hosted #4 Deer Creek in a 6A-2 battle that will more than likely decide the district championship. The Yellowjackets came away with a 28-16 victory. It was a flag fest on the field as both teams were penalized heavily throughout. But Choctaw came away with the win and were rather dominant from start to finish. The offense had a perfect blend of running and throwing the ball. And the defense gave Deer Creek's young quarterback some real problems. The pass rush was able to get to him and force incompletions or lost yards. With the win, it's hard to see Choctaw not coming away with the district championship. They'll be big favorites the rest of the way. But the ultimate goal is a state championship. And if Choctaw plays like they played on Friday night, minus the penalties, they'll have a real shot to capture the gold ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Below, we take a look at the five top performers from Choctaw's win at home on Friday night. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6341c2d29447c","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["98176"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"We've been saying this for about 12 months now and we'll continue to say it moving forward. Choctaw senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='98176' first='La'Trell' last='Ray'] is one of the more underrated running backs in the state of Oklahoma. We thought he was primed for a breakout season last fall, he had that. He's been outstanding this season for the Yellowjackets. And even though he's not as big as some of the other running backs in this class, he showed on Friday night that size is not everything. Going up against a very physical Deer Creek defense, Ray touched the ball 35 times on offense with 33 carries and 2 receptions. Deer Creek could not contain Ray in the running game as he finished with 175 yards and two touchdowns. He broke a couple big runs but the majority of them were short bursts where he lowered the shoulder, absorbed the contact and he kept coming back for more. We've been fans of Ray's game for a while now and college coaches need to start taking a closer look at the dynamic back from Choctaw moving forward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a5837504051"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6341c2ea9447d","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["471254"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Before the game, we talked with Choctaw head coach Jake Corbin specifically about the Deer Creek secondary and how you attack some of the talented players they have. He mentioned how Deer Creek keeps everything in front of them and makes you throw short. That's exactly what Choctaw decided to do and sophomore wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='471254' first='Nathan' last='Keiffer'] benefitted the most from it. He finished the game with seven catches for 53 yards. And we're not 100 percent sure on this, but we believe all seven catches came on bubble screens. Some of them might have actually been backwards passes and therefore runs, but we're saying he had seven receptions for 53 yards. Keiffer was the most consistent receiver in the Choctaw offense and that's really because the Yellowjackets decided to feed him early and often. Choctaw knew that Deer Creek was going to keep everything in front of them. So Choctaw took advantage and we saw a sophomore have a fantastic game on Friday night attacking a talented Antler secondary.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a5837504095"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6341c2fe9447e","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["51854"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"In that same conversation with Coach Corbin before the game, we asked him what we were missing about his senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='51854' first='RJ' last='Jackson']. We've felt like Jackson is a top prospect in the state's 2023 class since he was a sophomore. For whatever reason, it just hasn't taken off the way it probably should when you consider the combination of size, speed and overall athleticism that Jackson has. First, he was a standout tight end and had an excellent sophomore season. Corbin said that he's hoping that with Jackson moving to defensive end, that provides a spark to his recruitment as coaches see him cause problems for opposing offenses. That's exactly what he did on Friday night as he led a Choctaw pass rush that dominated the line of scrimmage and made things very difficult for the Deer Creek offense. Jackson also had a great sequence where he came up with a big sack and then followed that up on the next play by coming up with an interception off a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a58375040cc"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6341c3119447f","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["38780"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Choctaw senior quarterback has been the top quarterback prospect in the state's 2023 class since he first took over as a starter during his sophomore season. Nothing has changed since then, Wasel has only gotten better. This season, the biggest thing that stands out about the Akron commit is his efficiency and how well he takes care of the ball. On the night, Wasel threw for just over 200 yards on 16-20 passing. The majority of his passes were the short bubble screens and within five to ten yards of the line of scrimmage, but he also showcased the arm on a number of occasions and made some pretty spectacular throws, especially in the first half. We've watched Wasel for the last three years turn himself into one of the more efficient QB's in Oklahoma and he has a complete understanding of the Choctaw offense. He's also a threat on the ground and showed that on Friday night. He ran for just over 70 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries throughout the night. Wasel is determined to lead Choctaw to a gold ball.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a5837504100"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6341c32594480","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["291011"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"We've written this a couple times this year already, but after watching Choctaw junior [player_tooltip player_id='291011' first='Will' last='Smith'] play basketball earlier this year, we became sold that he was a high-level football prospect. We've been looking forward to seeing Smith play on the gridiron ever since and got a chance to see glimpses back in the spring, but Friday was the first shot at the real deal. And first off, Smith passes the eye test when you look at his combination of size and raw athleticism that is just off the charts. Then you take a look at what he was able to do as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 look and that was a big part of the Choctaw defense just absolutely causing chaos for the Deer Creek passing game and the running game didn't do much better. In addition to dealing with a dynamic pass rusher like [player_tooltip player_id='51854' first='RJ' last='Jackson'] on one side, you also had Smith coming off the edge on the other and he always had bad intentions. That duo of pass rushers gives Choctaw one of the better units in 6A-2 football. They'll be a massive problem for other quarterbacks this fall.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a583750413b"} /-->