5A Quarterfinal Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   The Class 5A quarterfinal round kicks off this week and we're taking a look at all four match-ups. The Class 5A first round was headlined by all four teams from district 5A-2 advancing to the quarterfinals. And as we mentioned in our 5A playoff preview, Class 5A is the absolute deepest and most competitive class in the state. And because of it, we have some quarterfinal match-ups this week that feature top five teams facing off. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma throughout the week for more quarterfinal previews in the various classes.   PIEDMONT (7-4) AT #6 McALESTER (9-2)   #6 McAlester moved on to this week's quarterfinal round by getting a little revenge in the opening round. The Buffaloes would beat defending champion Collinsville in a rematch of last year's state championship game. Star running back [player_tooltip player_id='91049' first='Erik' last='McCarty'], an Oklahoma commit, had an outstanding game in the win over the Cardinals. Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='38793' first='Chaz' last='Bradley'] also shined by taking an interception back for a touchdown. The Buffaloes appear to have bounced back from week nine loss to Sapulpa. Now, the Buffaloes turn their attention to a Piedmont team that is standing in between McAlester and a third consecutive trip to the semifinals. The McAlester run defense will be the biggest key on Friday night. Piedmont has one of the top rushing attacks in Class 5A and McAlester's ability to force Piedmont into short possessions will go a long way to having success.   That Piedmont rushing attack was about as unstoppable as you can get in their first round victory over Midwest City. The Wildcats torched the Bombers with three different players running for at least 100 yards and the Wildcats would knock off the district champion Bombers. With that win, in addition to Carl Albert, Guthrie and McGuinness getting wins, that completed the first round sweep for 5A-2. We've talked about how competitive 5A-2 was all season and a Piedmont team that finished the regular season 6-4 was still dangerous. Now, they turn their attention to squaring off with McAlester in the first round. The Wildcats are looking for their first trip to the 5A semifinals since the 2019 season and only their second semifinal appearance in school history. The offense definitely has some momentum as they would score at least 60 points for the second time this season.   #3 BISHOP McGUINNESS (9-1) AT #1 COWETA (11-0)   The first of two quarterfinal match-ups featuring top five teams has top-ranked Coweta hosting #3 Bishop McGuinness on Friday night. The Tigers are one of two Class 5A teams that still have perfect seasons going. They opened the playoffs by beating up on Claremore in a game that was over fairly quickly. The Tigers not only have a lot of attention on them because they climbed to the #1 spot in the 5A rankings, they also have an interesting dynamic at the quarterback position. Their original starter [player_tooltip player_id='51055' first='Carson' last='Laverty'] broke his collarbone in September but has returned to the lineup. In his absence, fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='219074' first='Na'Kylan' last='Starks'] moved over to quarterback and performed incredibly well, especially in Coweta's biggest district games against Del City and McAlester. With two quarterbacks leading the way, the Tigers look to punch their ticket to their first semifinal appearance in nearly 25 years.   On the other side of the match-up, you have a team in Bishop McGuinness that has been in the top five all season. They've been on an absolute roll this season but they also have a close win over Guthrie and then fell in a heartbreaker to rival Carl Albert, it was their only loss on the season. Since that loss, the Irish have won three straight games, including last week's playoff win over El Reno. The McGuinness offense is one of the more balanced attacks in the state and not just in Class 5A. Led by junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='215198' first='River' last='Warren'] and senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='51871' first='Mike' last='Taffe'], the Irish can beat opponents in different ways on that side of the ball. Despite the cold and snowy weather last week, Warren still put up big numbers in the passing game. These two teams have met in the last two seasons with them splitting the meetings. Coweta won last year while McGuinness won in the 2020 quarterfinals.   #7 DEL CITY (9-2) AT #2 CARL ALBERT (9-2)   It doesn't get better than a little Mid-Del rivalry game in the playoffs. Especially considering they did not meet in the regular season after facing off in non-district play in each of the last four years. Carl Albert won three out of the last four but that one loss was last season. #2 Carl Albert began the year 1-2 but has been perfect ever since. That includes impressive road wins over Bishop McGuinness and Piedmont as well as a dominant home win over Guthrie. The Titans won't get fancy with the game plan coming into this week. They're going to feed the rock to junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='360239' first='Xavier' last='Robinson'], who is now over 2,000 yards for the season. He's set the single-season record for rushing yards at Carl Albert, which is incredible when you consider some of the names to play that position over the last three decades. This is the seventh straight quarterfinal appearance for the Titans and they are a perfect 6-0 in their last six appearances.   On the other side of the match-up, you have a Del City team that has a pair of losses by a combined two points to Coweta and McAlester. Both came in overtime and both losses came with the opponent going for two and the win after Del City scored first. Two losses by heartbreak and the Eagles are determined to not be in that position again this year. The Eagles have one of the better defenses in Class 5A with multiple guys that are committed to Big 12 programs. They'll need that physical defense, especially in the front seven to be on their A-game to slow down Carl Albert's rushing attack. The Eagles were challenged by Bishop Kelley in the first round a week ago but would roll to another dominating win. The Eagles are looking for just their second semifinal in the last 45 seasons. The Eagles have been a consistent playoff team during that stretch, but they've been tripped up in the past, including last year's first round upset to Sand Springs.   #5 GUTHRIE (9-2) AT #4 GROVE (11-0)   In our final quarterfinal clash, we have another top five match-up featuring #4 Grove and #5 Guthrie in a battle of the G's. Both teams wear that Georgia-style G on their helmets. For the Ridgerunners, they look to continue their perfect season with another dominating performance. All but one of their wins this season have come by at least 21 points. The Ridgerunners are clicking on all cylinders behind star running back [player_tooltip player_id='57158' first='Emmanuel' last='Crawford']. And Crawford has hit an extra gear in the last month that not many in the state have. He's making 300-yard games look routine over the last several weeks. While the Ridgerunners have been absolutely dominant this season, they're hoping that continues this month in the playoffs. They are looking for their first semifinal appearance since making it back in 2008. The Ridgerunners were upset in the quarterfinal round a year ago to Elk City and look to get over the quarterfinal hump this season.   On the other side of the match-up, you have much of the same as Guthrie is looking to get over the quarterfinal hump. They're looking for their first semifinal appearance since winning the 2013 state championship. They're 0-4 in their last four quarterfinal appearances, including the last two seasons. But the Blue Jays are playing good football, especially in the last several games. Since getting beat up by Carl Albert in week eight, the Blue Jays have been as perfect as you can be on the defensive side of the ball. They come into this week's quarterfinal round after shutting out their last three opponents. They'll definitely lean on their defense, specifically the run-defense to slow down a Grove offense that is averaging over 50 points per game. This is arguably the best offense that Guthrie is going to see all season. So if they're going to punch their ticket to the semifinals and practice on Thanksgiving, they have to find a way to contain Crawford.

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