6A-2 State: Stillwater Players To Watch
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The Class 6A-2 state championship game is set! #1 Stillwater will look to defend their 2022 state championship when they square off with #2 Muskogee in Edmond on Friday at 1PM. The Roughers were the top-ranked team in Class 6A-2 for the majority of the 2023 season. That was until they tripped up in the final week of the regular season to Stillwater. The Pioneers now look to go back to back as 6A-2 champion and Muskogee is looking for their first title in nearly four decades. In this post, we’re putting the spotlight on the Pioneers with ten players to watch from Stillwater and even more names to know! And keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma each day for more state championship preview content in each class!
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STILLWATER’S TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH
One of the biggest questions we had about Stillwater revolved around their defense. The Pioneers lost quite a few starters on that side of the ball and they were dominant last year. But a new year brings new playmakers emerging and junior linebacker Athan Nickles Athan Nickles 6’0″ | LB Stillwater | 2025 OK is one of them. He is second on the team in tackles with nearly 100 on the season. He also leads the team in tackles for loss and he’s stepped his game up in the last month. Nickles has more than ten tackles in each of the last three games. He’s coming off a season-high 13 tackles against Choctaw in the semifinals.
Stillwater senior quarterback Chance Acord Chance Acord 6’0″ | 190 lbs | QB Stillwater | 2024 State OK joined the Pioneer football program this offseason after moving in from Cashion. Acord would eventually win the QB1 job and he’s played some of his best football over the last five weeks. In those games, Acord has 15 touchdowns with just two interceptions. That includes a performance in the quarterfinals where Acord threw for over 350 yards and five touchdowns. Acord also had a solid performance in the week ten victory over Muskogee. Acord has been efficient and is looking to help lead the Pioneers to another state title.
Going into any given season, there are a handful of freshmen that we already know about and have a good idea on who could be instant impact players. Stillwater freshman wide receiver Deakon Jones Deakon Jones 6’1″ | 170 lbs | WR Stillwater | 2027 State OK was one of those players for us coming into this season. And Jones has backed up the hype. He has the chance to be special as long as he continues to put the work in. And he’s immediately helped the team by producing at a high level this season. In the week ten win over Muskogee, Jones was one of the top targets in the passing game with eight catches on the night.
Before this season began, we put the spotlight on several players that missed significant time last season. Stillwater senior running back Holden Thompson Holden Thompson 5’10” | 180 lbs | RB Stillwater | 2024 State OK was one of them. And if you’ve seen the Pioneers this season, you can’t help but notice Thompson as the biggest playmaker on this Stillwater team. Thompson has run for nearly 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns on the season. The thing that impresses us the most is Thompson can be an absolute work horse if he needs to be. He has three games this year with at least 30 carries, including 34 carries last week in the semifinals.
Stillwater senior tight end Josh Ford Josh Ford 6’3″ | TE Stillwater | 2024 State OK is the top college prospect on this year’s Pioneer team. Ford announced his commitment to stay home at Oklahoma State. This season, Ford has seen his production go up from last season. Ford is your prototypical tight end that is just as dangerous as a blocker as he is as a receiver. Ford gives the Pioneers a massive target in the red zone. And more times than not, he acts as an extension of the Stillwater offensive line as an excellent blocker. Ford is going to provide plenty of versatility when he moves on to the next level at Oklahoma State.
Stillwater’s offensive line has been one of the better units in Class 6A-2 over the last several seasons and it’s hard to argue that they aren’t at least near the top once again in 2023. Despite losing quite a few standout offensive linemen to graduation, we’ve seen the emergence of junior lineman Judah Schwoegler Judah Schwoegler 6’4″ | OL Stillwater | 2025 OK this season. And when you see the production Thompson has had in the running game, it all starts up front with the offensive line. There’s a reason why Stillwater’s offensive line has been one of the better units over the last several years and Schwoegler is the next one up.
Stillwater sophomore Nehemiah Kolone Nehemiah Kolone 6’4″ | 245 lbs | DL Stillwater | 2026 State OK is a 2026 prospect to keep an eye on moving forward. When we first saw Kolone, he was a freshman and he was mainly standing out in freshman or JV ball. But you could see all the examples of him being a game-wrecking defensive lineman. This season, Kolone has been that impact player on the Stillwater defensive line. When we watched the Pioneers in person back in September, Kolone caused a lot of problems for their opponent. We’re looking forward to seeing him attack a Muskogee offensive line that’s experienced and talented.
Highlights
Coming into this season, Stillwater senior standout Talon Kendrick Talon Kendrick 6’2″ | ATH Stillwater | 2024 State OK was a player that we had circled as a prospect primed for a big 2023 season. We watched Kendrick quite a bit in the offseason while he played in various 7v7 tournaments and he performed well at our camp in April. And he’s backed up all the offseason hype with a terrific season this fall. And with the Pioneers losing one of their star wide receiver/defensive backs, Kendrick has taken his game to a new level this fall. In addition to receiver and defensive back, Kendrick is also a playmaker as a wildcat quarterback.
Highlights
We mentioned earlier how the defensive side of the ball was a question mark because of the starters lost to graduation. One player returning with experience was junior Tan Booth Tan Booth 5’10” | ATH Stillwater | 2025 State OK on the defensive side of the ball. Booth has emerged this season as the team’s leading tackler with nearly 100 on the season. And he’s coming off a semifinal performance against Choctaw where he had 17 tackles on the night. The thing that impresses us about Booth is his production. The junior missed almost a month of this season and still leads the team in tackles. When he’s on the field, he produces.
Similar to Kendrick, fellow senior Trey Tuck Trey Tuck 6’3″ | 185 lbs | ATH Stillwater | 2024 State OK has emerged as an absolute two-way star for the Pioneers this season. On offense, Tuck is a game-changing wide receiver and on defense, he’s a ball hawk of a defensive back. Offensively, Tuck leads the team in receiving yards and touchdowns this season. On defense, he leads the team in interceptions. And in the regular season meeting with Muskogee back in week ten, Tuck was a star on defense. He finished the night with two interceptions against one of the state’s best quarterbacks. He’ll look to do it again on Friday.
Highlights
MORE NAMES TO KNOW
PLAYER | CLASS | POSITION |
Caleb Humble Caleb Humble 6'2" | DL Stillwater | 2025 OK | 2025 | Defensive Lineman |
Cord Nelson Cord Nelson 6'3" | 270 lbs | OL Stillwater | 2025 OK | 2025 | Offensive Lineman |
Ethan Dudgeon Ethan Dudgeon 5'10" | LB Stillwater | 2025 OK | 2025 | Linebacker |
Nolan Lantz Nolan Lantz 6'1" | DL Stillwater | 2024 OK | 2024 | Offensive/Defensive Lineman |