Class A Season In Review

<!-- 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 2022 football season has come and gone. Once again, the football season has just flown by. Over two weeks removed from the final football games of the 2022 season, we officially kicked off our postseason coverage last week. We continue things today with our season in review series. And we move on to Class 2A, taking a look back at the 2022 season. We look at who lifted the gold ball, crown a player of the year in the class along with recognizing many other top players from this season. Then we dive into the top storyline from this year and take a very early look at the 2023 season. Keep it locked into Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day for a new class in this week long series taking a look back at the 2022 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>STATE CHAMPION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Fairview Yellowjackets (15-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming off a great 2021 season and bringing back the majority of their starters, there was plenty to be excited about as Fairview came into the 2022 season. The Yellowjackets came in at #2 in our preseason rankings, and they would be right behind Gore from June when the preseason rankings came out, until they faced off for the state championship in Edmond. The Yellowjackets were hungry to have a special season and that's what ended up happening as they would cap off a perfect 15-0 season with a state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They got the year started in non-district play with wins against Hobart, Chisholm and Alva. That would be the start of a completely dominant regular season for the Yellowjackets. And with Gore taking care of business in southeastern Oklahoma, it felt like these two were on a crash course for one another in Edmond. The Yellowjackets would also dominate in district play, with their closest game beinga. 30-6 win over Mooreland in week seven. They opened up district play with a win over Hooker and never looked back. And Hooker would be one of the few teams that finished fourth in the district and would beat a district champion in the first round of the playoffs. Fairview's district was very competitive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming into the playoffs, the road was going to get tougher for the Yellowjackets but they would have to wait until the quarterfinals to get their first real test. After wins over Snyder and Christian Heritage in the first two rounds, Fairview would then square off with Stroud in the quarterfinals. Fairview would escape with a 27-21 win and punch their ticket to the semifinals. They faced a Colcord team that was one of the bigger surprise teams in Class A this season but the Yellowjackets would not be denied a trip to Edmond and they would win 38-22. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairview came into the championship game at 14-0, Gore came into the championship game at 14-0. Both teams were 1 and 2 all season and the Class A title would be decided between them. The Yellowjackets would get the 32-28 win over Gore in a very exciting championship game throughout. The backfield duo of [player_tooltip player_id='379243' first='Jax' last='Bernard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='379235' first='Blake' last='Perez'], which led their offense all season, really provided the difference in the title game. The Yellowjackets capped off a perfect season with their first gold ball in over two decades. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GoxT4EHhQI","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GoxT4EHhQI </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>PLAYER OF THE YEAR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["386581"],"_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":"There's no doubt that Hominy junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='386581' first='Jaxon' last='Woods'] might have been the most productive player in Oklahoma this season in all three phases of the game. Just look at some of these numbers. The dude was busy this season. The only thing he didn't do was sell popcorn at the concession stand or play in the band. On offense, Woods was a legitimate threat to be the latest u00222K2Ku0022 member with 2,000 passing and 2,000 rushing yards. He came up 75 yards short on the ground but he did also account for 55 touchdowns on offense. Then he turned around on defense and had 75 tackles with five interceptions on that side of the ball. And as if that wasn't enough, Woods would also take five punts back for touchdowns. We knew that Woods had this kind of versatility coming into the season after a breakout sophomore year. But he reached new heights this fall. And it seemed like some of his best performances came in the biggest games. He will have Hominy contending once again in 2023 after the Bucks came up just short in the semifinals.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63ad8d38afa0f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>BREAKOUT STARS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='572034' first='Gabe' last='Winfield'] - Quarterback - Colcord<br>[player_tooltip player_id='449182' first='Garrett' last='Scott'] - Athlete - Pocola<br>[player_tooltip player_id='572028' first='Kleat' last='Martens'] - Quarterback - Hooker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='376931' first='Noah' last='Cooper'] - Quarterback - Gore<br>[player_tooltip player_id='379237' first='Reed' last='Martens'] - Wide Receiver - Fairview</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>OTHER TOP PLAYERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='189937' first='Aidan' last='Rhodes'] - Quarterback - Woodland<br>[player_tooltip player_id='268315' first='AJ' last='Lyons-Jerrell'] - Running Back - Pocola<br>[player_tooltip player_id='379234' first='Austin' last='Houk'] - Tight End/Defensive End - Fairview<br>[player_tooltip player_id='379235' first='Blake' last='Perez'] - Running Back - Fairview<br>[player_tooltip player_id='353410' first='Caden' last='Knighten'] - Athlete - Wynnewood<br>[player_tooltip player_id='572026' first='Cameron' last='Jackson'] - Running Back - Tonkawa<br>[player_tooltip player_id='189918' first='Gunner' last='Dozier'] - Running Back - Gore<br>[player_tooltip player_id='502251' first='Jackson' last='Deringer'] - Quarterback - Quapaw<br>[player_tooltip player_id='189920' first='Jackson' last='Duke'] - Athlete - Gore<br>[player_tooltip player_id='189939' first='Jackson' last='Rhodes'] - Linebacker - Woodland<br>[player_tooltip player_id='379243' first='Jax' last='Bernard'] - Quarterback - Fairview<br>[player_tooltip player_id='291971' first='Kaden' last='Barron'] - Running Back - Ringling<br>[player_tooltip player_id='572029' first='Keilan' last='Robinson'] - Athlete - Hooker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='38800' first='Kye' last='Davis'] - Athlete - Christian Heritage<br>[player_tooltip player_id='384062' first='Nate' last='Jines'] - Wide Receiver - Christian Heritage</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>TOP STORYLINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Top Teams Reign Supreme</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class A was the just the second class in the state that had the top two teams in our preseason rankings end up playing head to head in the state championship game. And in both scenarios, the team that was #2 would come out on top. In Class A, it was the top teams in the state that really dominated from start to finish and while we had a few surprises, like Colcord and a reloaded Hooker squad, Teams like Fairview, Gore, Hominy and Ringling were among the best in the state from start to finish. Class A also saw several individuals really shine throughout the season and many of them played for those top teams. Class A has been one of the more competitive classes in the state over the last decade and that played out the same way in 2022. And when we look ahead to 2023 next, we don't anticipate that changing any time soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>EARLY LOOK AT 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's hard to bet against Fairview and Gore being in the mix again in 2023. They both lose some very special and versatile seniors but they do bring back their starting quarterback, and in Class A, that's a big advantage. Then you have teams like Hominy and Wynnewood that bring back arguably the two best players in Class A this season with [player_tooltip player_id='386581' first='Jaxon' last='Woods'] and [player_tooltip player_id='353410' first='Caden' last='Knighten'] respectively. So you know that those two teams are going to be in the mix. We also like younger teams like Hooker and Pocola to potentially take the next step and start contending in 2023. Ringling feels like a team that you can just go ahead and pencil in year in and year out. And then you have a team like Cashion that might have taken a step back in 2022, but it's hard to imagine them staying down for two years in a row. But as we mentioned before, Class A has been incredibly competitive over the last decade and that won't change next fall. And there are a few teams that we haven't even mentioned here that will not only be in the mix but could end up making a run, similar to what we saw from Colcord this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->