Owasso Practice Report

<!-- 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 Owasso Rams have climbed all the way to #2 in the 6A-1 rankings heading into this week's road clash with #5 Union to open up district play. All signs point to this game deciding the district championship. Although Mustang and the Edmond schools will certainly have something to say about that. And the Rams are playing good football and they hope to continue that momentum coming off a bye week after back to back wins over Jenks and Broken Arrow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams opened up the season with a 42-14 loss to Bixby in a rematch of last year's state championship game. The offense really struggled and were shut out for most of the night. But ever since then, the offense has been hard to contain and that was evident the following week when they beat Jenks 34-27 at home. The Rams jumped out to a 34-7 lead and would hold off the furious Trojan rally to secure the win. The following week, the offense once again had no problems as they beat the Tigers 45-21.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensively, the Rams have done a lot of their damage in the passing game. They are still trying to find an identity with the running game, playing multiple players at running back. But the passing game has picked up in a big way with quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='110745' first='Knox' last='Dyson'] and his two top targets [player_tooltip player_id='154214' first='Deuce' last='Chalk'] and [player_tooltip player_id='122241' first='J'Kharri' last='Thomas'] at wide receiver. The Rams also have one of the better offensive line units in the state and they'll lean on that against Union. Defensively, this is still a unit that is coming together with quite a few new faces. They've played really well in spots but are still looking for their first game of solid play for all four quarters. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As they look across the field at their opponent in Union, the Rams will try to slow down their high-powered offense. The Redhawks are led by their star quarterback and he has firmly established himself as one of the best in the state. A big key to Owasso's success on Friday night will be finding a way to contain him. Or take a page out of Jenks' book two weeks ago and force him into making a rare mistake and turning the ball over. The Rams lost to Union 35-17 last season in the regular season. But they got the last laugh when they beat the Redhawks 50-47 in the six-overtime classic in the 6A-1 semifinals. It wouldn't surprise us if Friday's game ends up deciding the district title or becomes the first of two meetings with Union this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>OWASSO'S PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["154214"],"_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":"We take a lot of pride in covering Oklahoma high school football 24/7/365. Because of our year-long coverage, we had the benefit of watching Owasso senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='154214' first='Deuce' last='Chalk'] when he played travel 7v7 with Sooner 7 for the last few offseasons. And with that came a knowledge that it was only a matter of time before Chalk became one of the top senior wide receivers in the state. Even in their loss to Bixby, Chalk was the top option on the offensive side of the ball. Then he had the best game of his career the following week against Jenks. He caught five passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns. On the season, he's Owasso's leading receiver in yards and touchdowns. He's a big play threat but he's going to be tested against a talented Union secondary.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["115730"],"_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":"Whenever you talk about high school football players from a recruiting standpoint, the word u0022underratedu0022 gets thrown around a lot. For Owasso senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='122241' first='J'Kharri' last='Thomas'] it seems to fit. When you look at his production over the last 12 months, there are few players in 6A-1 that have been as productive as him. Whether it's on offense or special teams, Thomas is special with the football in his hands. There are two things about him that are true every time he's on the field. He's usually the smallest player out there but more importantly, he's usually the most elusive player. Thomas leads the team in receptions and while Chalk is the big play receiver, Thomas is the guy that will get the job done after the catch. He well over 100 yards of total offense against Union in their last meeting.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["110745"],"_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":"There's no other way to put it, Owasso quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='110745' first='Knox' last='Dyson'] has made an unbelievable jump when you look at his last two games compared to what we saw from him against Bixby. In week zero, Dyson was 6-13 for 55 yards. In the wins over Jenks and Broken Arrow, he's a combined 26-37 for 570 yards and eight touchdowns. He's been incredibly efficient with the football and there's no doubt that he has weapons with Chalk and Thomas at the wide receiver position. But I think it's safe to say that his progression from week zero to where he is now is one of the best we've seen from anyone in the state. Dyson also benefits from having that strong offensive line in front of him and they've kept him upright. Now, he looks to carve up his former team.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1004353"],"_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":"Flipping over to the defense, we mentioned earlier that the Rams were still looking for a consistent identity on this side of the ball. But one player that did impress us in that season-opening loss to Bixby was senior defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1004353' first='Roman' last='Graham']. He was consistent throughout the night and he has continued that play over the first three games and we're going to have our eyes on him when they face off with Union. Graham has been simply disruptive to opposing offenses. He leads the team in tackles for loss and sacks and if the Rams are going to win their third straight game, Graham is going to play a big role. Union has one of the best quarterbacks in the state. Graham and the Owasso defensive front have to make him uncomfortable on Friday.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-650b3e3beb372"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->