Union Practice Report

<!-- 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>It's Backyard Bowl week and on Friday night Jenks will play host to Union in the renewal of one of the best high school football rivalries in the country over the last three decades. While this year's meeting feels a little different considering the records, it's still Jenks and Union. And anytime these two teams take the field against one another, throw the records out the window because anything can, and usually does happen. In this post, we're putting a spotlight on the #2 Redhawks after their 2-0 start. How they've looked as a team and some of their players to pay attention to this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Redhawks took care of business in the first two weeks with a dominant road win over Westmoore in week zero, followed by a win at home against Broken Arrow. The Redhawks trailed the Tigers at halftime but the defense would come alive in the second half and they kept the Tigers off the scoreboard in the third and fourth quarters. Union finds themselves 2-0 heading into the annual Backyard Bowl this week and they are #2 in the latest 6A-1 rankings. Only defending champion Bixby is in the top spot and everyone is chasing the Spartans at this point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensively, the Redhawks were outstanding in the week zero win over Westmoore. They lit up the scoreboard throughout the night. The passing game has been excellent through the first two weeks of the season and the running game is coming together as they use a few different guys in the backfield. And those running backs are working behind a rather inexperienced offensive line. But there is no doubt that the strength of this team is going to come from [player_tooltip player_id='188014' first='Shaker' last='Reisig'] at quarterback. He has been outstanding through the first two games and we're looking forward to what he does on Friday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, it's hard not to be impressed with what this unit has been able to do but they will certainly be tested again this week against the Trojans. In the first week, they contained a Westmoore offense that has one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks to just seven points on the night. They gave up some chunk plays against Broken Arrow but as we mentioned earlier, they put the clamps down on the Tigers in the second half. The Trojans are going to be an interesting test because their offense came alive in the final quarter and they nearly rallied to beat Owasso after trailing 34-7. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, we put a spotlight on four players to keep an eye on this week as the Redhawks look to hand Jenks their third consecutive loss to start the season. Now, these players are a combination of top players and other guys who are enjoying breakout starts to their season. Union is not lacking talent and there are quite a few other names that could be thrown into this discussion. Either way, these four players are guys that should have a major impact on the game Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["110754"],"_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":"Our first player to watch is one that was just destined for a breakout season this fall. Senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='110754' first='Brendon' last='McQueen'] is healthy and is ready to make a big impact on the field this week and throughout the season. McQueen missed a lot of the 2022 season and is making up for lost time this fall. McQueen, combined with fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='110747' first='Jino' last='Boyd'], gives Union two great options in the pass game and they aren't the only two. The tight end position is deep and there are a few other names in the pass game that are making impacts this season. McQueen is a player that we really like moving forward as a breakout contender this fall and more college coaches are certainly going to start paying attention to what he does as he continues to produce. He's off to a great start and a game against Jenks is a great platform to make plays and open a few more eyes.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["110740"],"_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":"Union senior [player_tooltip player_id='110740' first='Issac' last='Covington'] might be the best player on this Union roster that doesn't get enough credit for how special he is. Covington has been an absolute athlete since he was a freshman and we like how the Redhawks use him on the defensive side of the ball. But that's not the only thing he can do as he's proven in the past, both with Booker T Washington and with Union last year, that he can be an impact player on offense. In last year's semifinal game against Owasso, Covington came in at running back and helped the Redhawks in the extra periods. But on defense, he leads a back seven that has a lot of experience and overall talent. I personally have watched Covington make plays even before he stepped into high school and there is no doubt that he is a talented player that will make an impact at the next level. The only question we have is which position?","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["439153"],"_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":"In last year's Backyard Bowl, running back [player_tooltip player_id='439153' first='Jordan' last='Schelling'] was a sophomore for Jenks and had several big plays against the Redhawks. Fast forward to this week's meeting and Schelling will be on the visitor's sideline when Union travels to face the rival Trojans. Schelling moved to Union in the summer and has become Union's top running back and just a versatile weapon on the offensive side of the ball. He's produced in the running game, which was to be expected, but he's also become a target in the passing game. He had a catch and run for a touchdown in the win over Broken Arrow last week and as he gets more and more comfortable in this offense, more opportunities are going to open up for him. We really like the depth that Union has at the running back position and Schelling has really taken this opportunity and ran with it so far this season.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["188014"],"_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":"It's Backyard Bowl week and anytime you talk about Jenks-Union, the move of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='188014' first='Shaker' last='Reisig'] from Jenks to Union gets brought up. But that's ancient history to us at this point. We're here to talk about Reisig this season and what he's been able to do in the first two weeks. And what he's been able to do is play as close to flawless football as you can get. Reisig is completing nearly 80 percent of his passes and he's thrown for over 300 yards in each of the first two games. We've always said he's arguably the most accurate quarterback in the state and there aren't many mistakes he's going to make. But what's even more impressive than that is his ability to spread the love around the offense. In their first game against Westmoore, he threw a touchdown pass to five different receivers. He's reached a totally new level at the QB position.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64f7810c79d4a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->