Week Nine 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. This week, we have an outstanding mix of games in the large and small classes. And because of it, we have a few small school standouts as well as playmakers from bigger programs. Be sure to check back every Thursday for the Players To Watch feature and then again every Sunday for our Top Performers!
Our first player to watch for week nine is a Class A standout in senior quarterback Aidan Rhodes Aidan Rhodes 6’3″ | 175 lbs | ATH Woodland | 2023 State OK . Coming into this season, the lefty from Woodland was one of our top players to watch in Class A as a true dual-threat quarterback. And after somewhat of a slow start, Rhodes and the Cougars have been rolling. They put that to the test Friday night as they host #4 Hominy in a top ten showdown. We mentioned earlier this week how this game features two of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in Class A with Rhodes and Hominy standout Jaxon Woods Jaxon Woods 6’0″ | ATH Hominy | 2024 State OK . While Woods is more of a running quarterback, Rhodes has proven that he can beat defenses with his arm and his legs over the last season and a half. He has some legitimate numbers passing and running and will need to have another big game on Friday night if the Cougars are going to hand Hominy their first loss of the season. This is a massive two-game stretch for Rhodes and the Cougars as they wrap up the regular season next week against Tonkawa.
Highlights
After some of the stats that Noble senior wide receiver Brandon Harper Brandon Harper 5’10” | 165 lbs | WR Noble | 2023 State OK put up last year, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. But for the second consecutive season, the Noble star is one of the more productive wide receivers in the state. In addition to that, Harper has also been outstanding in the return game. But Harper and the Bears are going to be challenged on Friday night as they face off with #9 Midwest City on the road in a pivotal district game. This is going to feature two teams where their strengths and what they do well completely clash. Noble is led by Harper and a high-powered passing attack. Midwest City has a secondary that has a few breakout stars and they’ve done a good job of limiting what opponents have done against them this season. In fact, the Bears are facing a Bomber team that has gotten better and better this year. After starting 0-2, the Bombers have won six straight and are in the driver’s seat for the district title.
Highlights
In one of the best games of the week, and one that we’ll have live coverage from, 3A’s top ranked Lincoln Christian hits the highway to face off with #8 Muldrow. In a “battle of the Bulldogs”, Muldrow’s rushing attack will be on display behind their star Trenden Collins Trenden Collins 6’2″ | ATH Muldrow | 2023 State OK , who is just 31 yards away from 2,000 yards on the season. Leading Lincoln’s defense will be senior linebacker Tyler Johnson Tyler Johnson 5’11” | 210 lbs | LB Lincoln Christian | 2023 State OK , who is the leading tackler and also leads the team in tackles for loss. When you look at Lincoln over the last decade, the one consistent thing has been their offense and passing attack. But this year’s version of the Bulldogs is a very balanced team between a high-scoring offense and a defense that can shut you out. Johnson and the Lincoln defense will face their toughest test this season when it comes to the running game. Nobody has been able to contain Collins so far this season. He’s had at least 200 yards in six games this year and his lowest output was 147 in their only loss this season.
Highlights
Just about everything went right for Jenks last week as they put up nearly 100 points in a dominating win over Southmoore. Part of that performance was the offensive and defensive excellence from Jenks senior Ty Walls Ty Walls 6’0″ | 175 lbs | WR Jenks | 2023 State OK . It’s been well documented on this website the struggles that Jenks has had this season with their health. In fact, it seems like every time we write about the Trojans, we preface everything with a mention of that injury bug. But it looks like Jenks has turned the page and are starting to get healthy at the right time. And Walls is a big part of that. He’s Jenks’ leading receiver and showed last week he can be an impact player as a defensive back, returning an interception for a touchdown. Walls and the Trojans will play host to Broken Arrow on Friday night. They’ll look to continue their momentum going into next week, for the biggest game of the year. They’ll hit the road on Thursday to face Bixby in a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN2.