4A State: Wagoner Players To Watch
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The Class 4A state championship game is set! #1 Wagoner will square off with #3 Blanchard in Edmond on Thursday at 7PM. The Bulldogs are back in Edmond and looking to defend their state championship from a year ago. The Bulldogs are also looking to finish off a perfect season as the wire to wire top-ranked team in Class 4A. For Blanchard, the Lions are hungry for that gold ball and have been playing great football, including a big semifinal win over #2 Poteau. In this post, we’re putting the spotlight on the defending champion Bulldogs with ten players to watch from Wagoner and a few more names to know. Later today, we’ll release our official Class 4A state championship preview, with everything you need to know before Thursday night’s game. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more state championship content in each class!
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WAGONER’S TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH
We kick off the players to watch with a player that head coach Dale Condict considers the best prospect that Wagoner has produced in the last two decades. Junior defensive end Alex Shieldnight Alex Shieldnight 6’3″ | 230 lbs | DL Wagoner | 2025 State OK exploded last fall and has continued to elevate his game this season. On the year, Shieldnight has 12 sacks and countless pressures on the quarterback. Shieldnight already holds the school record for sacks in a career. As we look at this match-up, seeing what Wagoner can do to limit Blanchard’s high-powered passing attack is a big key. And Shieldnight pressuring the quarterback will be something to watch.
Wagoner’s defense is always one of the top units in Class 4A and they get a lot of the headlines every year. One of their breakout players this season has been junior linebacker Bryce Steel Bryce Steel 5’10” | LB Wagoner | 2025 OK as he has emerged as the team’s leading tackler this season. He leads the Bulldogs with nearly 120 tackles on the season. He’s one of only two Bulldogs to have more than 100 tackles this season. Steel also does a great job of getting into the backfield. He leads the team in tackles for loss and is second behind Shieldnight with nine sacks. Steel will look to cause plenty of problems for Blanchard and their pass game.
Wagoner’s offense has reached new heights this season and while the skill players certainly have a lot to do with it, the offensive line is where it starts. The Bulldogs came into this season with quite a few players back on the offensive line. One player that we had our eyes on earlier in the season was the return of senior offensive lineman Dax Griffin Dax Griffin 6’4″ | 280 lbs | OL Wagoner | 2025 State OK and he’s been a big part of the Bulldogs and their success this season. This is a good looking unit but Griffin might be the most experienced of the bunch coming into Thursday night’s championship game. He’ll look to pave the way again for Wagoner.
Highlights
Wagoner junior standout Kale Charboneau Kale Charboneau 6’0″ | 210 lbs | ATH Wagoner | 2025 State OK is one of the top two-way players in the state, regardless of class. Last year, he broke out as a sophomore and helped lead them to a state championship. This season, Charboneau set the record for passing yards in a season. He’s thrown for nearly 2,700 yards and 21 touchdowns. He’s also added over 800 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. And then Charboneau turns around and is second on the team in tackles with a little over 100 tackles on the season. So when we look at Thursday’s game, there are few players that will have more of an impact than Charboneau.
Highlights
We mentioned Steel being that breakout player on the Wagoner defense this season. Coming into this year, senior linebacker Keyton Cole Keyton Cole 6’0″ | 185 lbs | LB Wagoner | 2024 State OK was the linebacker we knew the most about from last season. Cole has certainly not had to do as much this season considering the other players that have emerged on the defensive side of the ball. But Cole is still impactful. He has nearly 70 tackles on the season and does a good job of getting into the backfield with five sacks on the season and over 20 tackles for loss. The Bulldogs have some serious talent at the linebacker position this season and Cole is yet another example.
Highlights
Wagoner has quite a few players that are absolute stars on both sides of the ball. Junior Matson Swanson Matson Swanson 5’10” | ATH Wagoner | 2025 OK is one of them that has emerged this season. We didn’t know much about Swanson prior to this season but he’s been lights out this fall. Swanson is one of the top targets for Charboneau in the passing game. And then he turns around and is a shutdown cornerback. Swanson has put up some very impressive numbers from the cornerback position and we’re fired up to see Swanson and this Wagoner secondary against Blanchard’s quarterback. But look for Swanson to shine on offense and defense.
The Wagoner front seven is going to do what they can do to put pressure on Blanchard’s quarterback but he’s one of the best in Class 4A and is going to get the ball out. Having playmakers in the secondary is going to really benefit the Bulldogs on Thursday night. One of those players is senior Shaun Atkins Shaun Atkins 5’11” | DB Wagoner | 2024 OK at the defensive back position. Atkins is tied for the lead on the team in interceptions. And considering who the Bulldogs are going up against, they’ll need Atkins and the rest of the Wagoner secondary to be on it’s A-game. We’re looking forward to seeing how they perform on the biggest stage.
While Wagoner’s passing attack with Charboneau has reached new heights this season, the running game is still critically important to their success on the offensive side of the ball. Junior running back Trenton Edwards Trenton Edwards 6’0″ | RB Wagoner | 2025 OK has emerged as their top running back this season and he has taken advantage of the opportunity. He’s second on the team behind Charboneau in rushing with nearly 700 yards on the season. He’s run for nearly ten touchdowns and has also caught four more touchdowns. Don’t overlook Edwards and his ability to have a major impact on the game Thursday night.
We talked with Wagoner head coach Dale Condict earlier this week and one thing about his team he mentioned was how deep the secondary is. Junior Tres Thornton Tres Thornton 6’1″ | DB Wagoner | 2025 OK is a perfect example of just that. When we went over the starting lineup, Thornton wasn’t listed but he sees plenty of playing time. So much playing time that he’s tied with Atkins and Charboneau for the lead in interceptions. Thornton is going to see the field on Thursday and like we mentioned specifically with Atkins, he’ll play a big role as a potential ball hawk. Thornton and the Wagoner secondary will look to shut down Blanchard’s passing game.
Wagoner senior and Vanderbilt commit Witt Edwards Witt Edwards 6’6″ | 200 lbs | WR Wagoner | 2024 State OK has been a star for the Bulldogs since his sophomore season. He took his game to another level last fall and then did it again this season. Edwards is the team’s leading receiver in all three categories and has been Charboneau’s top target in the pass game for two seasons now. But Edwards is also a standout on the defensive side of the ball. Edwards is a star on offense, that part is obvious. But his ability to change the game on defense is one thing that cannot be overlooked. He shined in last year’s title game and looks to do it again on Thursday.
MORE NAMES TO KNOW
PLAYER | CLASS | POSITION |
Anthony Coleman Anthony Coleman 6'2" | 175 lbs | DB Wagoner | 2025 OK | 2025 | Defensive Back |
Dejay Pierce Dejay Pierce 5'10" | LB Wagoner | 2025 OK | 2025 | Linebacker |
Josh Davis Josh Davis 6'0" | DL Wagoner | 2024 OK | 2024 | Defensive Lineman |
Logan Bloxsom Logan Bloxsom 6'2" | K Wagoner | 2024 OK | 2024 | Kicker |
Ryder Aadahl Ryder Aadahl 5'10" | OL Wagoner | 2024 OK | 2024 | Offensive Lineman |
Sean Poteet Sean Poteet 6'5" | OL Wagoner | 2024 OK | 2024 | Offensive Lineman |