Class 5A Championship Preview
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The Class 5A state championship game is set for Saturday afternoon at 1PM in Edmond as #2 Carl Albert faces off with #6 McAlester. The Titans are searching for their sixth state championship in the last seven years while McAlester is back into the title game for the second straight season. In this post, we’re taking a more in-depth look at this match-up. From how they got here to the biggest keys to the game and even a championship pick, we’ll get you ready for Saturday’s showdown. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more 5A state championship content before, during and following the game on Saturday afternoon!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
HOW THEY GOT HERE
#2 Carl Albert Titans (11-2)
Aug. 26 – Lost To Coweta 44-14
Sept. 2 – Beat Midwest City 39-25
Sept. 9 – Lost To Muskogee 35-28
Sept. 16 – Beat Elk City 45-2
Sept. 22 – Beat Lawton Eisenhower 41-0
Sept. 30 – Beat Shawnee 59-7
Oct. 6 – Beat Southeast 70-18
Oct. 14 – Beat Bishop McGuinness 31-24
Oct. 21 – Beat Guthrie 41-7
Nov. 4 – Beat Piedmont 38-21
1st Round – Beat Lawton MacArthur 45-7
Quarterfinals – Beat Del City 19-0
Semifinals – Beat Grove 55-21
Carl Albert came into this season as the preseason number one team in Class 5A. They didn’t stay there very long. They would drop a season opener to Coweta on the road and lost their starting quarterback in the process. Two weeks later, they would lose to Muskogee at home and the Titans began the season 1-2 for the second straight season. But just like last year, the Titans would immediately turn it around. They wouldn’t lose again. Their quarterback returned just in time for a district showdown in week seven with Bishop McGuinness and the Titans would prevail by a touchdown. They followed that up with a blowout win over Guthrie. And in the playoffs, Carl Albert has been dominant. They shut out their rival Del City in the quarterfinals and then blew out previously unbeaten Grove in the semifinals in a game that was even worse than the final score indicates. Carl Albert is certainly playing like a champion coming into championship week.
#6 McAlester Buffaloes (11-2)
Aug. 26 – Beat Broken Bow 34-24
Sept. 3 – Beat Scottlandsville, LA. 35-20
Sept. 9 – Beat Ada 34-0
Sept. 23 – Beat Memorial 52-0
Sept. 30 – Beat Del City 34-33 (OT)
Oct. 6 – Lost To Coweta 49-0
Oct. 13 – Beat East Central 68-7
Oct. 21 – Beat Durant 52-20
Oct. 28 – Lost To Sapulpa 28-27
Nov. 4 – Beat Glenpool 44-6
1st Round – Beat Collinsville 27-14
Quarterfinals – Beat Piedmont 60-42
Semifinals – Beat Bishop McGuinness 39-29
Fresh off their run to the state championship game in 2021, the McAlester Buffaloes came into this season with lofty expectations to not only make it back to Edmond, but they wanted to win it this time around. And with the return of last year’s Prep Redzone Oklahoma Player Of The Year, the Buffaloes got out to a great start this season. They began the year 5-0, including a memorable overtime win on the road against Del City. But the following week they would get shut out in Coweta and then a few weeks later, they would get beat by Sapulpa in week nine. Because of those two losses, the Buffaloes finished third in the district and would have to face Collinsville in the first round in a rematch of last year’s title game. The Buffaloes would pull away in that one, then hold off a Piedmont rally in the quarterfinals. But in that game, they would lose their star running back. However, that didn’t stop them from punching their ticket back to Edmond.
HOW THEY MATCH UP
You don’t get to this point in the season by not playing some of your best football. And that’s the case with this match-up as the Titans are absolutely rolling and McAlester stunned Bishop McGuinness in last week’s semifinal round. As we go into this week and look at this championship match-up, we can’t help but think about what could have been with McAlester missing star running back Erik McCarty Erik McCarty 6'2" | 175 lbs | DB McAlester | 2023 State OK , who was last year’s player of the year. And the Titans countering with junior running back Xavier Robinson Xavier Robinson 6'2" | 225 lbs | RB Carl Albert | 2024 State OK , who is one of the favorites to win this year’s award.
But despite the Buffaloes missing McCarty, they have shown that they can reload, especially at the running back position. In that semifinal win over Bishop McGuinness, it was the ground game that got the job done as the Buffaloes put up a monster number on the ground and in total offense in general. This is also a team that remembers the heart break of last season. They know what it felt like after losing a classic to Collinsville and having to settle for the silver trophy. After making that run a year ago, the Buffaloes are back to Edmond when maybe it wasn’t expected heading into the playoffs this time around. But again, you don’t get here by accident.
In terms of the match-up, the Titans are the favorites coming in when you look at the different playmakers they have on both sides of the ball. After watching them in the semifinal win over Grove, there weren’t too many teams in the state that could hang with the Titans on that night. Carl Albert is led by that standout junior in Robinson and several other players that will end up playing both ways on Saturday afternoon. Both teams are going to come into this game expecting to do what they do and they aren’t going to stray to far from the game plan.
So Carl Albert is the favorite, but as we’ve learned in the playoffs already, in just about every round, the best team on paper doesn’t always win on the field. And you know that the Buffaloes aren’t going to back down from a fight on Saturday. In fact, they are probably going to come into the game with about the biggest chip on their shoulder, which could provide them with a spark. It’s a cliche but anything can happen in playoff football and we’re just hoping that we see a 5A championship game reminiscent of last year’s, which became an instant classic. But for McAlester, they would much prefer a different result this year.
MATCH-UP HISTORY
For the eighth time ever, Carl Albert and McAlester will face off on Saturday. All seven of the previous meetings have come in the playoffs, but the latest that these two teams have met was in the quarterfinals. While the Buffaloes did make it to the championship game a year ago, they don’t have near the championship experience that the Titans have as Carl Albert is looking for their sixth state title in the last seven seasons. The Titans hold a 4-3 advantage all time over the Buffaloes, winning their last two meetings in the 2019 and 2016 quarterfinals.
CRYSTAL BALL
Carl Albert Over McAlester
Carl Albert was the pick back in August as the Titans were our preseason number one team. Coming into this week, we still like the Titans but man it’s hard to pick against McAlester. The Buffaloes are playing great football right now and despite missing one of the best players in the state, the Buffaloes are showing that they are a great team and program and haven’t been having success because of one player. But in the end, it’s hard to go against the Titans here in this one for several reasons. They know what it takes to win these games. An absurd 16-1 record in championship games backs up that statement. The Titans have really good players everywhere on both sides of the ball. If you ranked the top five or ten players in Saturday’s game, Carl Albert would have the majority of them. But as we know, the best team coming in doesn’t always win and the Buffaloes are hungry. But we’re sticking with that pick back in August here.