Sooner State Shootout: Top 18U Offensive Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Sooner State Shootout is in the books and it was a fantastic weekend of football in Broken Arrow! 65 teams from 8 different states came and&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/02/sooner-state-shootout-recap/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">four would walk away with championships in their respective divisions</a></strong>. In this post, I'm going to take a look at several playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. From running backs to tight ends and wide receivers, this group features some talented athletes. If you're looking for the quarterbacks, you can check out that spotlight <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/03/sooner-state-shootout-top-18u-quarterbacks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RIGHT HERE</a></strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='683729' first='Braden' last='Turner'] - 2024 Tight End - West Side Elite (Enid)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first of many tight ends that stood out to us over the weekend was Edmond North 2024 tight end [player_tooltip player_id='683729' first='Braden' last='Turner'] while playing with West Side Elite. Turner caught the eye of several of our writers but when I got a chance to watch one of their games, it was hard not to be impressed with him, especially in the red zone area. Turner was catching almost everything thrown his way and he's a big body that was strong in 1 on 1 situations. There are some prospects that shine in 7v7 situations but you wonder how it's going to translate when the pads come on. When we watched Turner, it made us look forward to seeing him again when the pads come on so we can see just how physical he can be in those passing situations. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='353410' first='Caden' last='Knighten'] - 2025 Running Back - C4 (Wynnewood)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're not breaking news here with this next standout. Wynnewood 2025 standout [player_tooltip player_id='353410' first='Caden' last='Knighten'] is one of the more electric players in the state's 2025 class and he showed that throughout his sophomore year when he earned a spot as a finalist for our Player Of The Year award. Throughout the weekend, Knighten would line up in various spots but would always find a way to make plays. Whether he was catching passes over the middle or showcasing his speed on go routes, Knighten was a match-up nightmare because in most cases, he had a linebacker matched up with him and they just can't keep up. Knighten was also slippery after the catch and showcased his ability to make defenders miss with his cutting ability. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='393579' first='Cutter' last='Greene'] - 2024 Wide Receiver - Sooner 7 (Perkins-Tryon)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the best plays we saw all weekend came on Saturday from Perkins-Tryon junior [player_tooltip player_id='393579' first='Cutter' last='Greene'] while he was playing with one of Sooner 7's 18U teams. Greene would climb the ladder and make a spectacular catch on a pass from Muskogee quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='211556' first='Jamarian' last='Ficklin']. And he displayed on that one play, what we've been talking about with him for about a year now. Greene is such an underrated athlete in the state's 2024 class and in that one play, he opened up some eyes on what he could do on the football field. We first opened our eyes to Greene from his play on the basketball floor. You see him jump out of the gym, you see the physical attributes he has and then you find out he's a wide receiver too. We were in immediately. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='683730' first='Garrett' last='Vaughn'] - 2024 Wide Receiver - Sooner 7 (Bixby)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bixby 2024 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='683730' first='Garrett' last='Vaughn'] is the perfect example of a player that is an absolute nightmare in 7v7 situations. All you have to do is get a hand on him for him to be down. The problem with that is that you can't touch what you can't catch. And as the picture above shows, there were plenty of situations this weekend where defenders simply couldn't catch Vaughn while he played with 918 Elite. We're intrigued by the offseason Vaughn is having and he's at the perfect school. With Bixby losing a decent amount of talent at the wide receiver position to graduation, that could open the door for Vaughn to be a breakout player for the Spartans this fall. They know how to utilize players like Vaughn and have years of proof to back that up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='286908' first='Josh' last='Hendricks'] - 2024 Wide Receiver/Safety - Sooner 7 (Rejoice Christian)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As long as Rejoice Christian junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='286908' first='Josh' last='Hendricks'] continues to make plays, we're going to keep writing about him. Hendricks is one of the more under-appreciated talents in Oklahoma right now and we don't know what's taking colleges so long to wake up. Hendricks is an absolute athlete that helped his high school team in all three phases of the game. He is a standout in track as well so speed isn't an issue. And then, as he displayed on Saturday specifically, he can catch anything you throw his way and then making something happen with it after the catch. In one game on Saturday that I got a chance to watch all of, Hendricks made his living with the underneath routes and crossers over the middle. Get the ball to him while he's on the move and watch out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='299735' first='Kooper' last='Rich'] - 2024 Tight End - Northwest Elite (Ponca City)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've written about Ponca City 2024 tight end [player_tooltip player_id='299735' first='Kooper' last='Rich'] starting around this time last year when we first watched his sophomore tape. He was at Waynoka at the time just absolutely smashing opponents in 8-man football. Rich impressed us then and he made the transition to the 11-man game last season. But this was my first opportunity to really get a look at him in person move around in a competition setting. And not only did he impress me, he impressed some of our other writers as well as they made the rounds and would catch a glimpse of the big athlete from Ponca City. It still looks like Rich is just scratching the surface on what he can truly be down the line and we think that he continues to have a high ceiling as a tight end. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='393974' first='Rodney' last='Fields'] - 2024 Running Back - Sooner 7 (Southeast)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of what we wrote about [player_tooltip player_id='353410' first='Caden' last='Knighten'] can be repeated here with Southeast 2024 running back and Oklahoma State commit [player_tooltip player_id='393974' first='Rodney' last='Fields']. And it's nothing new for Fields as we've written about him a few times in the last few months for what he's done in 7v7 settings. You hear the term "cheat code" a lot in 7v7 and there's different variations of that. It could be a 6'6 athlete in the red zone or in the case of Fields and Knighten for that matter, it's a slippery running back that has to beat a linebacker to get open. So in other words, Fields is going to be open on almost every play. Once again, the future Cowboy made plays with the ball in his hands after the catch and specifically in bracket play on Sunday, he was one of the top playmakers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='360241' first='Sam' last='Rhoades V'] - 2024 Tight End - Sooner 7 (Bishop Kelley)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the buzz words in recruiting that we're guilty of using from time to time is "stock riser" and we're using it again here. Our final tight end on this breakdown is Bishop Kelley junior [player_tooltip player_id='360241' first='Sam' last='Rhoades V'] and there aren't many 2024 prospects right now that are ahead of Rhoades right now in terms of being a stock riser as a prospect. He recently picked up his first D1 offer, he continues to tear it up every time we see him in 7v7 tournaments, and it's just the beginning of what should be a very busy spring. Rhoades was at it again over the weekend in Broken Arrow with reliable hands and specifically giving his quarterback a big target in the end zone. Like the other tight ends, we cannot wait to see Rhodes again this spring when the pads come on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->