Week Nine Top Performers
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Week nine is in the books and 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: 4 Interceptions (2 Returned For Touchdowns) | 2 Receiving Touchdowns rnEvery week we put out a tweet following the games requesting nominations for top performers. Hands down, the top response was Bixby senior Cale Fugate Cale Fugate 5’11” | 180 lbs | DB Bixby | 2023 State OK following his dominant performance on Thursday night against Moore. Fugate would catch a pair of touchdowns on offense but it’s what he did on defense that was unheard of. He came down with four interceptions, two of which he would return for Bixby touchdowns. Oh, and like many of Bixby’s games this year, Fugate was done for the night by halftime.
STATS: 5 Catches | 152 Yards | 3 Touchdowns rnIt seems like Cushing senior wide receiver Camden Crooks Camden Crooks 6’0″ | 190 lbs | WR Cushing | 2023 State OK has been listed as a top performer about 84 times over the last three seasons. That’s not possible but there’s no doubt that he’s been one of the most underrated playmakers in Oklahoma during that time. And on senior night, Crooks and the Tigers dominated once again. In the win over Oologah, Crooks caught three touchdowns and went for 150+ yards on five receptions. Crooks and the Tigers are absolutely rolling with the 4A playoffs right around the corner.
Highlights
STATS: 17 Tackles | 5 TFL | 2 Sacks | 1 Interception Return TD | 1 Fumble Return TD rnVerdigris has completely bounced back from that upset loss to Bristow earlier this month and they’ve been taking it out on the rest of the district. Normally, when we talk about Verdigris linebackers, we talk about Reese Roller Reese Roller 6’0″ | 210 lbs | LB Verdigris | 2023 State OK . But when you look at the numbers this year, Roller isn’t the team’s leading tackler. That’s fellow senior Drache Marveggio Drache Marveggio 5’10” | LB Verdigris | 2023 OK , who has over 100 tackles on the season. And he was lights out again this week. He finished with 17 tackles, a pair of sacks and then he returned an interception and a fumble for touchdowns.
STATS: 18 Carries | 134 Yards | 3 Touchdowns | 7 Catches | 104 Yards rnI was fired up to check out the Lincoln Christian-Muldrow game to see Muldrow senior running back Trenden Collins Trenden Collins 6’2″ | ATH Muldrow | 2023 State OK . Well, right position, wrong team. Lincoln’s John Washington John Washington 5’9″ | 175 lbs | ATH Lincoln Christian | 2023 State OK stole the show while the Lincoln defense completely bottled up Collins on the other end. Washington would finish with over 100 yards on the ground and was also their leading receiver with over 100 yards on seven catches. He would reach the end zone three times on three different touchdown runs from a yard out as Lincoln clinched the district crown.
Highlights
STATS: 242 Rushing Yards | 5 Touchdowns rnSpiro bounced back from back to back district losses with a strong win over Heavener on Friday night. Leading the way was senior running back Jordan Johnson Jordan Johnson 5’10” | RB Spiro | 2023 OK , who had an outstanding game as he tries to lead the Bulldogs back into the playoffs. Johnson finished with nearly 250 yards on the ground and four touchdowns in the win. It was a great final night at home for the senior but now they turn their attention to week ten against Wilburton. A win puts the Bulldogs back into the Class 2A postseason.
STATS: 19 Carries | 182 Yards | 4 Touchdowns rnVictory Christian has had an October to remember after a September to forget. The Conquerors have won their last four games and now have a showdown in week ten against unbeaten Kiefer with the district championship on the line. And senior running back Judah Byrams Judah Byrams 5’8″ | RB Victory Christian | 2023 State OK has been playing as good as anyone during Victory’s four-game winning streak. In their week nine victory, the senior would finish with nearly 200 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The Conquerors certainly have some momentum coming into week ten.
STATS: 18 Carries | 405 Yards | 5 Touchdowns rnChickasha bounced back from back to back district losses with a rare week nine non-district win over Mustang’s JV squad. And senior running back Malek Murphy Malek Murphy 6’0″ | RB Chickasha | 2023 State OK went to work on Thursday night. He finished with just over 400 yards and five touchdowns on 18 carries in the victory. Murphy’s made big performances look normal throughout the season but Thursday night was his best game to date. And with the 400+ yards rushing, Murphy eclipsed 2,000 yards on the season with one game to go as they travel to Cache on Friday night.
STATS: 4 Catches | 162 Yards | 4 TouchdownsrnIn a must-win game for seeding purposes, Booker T Washington took care of Sand Springs on Friday night, setting them up to be the three seed out of their district in the playoffs. And leading the way in the 41-14 win was senior standout and Arkansas commit Micah Tease Micah Tease 6’1″ | WR Booker T Washington | 2023 State OK . The Booker T Washington speedster had an efficient night on Friday with four catches for 162 yards and all four receptions ended in Hornet touchdowns. Tease and the Hornets bounced back in a big way following the week eight loss to Muskogee with a big win on senior night.
STATS: 24-27 | 418 Yards | 1 Touchdown rnSpeaking of efficiency, that’s exactly the night that Union sophomore quarterback Shaker Reisig Shaker Reisig 6’0″ | 185 lbs | QB Union | 2025 State OK had on Friday night. In their win over Edmond Memorial, Reisig threw for over 400 yards on 24-27 passing. We’ve always talked about the efficiency that Reisig plays the quarterback position and Friday night was just the latest example of that. And here’s another impressive note on the nearly perfect night. Union was without their leading receiver and despite that, Reisig had no problems torching Edmond Memorial for over 400 yards.
STATS: 13-20 | 364 Yards | 3 Touchdowns rnChoctaw took another step towards locking down the district championship with an impressive win over Putnam City on Friday night. Senior quarterback and Akron commit Steele Wasel Steele Wasel 6’4″ | 210 lbs | QB Choctaw | 2023 State OK torched the Pirates with 364 yards and three touchdowns on 13-20 passing. One of those three touchdowns put Wasel over the 100 mark for his career. Wasel has had a great career but he won’t be satisfied without a state championship. Choctaw now turns their attention to a Ponca City team that has won five straight after starting the year 0-4.
STATS: 20 Carries | 100 Yards | 1 Touchdown | 6-7 | 35 Yards | 2 Interceptions rnIn one of the biggest games of the week, especially in Class 4A, Bethany would knock off Blanchard in a top five showdown. We’ve been saying for a while now that senior standout Taylor Heim Taylor Heim 6’4″ | 185 lbs | ATH Bethany | 2023 State OK is arguably the most versatile player in the state, definitely in Class 4A. In the win over the Lions, Heim finished with 100 yards and a touchdown. He also went 6-7 passing. And as if that wasn’t enough, Heim also came down with two interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. Heim has Bethany looking like a legitimate title contender in 4A.
STATS: 18 Carries | 243 Yards | 4 Touchdowns rnNorman has locked up a playoff spot following their win over Yukon and they were carried once again by senior quarterback Tias McClarty Tias McClarty 5’9″ | 160 lbs | ATH Norman | 2023 State OK . The senior ran for nearly 250 yards and four touchdowns in the win. We look at what McClarty has been able to do the last two years as primarily a running quarterback and we can’t help but think of former Moore standout Deuce Hishaw and how he’s having an outstanding career at Kansas. We might have made this comparison before but it still holds and McClarty should definitely be recruited more because of it.
STATS: 7 Catches | 148 Yards | 2 Touchdowns rnWhile a lot of the attention in district 5A-3 was one the Coweta-Del City showdown, we had an upset in the district as Sapulpa stunned McAlester, handing them their second district loss. Leading the way for the Chieftains was a senior wide receiver in Tre Morrow Tre Morrow 6’0″ | WR Sapulpa | 2023 State OK , who is enjoying a breakout season. And against the Buffaloes, Morrow was one of the top players in the game. He finished with nearly 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns on seven receptions as the Chieftains gained a ton of momentum with the playoffs around the corner.
STATS: 124 Receiving Yards | 3 Touchdowns rnBishop McGuinness wrapped up their regular season on Friday night with a big district win over Piedmont. With McGuinness done for the regular season, they have locked up their spot as the two-seed in the 5A playoffs out of district 5A-2. In the win over the Wildcats, senior wide receiver Tyrrell Bruner Tyrrell Bruner 5’10” | WR Bishop McGuinness | 2023 State OK went off. He would finish with a very efficient 124 yards and three touchdowns in the win. McGuinness has completely bounced back following the loss to Carl Albert and will now take a week off before the playoffs begin.