4A Quarterfinal Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   The Class 4A quarterfinal round kicks off this week and we're taking a look at all four match-ups. All of the usual names in Class 4A are still in the mix. And in fact, the top four teams over the last several years will all be facing off this week in quarterfinal action. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma throughout the week for more quarterfinal previews in the various classes.   #8 HILLDALE (9-2) AT #2 ELK CITY (10-1)   A year ago, Elk City stunned the rest of Class 4A when they upset Cushing and Grove on their way to making their first semifinal appearance since 2004. This year, they aren't sneaking up on anybody as a district champion, but as we mentioned, they are still somewhat of a surprise to us. We thought that Elk City might take a small step back after losing star running back Daylan Thompson. But it's been clear that not only have they reloaded, but they might be better than their semifinal team from a year ago. Their only loss this season came in non-district play to Class 5A powerhouse Carl Albert. They captured the district title by beating defending state champion Clinton and they moved on to this week after beating Newcastle 28-21 a week ago. This year's Elk City team doesn't have a superstar like last year but they are playing outstanding team football.   On the other side of the match-up, you have #8 Hilldale, who is determined to finally get over the quarterfinal hump. This round has not been kind to the Hornets as they are 0-10 all time in the quarterfinals. They're making the long drive out west, determined to punch their ticket to the semifinals for the first time in school history. The Hornets have completely bounced back from a midseason loss to 4A powerhouse Poteau and they would win out and finish second in the district. They nearly captured the district championship and it came down to the final day of the regular season. The Hornets are led by a dominating ground game with senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='157514' first='Eric' last='Virgil']. The dynamic senior has established himself as one of the top running backs in the state's senior class. On the season, he has over 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. He looks to run the Hornets into the semifinals.   #5 BLANCHARD (8-3) AT #1 CUSHING (11-0)   Top-ranked Cushing has been absolutely dominant this season and they haven't fallen from the top spot in the rankings and comes into the playoffs as the team to beat in Class 4A. They are looking to make up for last year where they were upset by that Elk City team that made it to the semifinals. The Tigers have left no doubt in every game this season. The closest game they've had came back in non-district play when they beat Perkins-Tryon by 16 points. Their offense has been lights out behind their QB-WR duo of [player_tooltip player_id='54349' first='Blaze' last='Berlowitz'] and [player_tooltip player_id='38715' first='Camden' last='Crooks']. That senior duo has accounted for a lot of points over the last three seasons and they're looking to lead Cushing to their first state championship since the 60's. While the offense has been lights out, the defense has been good as well with back to back shutouts in their last two games.   While Cushing has been perfect on the season, Blanchard has had a roller coaster of a season that started with the Lions dropping out of the 4A top ten following two losses to 5A teams to start the season. The Lions turned things around in district play, even stunning eventual district champion Tuttle in the final seconds. However, the Lions fell to Bethany in week nine and their district title hopes went away with it. The Lions would then survive the first round with a close win over Weatherford. Blanchard is one game shy of their second semifinal appearance in the last three seasons. Blanchard is led offensively by a very balanced passing attack. They have been lighting up opponents in the passing game and don't have just one wide receiver that can do damage. With both teams having strong passing games, we could see a shootout in this one.   #6 WAGONER (8-3) AT #3 TUTTLE (9-2)   For the third straight season, these 4A powers will square off in the quarterfinal round. Wagoner won in 2020 before capturing the state championship while Tuttle won last year and would make it to the title game before falling to Clinton. Wagoner is looking to knock off the Tigers for the second time in the last three years and they're hoping it means a trip to Edmond is in their future. The Bulldogs played a tough non-district schedule, featuring losses to the only undefeated teams in Class 5A in Coweta and Grove and it was by a combined ten points. Wagoner would go on to finish second in their district and their defense has looked good since giving up 42 points to top-ranked Cushing. They haven't given up more than a touchdown in the last five games. And that includes a shutout last week in the playoff opening win over Ada.   And for the Tuttle Tigers, they're looking for their second straight trip to Edmond and they have some unfinished business after losing to Clinton last year. Tuttle and Wagoner are two of only three teams that have at least 50 wins over the last five seasons. Fellow quarterfinalist Poteau is the other team. Tuttle was in arguably the toughest district in Class 4A this season and they walked away with the district championship. A perfect example of how tough the district was is Bethany, a team that went 9-1 during the regular season and finished third in the district. The Tigers have a young and dynamic playmaker in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='215570' first='Brady' last='McAdoo']. In fact, Friday's game might see a clash between two of the better 2025 prospects as McAdoo and the Tuttle offense will go up against the Wagoner defense and their sophomore star linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='294262' first='Alex' last='Shieldnight'].   #9 CLINTON (7-3) AT #7 POTEAU (9-2)   The other marquee Class 4A match-up has defending champion Clinton traveling nearly 300 miles east to face off with fellow 4A powerhouse Poteau. Clinton advanced to the quarterfinal round and will continue their defense of the 4A championship after beating Bethany 34-27 in overtime. The Clinton defense would hold on fourth down on the goal line to punch their ticket to this week's quarterfinal round. This is the second time that Clinton and Poteau square off in the quarterfinal round in the last three seasons. The Red Tornadoes got the best of the Pirates in 2020 and they've gotten the best of the Pirates in the overall series, which has been played only in playoff meetings. Clinton dropped back to back district games to Elk City and Weatherford but haven't lost since. The Red Tornadoes appear to be playing their best football at the right time of the year.   The other 4A power over the last several seasons has been the Poteau Pirates and they are one win away from punching their ticket to the semifinals yet again. The Pirates are getting healthy at the right time, making them another dangerous team to look out for in Class 4A. Poteau dropped a heartbreaker to Metro Christian in non-district play and then had a puzzling loss to Broken Bow in week seven. Despite that, the Pirates still managed to capture another district championship. And since that loss to Broken Bow, the Pirates have been lights out. The biggest difference maker for the Pirates has been junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='215196' first='Dax' last='Collins']. Now that he's healthy and able to impact the game in all three phases again, the Pirates have been tough to beat. They made quick work of Miami in the opening round last week and look to continue their dominance this week against the defending champs.

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