5A State Top Performers

<!-- 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>Carl Albert added another gold ball to their impressive trophy case after beating McAlester 49-7 on Saturday afternoon in Edmond. The Titans did what they've done all season. Run. The Titans would finish with nearly 300 yards on the ground and would play suffocating defense, putting the Buffaloes in a hole that they weren't going to be able to overcome. Head coach Mike Dunn becomes the latest Titan head coach to lead the Titans to a state title. And this one definitely feels sweet as Dunn won four championships as a Carl Albert player and another as an assistant coach. Now he adds to his name to a list that includes other legendary coaches like Gary Rose and Mike Corley. For the complete game recap, <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/12/carl-albert-runs-to-another-5a-title/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CLICK HERE</a></strong>. In this post, we're taking an in-depth look at the top performers from Saturday afternoon's game from both sides.</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":"Without star running back [player_tooltip player_id='91049' first='Erik' last='McCarty'], the Buffaloes turned to fellow senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='520514' first='Blaze' last='Baugh'], who was coming off one of the best performances of his career in the semifinal win over Bishop McGuinness. Baugh would be McAlester's leading rusher with 62 yards on 16 carries. His story is an interesting one to follow and he should get some looks to play college ball. He played at Talihina but with their football program unable to field a team, Baugh had to find a place to get on the field. He found a home with McAlester and shared the backfield with the OU commit until he went down in the quarterfinals against Piedmont. Baugh showed what he could do if he was the feature back in an offense against McGuinness and he had success running the ball on Saturday.","_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":"We mentioned McAlester quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='460524' first='Caden' last='Lesnau'] as a player to watch coming into the championship game and he did a good job of moving the ball and commanding the huddle for the Buffaloes, even if they came up short on the scoreboard. The wide receiver-turned quarterback was efficient in the pass game as he would go 13-18 for over 100 yards and a touchdown. That last minute touchdown would get the Buffaloes on the scoreboard and avoid McAlester getting shut out on Saturday. Lesnau also added 38 yards on the ground and was the second leading rusher behind Baugh. Just a junior, Lesnau will be someone to watch next season as he was one of the more athletic players on the field Saturday and has shown that he can be an impact player at several different positions.","_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":"McAlester's leading wide receiver was senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='38793' first='Chaz' last='Bradley']. Coming into Saturday's championship game, Bradley was mainly known for his defense as one of the top leaders in interceptions across the state. But going against a Carl Albert team that ran the ball 37 times compared to just 10 passes, there weren't many opportunities for Bradley to make plays on the defensive side of the ball. But on offense, Bradley was the one of the more consistent playmakers, along with Baugh and Lesnau. Bradley finished with five catches on the afternoon for 50 yards. Bradley wasn't able to have as much of an impact as we've seen from him earlier this season but he was able to make quite a few plays on offense. Bradley is definitely a 2023 prospect who is on the rise in a big way.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["150088"],"_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":"In an alternative world, if senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='150088' first='Reed' last='Dequasie'] doesn't get hurt on the first possession of the first game, maybe the Titans have a perfect season. And on the opposite side of that, if the injury was worse and he wasn't able to come back in week seven, maybe the Titans aren't state champions today. Dequasie didn't get as many headlines as his superstar running mate he shared the backfield with. But man he was important to this offense. On Saturday, Dequasie finished with just under 100 yards rushing and was also 5-6 for 72 yards and two touchdowns. He also started for the Titans at safety and had one of the best interceptions we saw during the three days in Edmond. Dequasie is an outstanding athlete and has to be talked about more in that capacity.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["165365"],"_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":"There's a reason senior [player_tooltip player_id='165365' first='Tashawn' last='James'] is committed to Iowa State and considered one of the better prospects in the state's 2023 class. He showed why yet again on Saturday as he was a two-way star for the Titans. He finished with a pair of catches for 35 yards and a touchdown on offense. He was also an absolute menace on defense. He had seven tackles, one of them coming for a loss and an interception on the afternoon. James might be one of the more underrated players in the state when you consider his talent and being apart of a championship team. But he comes into every game and just has a workman's type approach where it doesn't matter if he puts up numbers, he's going to find a way to make an impact and that was on display once again on Saturday in Edmond.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["294261"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='294261' first='Trey' last='Washington'] finished off a strong season by leading Carl Albert in receiving on the day. He finished with just a pair of catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. Washington certainly has a bright future as the Titans have a few 2025 prospects that are not only already on the radar, but they are producing at a very high level. Washington is one of the top guys in the state's 2025 class but there's also something else about his game that we need to tip our cap to. This was the fourth time we've seen Carl Albert in person this season and the one thing we've noticed every time is Washington is also an outstanding punter. He's going to be a wide receiver or tight end at the next level, but he also boomed a 49 yard punt on Saturday and made it look easy.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["360239"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Very easily the MVP of the championship game was Titan junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='360239' first='Xavier' last='Robinson']. The superstar running back finished with 180 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. He also was 2-2 for 28 yards and a passing touchdown, as well as caught two passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. In his performance on Saturday, Robinson eclipsed 2,500 rushing yards for the season. We're getting ready to do all of our postseason content and it's safe to say that Robinson is going to be a finalist for our Player Of The Year award. Not only was he one of the more productive running backs in the state, he also played at his best in Carl Albert's biggest games. And on Saturday, he showed he could do a lot more than just run the ball forward with all of his touchdowns that he accounted for on the day.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-638e4cf90e2bd"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->