5A Semifinal Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 50% off your subscription by entering Savings50 in the coupon code area for our special early Black Friday deal! Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's officially Thanksgiving week and we're down to the final four teams in Classes 6A-1, 6A-2, 5A, 4A and 3A. We're taking an in-depth look at every single semifinal match-up and the teams that are preparing for them. In this post, we're taking a look at the Class 5A final four as some very familiar names are back in the mix and and there's one unbeaten team left. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#2 CARL ALBERT (10-2) VS #4 GROVE (12-0)<br><em>Saturday, 7PM @ Owasso HS</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>THE MATCH-UP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both semifinal match-ups have intriguing storylines but the Carl Albert-Grove match-up appears to be one of the best match-ups of the week, regardless of class. It features 5A powerhouse Carl Albert, who has won nine games in a row following a 1-2 start to the season. And they'll square off with Grove, who is the last remaining unbeaten team in Class 5A. The match-up is also headlined by two of the best running backs in the state squaring off, but more on them in our "Players To Watch" section. The Titans are back into the semifinal round yet again and are looking to punch their ticket back to Edmond. Carl Albert has taken their game to a new level as they've gotten healthy and more experienced throughout the year. Since a close call in OKC against rival Bishop McGuinness, the Titans have taken care of business, including an impressive 19-0 win over rival Del City. That shutout definitely had to open up some eyes and there's no doubt that Carl Albert is battle-tested coming into Saturday night. On the other side of the match-up, you have a Grove team that has been an instant impact team in their first year in Class 5A. After being a breakout team in Class 4A a year ago, the Ridgerunners moved up to 5A this season and they are the last remaining unbeaten team after Coweta went down in the quarterfinals. With the exception of a non-district game against former district rival Wagoner, Grove smashed every opponent in front of them. And in a showdown with Guthrie in the quarterfinals, the Ridgerunners would pull out a 27-19 victory, punching their ticket to the semifinals. Grove was upset in the quarterfinal round a year ago and they are hungry to go all the way this year, led by a team full of experienced seniors that are wanting to leave their mark on this program. This is our favorite match-up of any game taking place this week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>CARL ALBERT PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["353419"],"_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":"One of the more underrated players in this match-up featuring star running backs is going to be Carl Albert 2025 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='353419' first='Caden' last='Davis']. Not only will he be on the front line, trying to contain Grove's explosive running back, but he's also coming off arguably the best game of his career. In the shutout win over Del City, Davis finished with a career-high 18 tackles and also had four sacks on the night. Davis has been living in opposing backfields this season and now has 15 sacks on the season. If he's able to continue playing like he did in the quarterfinals, that will go a long way to the Titans slowing down Grove's high-powered offense. The Carl Albert front seven will be very important.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["150088"],"_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":"When you take a look at the story of this season for Carl Albert, there's no doubt in our mind that the Titans became a true state championship contender when senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='150088' first='Reed' last='Dequasie'] returned from a collarbone injury he suffered in the first game of the season. You can make the argument, although it doesn't mean much, that if Dequasie never went down, the Titans would be entering the semifinals with a perfect record. But since Dequasie has been back in the lineup, the Titan offense has been very tough to stop. While Dequasie hasn't been torching defenses with his arm, he's been making up for it with the ground game. And the combination of Dequasie and our next player to watch has been tough to stop.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["360239"],"_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":"The first of two marquee running backs in this match-up is Carl Albert junior [player_tooltip player_id='360239' first='Xavier' last='Robinson']. This Titan standout has vaulted up the 2024 rankings and has become the top running back prospect in the state's 2024 class and he's also a top five overall prospect. He has rewritten the record book at Carl Albert for running backs. Think about that for a moment and some of the running backs who have come through this Carl Albert program. Robinson has set the record for most yards in a single season and he has potentially two more games to go to add to that record. With over 2,000 yards and over 30 touchdowns on the season, Robinson has quickly become one of the best playmakers in the state and the combination of Robinson and Dequasie in the backfield has been very tough for opponents to slow down.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-637baf1e1d4af"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>GROVE PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["38818"],"_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":"While a lot of the attention and pub on Grove surrounds their star running back, overlooking senior quarterback and UCO commit [player_tooltip player_id='38818' first='Carson' last='Trimble'] would be a critical mistake. Trimble has been as close to perfect at the quarterback position as you'll see this season. He's thrown 33 touchdowns on the season and only three interceptions. And those three interceptions came in the first three games of the season. He hasn't thrown a pick in over two months. Now, he's facing a Carl Albert defense that has some legitimate stars in their secondary so Trimble will be challenged. But if he continues to play the way he's been playing for the last two months, The Ridgerunners should continue their roll on offense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["57158"],"_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":"The other marquee running back in this match-up is Grove senior [player_tooltip player_id='57158' first='Emmanuel' last='Crawford']. Like Robinson, Crawford is the top running back prospect in his class and he's been one of the top overall players in the state for the last few years. In their quarterfinal win over Guthrie, Crawford eclipsed the 2,000 yard mark for the second straight season and it seems like Crawford is reaching new heights in terms of his production over the last month or so. While Crawford put up monster numbers all year last season, he's been on his A-game over the last five to six weeks. It's almost as if Crawford was slowly building to this. He doesn't have near as much of a workload as he had last season and that is scary to think about.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["486286"],"_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":"On a team that is full of senior standouts, the Ridgerunners do have an up and coming junior that is experiencing a breakout season this year. Defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='486286' first='Scott' last='Cox'] has been an absolute force for the Ridgerunners along the line of scrimmage and he is going to be incredibly valuable to Grove on Saturday night. A lot of what we wrote about Davis from Carl Albert can be repeated right here with Cox. As the Ridgerunners try to slow down the Carl Albert rushing attack, Cox will be on the front line, trying to do something that not many have been able to do and that's contain Robinson from Carl Albert. Like Davis, Cox has become a big name to know along the defensive line and he'll be critical to their defense slowing down the Titans.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-637baf1e1d5a9"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>HISTORY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even though this is a highly anticipated match-up in the Class 5A semifinals, this will be the first time Carl Albert and Grove square off. Now, when you look at the history of both programs, it's not difficult to see why. The Ridgerunners and the Titans simply haven't found themselves in the same class as one another. Both teams also don't venture out too far from their area to play non-district games. And because of that, you have a semifinal meeting that is the first time these two programs have ever gone head to head. And what a great time to have their first ever meeting. This semifinal clash is one of the more highly anticipated games of the week, regardless of class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>EXPERIENCE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carl Albert:</strong> Death, taxes and Carl Albert winning when they make it to the semifinals. Those were the guarantees in life before last season. The Titans are in their 19th semifinal in school history and it's their seventh straight appearance. Carl Albert has a stunning 17-1 record when they make it to the semifinals. Last year, was the first year the Titans ever came up short in the final four as they lost to eventual champion Collinsville. The Titans had their run of five consecutive state titles come to an end but they are determined to punch their ticket to Edmond for the sixth time in seven years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grove:</strong> The Grove Ridgerunners are into the semifinals for the sixth time in school history. But unlike Carl Albert, the Ridgerunners simply haven't been in this position as many times, but they do hold a winning record. They are 3-2 all time in the semifinal round. This is also the first time Grove has made it to the semifinals since 2008 and they have never made it to the semifinals when they were in Class 5A. After moving up to Class 5A this season, the Ridgerunners expected to be in this position at the start of the season and they now find themselves one win away from Edmond. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#3 BISHOP McGUINNESSS (10-1) VS #6 McALESTER (10-2)<br><em>Saturday, 7PM @ Jenks HS</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>THE MATCH-UP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the other semifinal, we see #3 Bishop McGuinness squaring off with #6 McAlester in a rematch of the semifinal round from the 2020 playoffs. That game became an instant classic and we can only hope for another one this year when the Buffaloes and Irish square off in Jenks on Saturday night. Bishop McGuinness is playing some of their best football right now and bring a ton of momentum into the semifinals with them after they went on the road and handed Coweta their first loss of the year. The Irish have been on a mission since a mid-October game against Carl Albert where they fell at home. Ever since, the Irish have played outstanding football on both sides of the ball. They would close out the regular season on a strong note and despite having week ten off before the playoffs, the Irish kept that momentum going with playoff wins over El Reno and then going on the road and knocking off Coweta in a back and forth game. On the other side of the match-up, we see a McAlester team that has been one of the tougher teams to figure out this year in Class 5A. They came into this season as a team that made it to the title game a year ago. They returned the best player in the state with running back [player_tooltip player_id='91049' first='Erik' last='McCarty']. But they had a lot of new names, especially on the defensive side of the ball. And after a shutout loss to Coweta and then a surprising loss to Sapulpa, the Buffaloes were the third seed out of the district, which put them on the road against defending champ Collinsville in a title rematch in the first round. McAlester would roll over the last two weeks but there is a massive question mark coming into this week and it surrounds the reigning Prep Redzone Oklahoma Player Of The Year. McCarty left the quarterfinal game against Piedmont with a knee injury and it is assumed he'll be out for the year. If he's out, needless to say, that's a massive hit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>BISHOP McGUINNESS PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["51871"],"_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":"While the other semifinal has some top running backs, this match-up isn't missing out on talent at that position either. Bishop McGuinness senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='51871' first='Mike' last='Taffe'] has been one of the better running back prospects in the state's 2023 class since his freshman season. We've been really impressed with Taffe this season because he's shown continued growth as a prospect and has shown the ability to be successful in a variety of ways on the offensive side of the ball. This year, Taffe has been a work horse at running back but he's also become a huge threat in the passing game. And with McGuinness looking to be balanced on offense, that makes him incredibly important.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["215198"],"_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":"The player in charge of leading that balanced offense for Bishop McGuinness is junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='215198' first='River' last='Warren'], who has established himself as the top quarterback prospect in the state's 2024 class. Warren also has a ton of momentum coming into this week's semifinal clash with McAlester. Just look at what he was able to do in his last outing. He led the Irish on the road and handed Coweta their first and only loss this season, eliminating them in the quarterfinal round. Warren went off with over 300 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He also added a touchdown on the ground as no team scored more than 17 points on the Tigers and Warren and the Irish put up 35 points int he win.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["479388"],"_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":"The Bishop McGuinness defense is full of seniors everywhere, but perhaps the X-factor of this side of the ball is a sophomore with defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='479388' first='Zach' last='Tawwater']. He doubles as a defensive end and a tight end on the offensive side of the ball. And he is enjoying a breakout season this year. Tawwater has quickly jumped on our radar and is now considered one of the better two-way prospects in the state's 2025 class. The thing that just jumps off the page about Tawwater is his size and athleticism at his age. Tawwater could have a big impact on Saturday evening as McAlester looks to be balanced on offense. If Tawwater can get into the backfield and cause problems, the Irish should be successful.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-637baf1e1d65e"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>McALESTER PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["520514"],"_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":"With the status of star running back [player_tooltip player_id='91049' first='Erik' last='McCarty'] not looking good going into this week's semifinal round, that will open things up on the offensive side of the ball for senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='520514' first='Blaze' last='Baugh']. The senior is the second-leading rusher on the team and has shown the ability this season to make some big plays. Baugh moved into McAlester after playing at Talihina last year and gave the Buffaloes some much-needed depth on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Baugh is coming off a good performance against Piedmont and he'll look to continue that this week against Bishop McGuinness. His performance against Piedmont in the quarterfinals was his second best game of the year.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["460524"],"_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":"The other offensive player that will have a little more pressure coming into this match-up is junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='460524' first='Caden' last='Lesnau']. The McAlester quarterback has enjoyed a good junior season after moving over to quarterback from his wide receiver position last year. Lesnau has also put up some good numbers this year, but there's no doubt that McAlester's offense will look a little different without McCarty in the lineup. But Lesnau and the Buffaloes can lean on experience from this season. There were a few games in the regular season where McCarty either didn't play or just played defense. If Lesnau and the Buffaloes can control time of possession, that will go a long way to punching their ticket to Edmond.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["38793"],"_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":"With McCarty probably out, the best player for the Buffaloes is senior [player_tooltip player_id='38793' first='Chaz' last='Bradley'], who is McAlester's leading wide receiver and is one of the state's best ball hawks on defense. While his playmaking ability on offense is going to be incredibly important on Saturday, you can make the argument that his defense is what will help McAlester the most if they're going to return to Edmond. McGuinness' passing game was outstanding against Coweta and if Bradley can continue his magical season in terms of turning opponents over with key interceptions, that will go a long way to pulling off the win. But Bradley will also have to become a playmaker on the offensive side of the ball as well.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-637baf1e1d6ff"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>HISTORY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the third time ever, Bishop McGuinness and McAlester will square off. And the previous two meetings both came in the playoffs. McGuinness has gotten the best of the Buffaloes on both occasions. They beat McAlester in the 2015 quarterfinals and then again in the 2020 semifinals. The Buffaloes have bitter memories of that 2020 semifinal meeting. The Irish trailed 21-20 in the final minutes of the game. But McGuinness would score with 19 seconds left to steal the victory away from a young McAlester team. That would be the last time McAlester lost before falling to Collinsville in last year's state championship game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>EXPERIENCE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop McGuinness:</strong> Bishop McGuinness is playing in their 15th semifinal in school history on Saturday evening. They hold a 7-7 record all time in semifinal games. The Irish have won four consecutive semifinal appearances and they are looking for their fifth appearance in the state title game in the last seven seasons. If they get there, they could end up seeing district rival Carl Albert, and things did not go well in their last four championship meetings. Carl Albert won all four as they would capture five consecutive state titles from 2016-2020. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>McAlester:</strong> For the 20th time in school history, McAlester is part of the final four teams in their respective class. However, historically, the semifinals have not been kind to the Buffaloes. They hold a 5-14 record all time in the semifinals. But this is their third consecutive trip to the semifinals and they turned some of that history around last year when they beat Lawton MacArthur on their way to a state championship game appearance. The Buffaloes are determined to not only make it back to Edmond this year, but they want a gold ball instead of the silver one they received last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->