Week Eight Top Performers
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Week eight is in the books and the district races are in full swing as the playoffs are right around the corner. Every Sunday, we take a look at the top individual performances from across the state. This week, we have quite a few performances that warranted the spotlight. Be sure to check back with Prep Redzone Oklahoma every Sunday for a new batch of top performers! To submit your pick for top performers each week, be sure to tweet at us @PrepRedzoneOK following the games or email Michael@PrepRedzone.com with your pick and that player’s stat line!
STATS: 36 Carries | 350 Yards | 4 Touchdowns | 8-11 | 111 Yards | 1 Touchdown rnIt’s been a rocky season for Pocola as they’ve battled injuries but it appears that they are getting right with the playoffs right around the corner. While he’s played this season, sophomore star AJ Lyons-Jerrell AJ Lyons-Jerrell 6’0″ | 195 lbs | RB Pocola | 2025 State OK has been limited in his impact on the game. In his first game where he’s been as close to 100 percent as you can be in week eight, Jerrell went absolutely off. He ran for 350 yards and four touchdowns in a workhorse performance. He also threw for over 100 yards and a touchdown. With Jerrell leading the way, Pocola will be a dark horse to keep an eye on in the Class A playoffs.
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STATS: 11-12 | 300 Yards | 5 Touchdowns | 11 Carries | 60 Yards | 2 Touchdowns rnLuther found themselves in arguably the top shootout of week eight as they knocked off Meeker 81-62. And because of the big night on offense, a few players ended up shining bright. One of those players was quarterback Brody Becker Brody Becker 6’1″ | 170 lbs | QB Luther | 2025 OK , who had a near perfect night throwing the ball. He finished with 300 yards and five touchdowns while completing 11 of his 12 passes. He didn’t just carve Meeker up through the air either. He finished with 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. The Lions are starting to roll with two massive district games taking place in the next two weeks.
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STATS: 16-20 | 255 Yards | 2 Touchdowns | 3 Rushing Touchdowns | 1 Fumble Return Touchdown rnAfter being shut out by Verdigris a week ago, we mentioned how Cascia Hall senior quarterback Cooper Lai Cooper Lai 6’1″ | 180 lbs | DB Cascia Hall | 2023 State OK would be hungry to make a statement in week eight against Bristow. Lai was listed as a player to watch heading into their game on Friday and he lived up to the pregame hype. Lai would throw for over 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 80 percent of his passes. Lai showcased how good of an athlete he is as well with three more touchdowns on the ground and then he returned a fumble for a touchdown as the Commandos bounced back in a big way.
STATS: 6 Catches | 152 Yards | 2 Touchdowns rnSpeaking of Verdigris, the Cardinals continued to roll as they dominated Jay on Friday night following that shutout win over Cascia Hall. After the defense shined in week seven with that shutout, it was all about the offense in week eight as they put up 56 points. Leading the way on the offensive side of the ball was senior wide receiver Dalton Person Dalton Person 5’10” | 150 lbs | WR Verdigris | 2023 State OK , who finished with 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns on six catches. We’ve had the opinion for a while now that Person is one of the more underrated wide receivers in the state. The kid catches everything and he showed that again in week eight.
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STATS: 12 Carries | 301 Yards | 4 Touchdowns rnVian continued to roll with another blowout victory on Thursday night. Leading the way once again was senior running back DeSean Mays DeSean Mays 6’0″ | 160 lbs | RB Vian | 2023 State OK . The senior standout finished with just over 300 yards and four touchdowns and he only had 12 carries on the night. He should feel fresh for the final two games of the regular season and beyond. Vian has completely bounced back from a brutal non-district schedule, featuring two teams ranked #1. The Wolverines now turn their attention to a massive week nine game as they host undefeated Prague in a game that will decide the district champion.
STATS: 24 Carries | 338 Yards | 4 Touchdowns | 3 Catches | 21 Yards rnOne of the best games of week eight ended up being a rout as Grove remained undefeated with a road win over the defending state champion Collinsville Cardinals. And leading the way was senior running back Emmanuel Crawford Emmanuel Crawford 5’10” | 170 lbs | RB Grove | 2023 State OK , who finished with well over 300 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. Crawford is no stranger to performances like Friday night, but what’s been impressive about Crawford and Grove this season is that he hasn’t had to be Superman for the Ridgerunners. And that’s bad news for the rest of Class 5A because he’s probably as fresh as you can be with the playoffs around the corner.
STATS: 13 Carries | 217 Yards | 5 Touchdowns | 1 Receiving Touchdown | 6 Tackles | 1 Sack rnBerryhill absolutely lit up the scoreboard with a dominating win over Checotah on Friday night. Leading the way once again was their senior Ethan Stites Ethan Stites 6’2″ | 225 lbs | LB Berryhill | 2023 State OK , who is enjoying a breakout season as a running back and linebacker. Stites finished with over 200 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, as well as a receiving touchdown on offense. He also had six tackles and a sack on defense. As a prospect, we think that Stites is going to be an outstanding linebacker at the next level. But he’s shown quite a bit this season that he can impact the game as a very physical running back.
STATS: 14 Carries | 308 Yards | 5 Touchdowns rnIf you haven’t been paying attention to Class A football this season, you’re missing out because there are some fantastic teams and athletes that are performing at high levels every week. And one of the top players, playing for the top-ranked team is Gore senior Gunner Dozier Gunner Dozier 6’2″ | 195 lbs | RB Gore | 2023 State OK . He had a very quick night as the Pirates remained undefeated on the season. Dozier had just over 300 yards and five touchdowns on the night. He’s getting close to 30 rushing touchdowns on the season and should reach that by the end of the regular season. And at the rate he’s been going, he might get it in the next game.
STATS: 21-25 | 373 Yards | 3 Touchdowns | 41 Rushing Yards rnWe stay in Class A with our next top performer in Quapaw senior quarterback Jackson Deringer Jackson Deringer 6’2″ | 185 lbs | QB Quapaw | 2023 State OK . The Quapaw quarterback had an outstanding night on Friday with a shutout win over Ketchum. But taking a look at the numbers, Deringer has been absolutely lights out over the last three weeks. In week eight, Deringer finished with a season-high 373 yards and four touchdowns while completing 21 of 25 passes. He also had 41 yards on the ground. This was the third straight week where Deringer threw for over 300 yards and he’s had 12 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions in the last three weeks.
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STATS: 10 Tackles | 1 Sack | 1 Interception Return Touchdown | 1 Fumble Return Touchdown rnIt’s not too often that a top performer is a player who only stood out on the defensive side of the ball but that’s where we are with Tuttle senior linebacker Jake Tucker Jake Tucker 6’1″ | 210 lbs | LB Tuttle | 2023 State OK . We had several people reach out about Tucker’s performance on the defensive side of the ball and he shined as they knocked off Tecumseh in week eight. Tucker had ten tackles and one sack on the night. But despite being on defense, Tucker found his way into the end zone several times on the night. He had an interception and a fumble recovery that he took back for touchdowns as the Tigers look to finish the season strong.
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STATS: 29-35 | 390 Yards | 3 Touchdowns | 8 Carries | 23 Yards | 2 Touchdowns rnYet another standout from Class A is Fairview quarterback Jax Bernard Jax Bernard 5’11” | 170 lbs | QB Fairview | 2025 State OK . We told you, there are some absolute studs playing Class A ball this season and Bernard is one of them as he kept Fairview among the state’s best teams with an undefeated record. Bernard threw for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns. He would complete 29 of his 35 passes and he wasn’t finished there. He also added a pair of rushing touchdowns as the Yellowjackets remain in the mix in Class A among the unbeaten teams. Like Gore, Fairview has blown out just about everybody on their schedule so far.
STATS: 9-13 | 243 Yards | 4 Touchdowns | 7 Carries | 99 Yards | 1 Touchdown rnThere’s no doubt that one of the breakout stars from this season has been Norman North senior quarterback Kamden Sixkiller Kamden Sixkiller 6’4″ | QB Norman North | 2023 State OK . He waited for his time behind Gavin Frakes and he’s making the most of it. Norman North dominated Moore on Friday night and Sixkiller once again had a big night throwing and running the ball in the win. Sixkiller finished with nearly 250 yards and four touchdowns passing while only completing nine passes. He also added nearly 100 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Norman North and Sixkiller have some serious momentum right now with the playoffs around the corner.
STATS: 25 Tackles | 3 TFL’s | 106 Yards | 1 Touchdown rnIt has been a tough year on the field for Shawnee as they are still winless and go into the final two weeks of the regular season looking to finish strong. But in a loss to Piedmont on Friday night, Shawnee senior linebacker Landon Davis-Barkus Landon Davis-Barkus 6’2″ | 210 lbs | LB Shawnee | 2023 State OK had a career night. After playing the week before at safety, Barkus came down to play linebacker to help slow down the Piedmont rushing attack. He finished with 25 tackles on the night as he was flying all over the field. And on offense, Barkus accounted for over 100 yards and Shawnee’s lone touchdown on the night.
STATS: 145 Rushing Yards | 104 Receiving Yards | 4 Total Touchdowns rnIt’s clear that Millwood has been on a mission this season after having a rare year where they didn’t make it to the playoffs. And in arguably the biggest game of the district schedule, the Falcons went on the road and took down Oklahoma Christian School in Edmond. And leading the way for the Falcons was senior standout Rickey Hunt Jr Rickey Hunt Jr 6’0″ | 175 lbs | RB Millwood | 2023 State OK . He finished with nearly 150 yards on the ground and also had over 100 receiving yards. On the night, Hunt finished with four touchdowns as the Falcons all but locked up the district crown. And they aren’t going to be settling just for the district championship.
STATS: 16-34 | 190 Yards | 35 Carries | 243 Yards | 7 Touchdowns rnOut in western Oklahoma, there is a star in the making with Hennessey freshman quarterback Titan Hix Titan Hix 6’3″ | 210 lbs | QB Locust Grove | 2026 State OK . We’ve written quite a bit this season about Hix already but he continues to put in top performance that warrants the spotlight. Hix had yet another night to remember in week eight as he was a dual-threat nightmare for their opponent. He finished with nearly 200 yards passing and nearly 250 yards on the ground with seven rushing touchdowns. He also had 35 carries on the night as he put in a workhorse performance running the ball. And in addition to that he also had 36 passes on the night.
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STATS: 28 Carries | 239 Yards | 3 Touchdowns rnIt should be no surprise at this point as Muldrow running back Trenden Collins Trenden Collins 6’2″ | ATH Muldrow | 2023 State OK is listed as a top performer after yet another marquee performance. In their win, pushing the record to 8-1 on the season, Collins ran for well over 200 yards once again and three touchdowns. This sets up a week nine showdown with top-ranked Lincoln Christian. And it will also be the final regular season game for the Bulldogs as they have a bye week in week ten to get ready for the playoffs. Collins is also just 31 yards away from reaching 2,000 rushing yards on the season. He’ll look to do it against the top-ranked Bulldogs.
STATS: 11-18 | 297 Yards | 5 Touchdowns rnMustang bounced back from the tough loss at home to Union in week seven with a dominating win over Norman on Friday night. The passing game was about as good as it gets as senior quarterback Tristen Russell Tristen Russell 5’11” | 175 lbs | QB Mustang | 2023 State OK had a very efficient and quick night throwing the ball. Russell finished with nearly 300 yards in the air and five touchdowns and he completed just eleven passes on the night. Russell has been an underrated prospect at the quarterback position. But as he has shown all season and even last year, he belongs in the conversation with some of the better QB’s in the state’s 2023 class.
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STATS: 12 Catches | 210 Yards | 2 Touchdowns | 1 Rushing Touchdown rnEnid fell short on the road against Broken Arrow on Thursday night. But it appears that the Plainsmen are well on their way to the playoffs and they could make some noise once they’re there. Especially considering the performance of senior wide receiver Tykie Andrews Tykie Andrews 6’0″ | WR Enid | 2023 State OK each and every week. On Thursday night, Andrews set the school’s single season record for yards and he finished with over 200 yards and two touchdowns on 12 receptions. He also had a rushing touchdown. Andrews is having an outstanding senior season and he’s a prospect on the rise in a big way.