Elgin 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>There's no other way to describe it, #4 Elgin has been absolutely dominant this season. The Owls are 8-0 as they head into a week nine showdown with #10 Lawton MacArthur. The "closest" game came back in week four when they beat El Reno on the road to open district play. The final score was 54-21 in favor of the Owls. But when we look at this match-up with the Highlanders on paper, and look ahead to a week ten showdown with Midwest City, these two weeks are going to go a long way to deciding how this season will play out when the playoffs begin in just a few weeks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Owls left no doubt earlier in the season as they ran over non-district opponents on their way to a 3-0 start. We got a chance to see Elgin in person when they traveled to Weatherford to face the Eagles and were once again dominant in a 42-7 win over a Weatherford squad that has some good players. Since district play began, Elgin continued that dominance and now they shift their focus to the final two weeks of the season against the Highlanders this week and the Bombers next week. That Midwest City match-up is a rematch of last year's week ten clash with the district title on the line. Midwest City won in the final seconds to stun Elgin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But before they can worry about week ten, they face a Lawton MacArthur team that is fighting for their district title hopes and a win on Friday can get them right back in position for the crown. Like Elgin, the Highlanders have been dominant all season but then they ran into a buzzsaw against Midwest City and lost 42-7. They bounced back right away and beat up on El Reno last week but the Midwest City loss has put Lawton Mac with their backs against the wall as they look to keep their district title hopes alive. From the start of the season, the Highlanders have been a team that was high on our radar in Class 5A. This is one of the best games in the class this week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, we take a look at some players to watch for the Owls heading into this week's top ten showdown with the Highlanders. These aren't the only players that will be making big plays but between what they've already done this season and the match-up itself, they should be some of the top impact players for Elgin as they look to take another step towards the district championship. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>ELGIN PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["497346"],"_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":"One thing that we've said quite a bit this fall already is just how deep Class 5A is this year at the running back position. Elgin has a few running backs you need to know about but paving the way for them up front has been an impressive offensive line. Junior offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='497346' first='Jace' last='Williams'] is absolutely nasty at the point of attack. One thing that really has impressed us about Williams so far this season is his ability to play in multiple spots on the offensive line. He's already shown on film that it doesn't matter where he lines up, he has the ability to open up running lanes. Williams has been dishing out pancakes all season and it doesn't seem like he's slowing down anytime soon. We're looking forward to taking a deeper dive into his abilities as a prospect because he has some serious potential.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["449039"],"_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":"Class 5A has running backs. That's been a massive theme this year. Elgin's senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='449039' first='Matt' last='Lund'] has established himself as one of the best in the class and in the state. Earlier this month, Lund broke the school's all time record record for rushing yards in a career. And this season in particular, he has been a dominant back that has plenty of tread on the tires. He only has 89 carries through eight games and he's closing in on the 1,300 yard mark and has 15 touchdowns on the season. With Lund not having that big of a workload on his legs this season, we anticipate that is going to change moving forward. As the competition level goes up, we expect the carries to go up as well. And Lund has proven already this season that good things happen when the ball is in his hands.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["472321"],"_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":"Elgin sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='472321' first='Ritson' last='Meyer'] is a 2026 prospect that we are very excited about moving forward. With Lund in the backfield, Meyer has had a limited role on offense but he's still become a touchdown machine for the Owls. He's only had double digit carries on two occasions this season and despite that, he had ten touchdowns on the year and four games with two scores. Like Lund, he's also been able to show that he can make plays out of the backfield as a receiver. Meyer also turns around and is one of the hardest hitting players on the Elgin defense. That's probably where he is most valuable right now but his progression is going to be very interesting to watch moving forward. With Lund graduating after this season, that will open things up in the backfield for Meyer to become the marquee back.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["211570"],"_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":"With Elgin having such a dominant rushing attack, junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='211570' first='Tres' last='Lorah'] hasn't had too many responsibilities this season. But that doesn't mean he's simply a game manager at the quarterback position. He's shown in the past that he can get it done through the air if that's what's necessary. But when you have two running backs that have combined for 25 touchdowns, it hasn't been too necessary. This season, Lorah is completing over 70 percent of his passes with 17 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. But for Lorah and the Owls, they will act as if the playoffs have already begun with the last two weeks against top ten-quality competition. And Lorah and the Elgin offense will have to pass the ball to win games at some point in the next six weeks. He should be ready.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-653987607967a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->