4A State: Cushing Players To Watch

<!-- 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>The Class 4A state championship game is set for Saturday night at 7PM in Edmond as #1 Cushing faces off with #6 Wagoner. It's a rematch from a week six game in district play where Cushing was able to knock off the Bulldogs with a 42-0 win. In this post, we're taking a look at some of the Cushing Tigers that you need to know about heading into Saturday evening's game. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more 4A state championship content before, during and following the game on Saturday night!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["54349"],"_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":"Cushing has one of the best offenses in the state this season and that's not anything new as they have a senior class that features several three-year starters and it starts with senior quarterback and New Mexico State quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='54349' first='Blaze' last='Berlowitz']. On the season, Berlowitz has thrown for well over 3,600 yards and 54 touchdowns on the season with just four interceptions. It's hard to argue that there are many other quarterbacks, if any, that have been more productive than Berlowitz this season. Cushing's offense has been unstoppable so far this season and they look to keep things going in the state title game. The Tigers have been on a mission this season and they have one more game to finish the job. When we talked to Wagoner head coach Dale Condict about this match-up, he mentioned that Berlowitz is the best quarterback that he's coached against. Condict is one of the best coaches of the last two decades, that's saying something.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["38715"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"This might be the 43rd time this season we've said this but just in case you're new here, Cushing senior [player_tooltip player_id='38715' first='Camden' last='Crooks'] is one of the best players in the state and it's not up for debate. On the season, Crooks has over 1,500 yards and 23 touchdowns as Berlowitz's number one receiver. He also has over 50 tackles and four interceptions on defense. And then he's arguably the most electric return man in the state. He has seven punt return touchdowns and a kick return for six. And this is nothing new for Crooks. He's been one of the most productive players in the state over the last three seasons and he's well on his way to becoming the first three-time finalist for our Player Of The Year award. Full disclosure, we've only been around for three years, but it's still rare. Crooks is a complete football player and an underrated quality in his game is his strength in the open field. He bounces off defenders like a pin ball.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["98177"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Berlowitz and Crooks get a lot of the credit but fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='98177' first='Lane' last='Yaunt'] is so incredibly important to their success on both sides of the ball. The senior is the second leading receiver with nearly 700 yards and ten touchdowns on the year. And then he turns around and is very productive on defense with nearly 100 tackles, 16 of them coming for a loss and a handful of sacks and interceptions. Yaunt was a player that first caught our eye following his sophomore season and going into his junior year. He's a great compliment to Crooks in the Cushing passing game. When defenses focus too much energy on slowing him down, Yaunt makes them pay in a big way. And then when you look at the production on the defensive side of the ball, it's hard to argue that there are more prospects that are more valuable in terms of making plays on both sides of the ball. Yaunt is definitely one of the more underrated players in Class 4A this season and he'll be one to watch on Saturday.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["208017"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"While the Cushing passing attack gets a lot of the pub, (and rightfully so) don't overlook the Cushing running game with senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='208017' first='Noah' last='Jones']. The senior standout has put up numbers this season as well and has nearly 1,400 yards and 24 touchdowns on the season. Jones is a tough running back that is so tough to bring down in the open field. He's the perfect counterpart to the Cushing passing attack. The Tigers can air it out with Berlowitz, Crooks and company, there's no doubt about that. But then they've also shown the ability to simply give the ball to Jones and let him rumble. He'll be an important part to the Cushing offensive attack. The Tigers were the only team this season to have success running the ball on the Bulldogs. They're the only team that had over 100 rushing yards as a team. If the Tigers are balanced on offense once again, they could roll to the gold ball.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["149337"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"When it comes to Cushing this season, everybody (including us) have written about the Cushing offense and how dominant they are on that side of the ball. They're flashy, they put up a bunch of points and they're fun to watch. You can make the argument for two of those things when talking about the Cushing defense. The defense is not flashy, they are physical and hard-hitting. They don't give up any points, less than ten points per game and they shut out Wagoner in the regular season. But the defense is still fun to watch and that's where the opposites end. Leading the defense is senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='149337' first='Riley' last='Matheson'], who is a tackling machine. Matheson, a linebacker star has 161 tackles on the season and is Cushing's leading tackler. He also leads the team with 26 tackles for loss.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63876fccab199"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>MORE NAMES TO KNOW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brady Matheson - 2024 Wide Receiver</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='149336' first='Brody' last='Berlowitz'] - 2023 Tight End</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GW Burget - 2023 Linebacker</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->