Class 6A-2 Season In Review

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 football season has come to a close and it's time to start taking a look back at the year in football before we move on to the offseason and looking ahead to 2024. Every day for the next four weeks, we'll have more postseason content on Prep Redzone Oklahoma. From our Season In Review series to player awards and of course our All State teams. Check back each day for a new postseason post on the 2023 season, ONLY on Prep Redzone Oklahoma. In this post, we're continuing our season in review series with a look back at all the top stories and players from Class 6A-2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>STATE CHAMPION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Muskogee Roughers (11-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ever since the end of the 2022 season, Muskogee was considered by us as the favorite to win Class 6A-2 this year. The Roughers have been building up to becoming a monster and now they've completed the journey and are holding the crown. After a 2-8 season in 2021, the Roughers went 10-2 last year and they brought almost everyone back for this fall. After a tough loss in a “1 Versus 1” match-up to Carl Albert, the Roughers flipped the switch and started dominating. They had a close win over Bartlesville in week nine but that set up a week ten clash with Stillwater on the road for the district title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Roughers just didn't get the job done that night, falling to Stillwater in week ten for the second straight year. But there was plenty of feeling that night that these two teams were the best in the class and a rematch for the gold ball was imminent. The Roughers beat Ponca City in the quarterfinals for the second straight year before facing Deer Creek in the semifinals. The Roughers had to survive on the goal line to win. After back to back procedure penalties on Muskogee, Deer Creek decided to go for the win on a two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point with 15 seconds left. They came up short and that punched Muskogee's ticket to Edmond.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Roughers would get another shot at the Pioneers after falling to them in week ten on the road. Muskogee would walk away with a 28-26 victory and it was their first state championship in nearly four decades. The Roughers had more late game drama for the second consecutive week. After leading 28-20, the Pioneers scored and it came down to another two-point conversion with less than a minute to play. The Muskogee defense came up with another stop when they needed to do so and after recovering the onside kick, the Roughers were state champions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmOi8TRkWZIu0026amp;t=97s","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmOi8TRkWZI&amp;t=97s </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>6A-2 PLAYER OF THE YEAR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["211556"],"_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":"Muskogee junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='211556' first='Jamarian' last='Ficklin'] was the easy choice here. He's the answer no matter how you define u0022player of the yearu0022 and what criteria you use for that. Ficklin put up monster numbers this season with over 4,000 yards of total offense and 32 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns. He was at his best in some of Muskogee's biggest games of the year and proved multiple times this season that he can beat opponents in a variety of ways. He was arguably the best player on the field as the Roughers captured a state championship and had an outstanding performance in the 6A-2 title game. No matter how you look at it, we don't think you'll find a better player in 6A-2 this season than Ficklin. And he'll be back and hungry for more in 2024.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-658367c2d1cff"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>BREAKOUT STARS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992746' first='Ali' last='McCoy'] - 2025 Running Back - Sand Springs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It didn't take long to figure out that Sand Springs had something special brewing in the backfield at running back. We knew about senior [player_tooltip player_id='382992' first='Kenneth' last='Page'] returning but junior [player_tooltip player_id='992746' first='Ali' last='McCoy'] was more of an unknown to us coming into this season. But McCoy had a stellar junior season and as we start looking ahead to next season, McCoy is going to have a chance to put some very impressive numbers up as the marquee back in this offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1078310' first='Brayden' last='Knox'] - 2025 Linebacker - Putnam City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Putnam City junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1078310' first='Brayden' last='Knox'] might not fit the typical definition of "breakout star" because he had a solid sophomore season in 2022. But when we say that Knox was a breakout star this season, we're specifically talking about the fact that Knox was one of the best linebackers in 6A-2 this fall. Knox has emerged as a big time prospect that we are fired up to see more of moving forward in the next 12 months. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473952' first='Joseph' last='Graves'] - 2027 Defensive Lineman - Booker T Washington</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The only freshman to be featured in this post is Booker T Washington standout [player_tooltip player_id='473952' first='Joseph' last='Graves'] from the defensive line position. Early on in his freshman season, Graves was an immediate impact player for the Hornets. He absolutely terrorized the line of scrimmage and has the chance to be a pretty special prospect. With BTW moving down to Class 5A and Graves and a ton of young talent returning, look for the Hornets to bounce back in 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='595671' first='Joshua' last='Lombard'] - 2026 Quarterback - Putnam City North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We wrote about Putnam City North sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='595671' first='Joshua' last='Lombard'] prior to the playoffs beginning in November. We mentioned how Lombard is another example of a quarterback that was thrown to the fire this season and he figured it out as his team started to have some success. We're looking forward to seeing how Lombard continues to develop at the quarterback position and what he will look like with the experience he gained this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='894347' first='Mason' last='Smith'] - 2025 Wide Receiver - Deer Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When we got a chance to see Deer Creek back in the spring, one of the things that impressed us was their size at the wide receiver position. Leading that group this season was junior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='894347' first='Mason' last='Smith'] and he emerged as arguably the top target in the Deer Creek passing attack. With Smith and a few other players on this Deer Creek offense coming back, don't be surprised to see Deer Creek near the top of 6A-2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>OTHER TOP PLAYERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='202153' first='Anthony' last='Watson'] - 2024 Athlete - Muskogee</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Muskogee senior [player_tooltip player_id='202153' first='Anthony' last='Watson'] is one of the better football players in the state's 2024 class. It doesn't matter where he lines up on the field, the Rougher standout finds a way to make a tremendous impact and this season was another example of that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='211555' first='Cash' last='Williams'] - 2025 Quarterback - Choctaw</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Choctaw junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='211555' first='Cash' last='Williams'] was an absolute playmaker for the Yellowjackets this season. Williams eventually won the QB1 job and was outstanding in the pass and run game. After missing most of his sophomore year, Williams was lights out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='375968' first='Chance' last='Acord'] - 2024 Quarterback - Stillwater</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stillwater senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='375968' first='Chance' last='Acord'] moved to Stillwater in the offseason and eventually won the starting role and ran with it. Acord had some outstanding players around him but he also had plenty of moments where he elevated his game to new heights. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='898115' first='Damien' last='Niko'] - 2025 Wide Receiver - Bartlesville </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first of two terrific junior playmakers from Bartlesville is [player_tooltip player_id='898115' first='Damien' last='Niko'] at wide receiver. Niko enjoyed a strong junior season and the Bruins are going to be a team to look out for next fall. They return some of their best skill talent heading into 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='449993' first='Easton' last='Webb'] - 2026 Quarterback - Sand Springs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sand Springs quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='449993' first='Easton' last='Webb'] started for the Sandites as a freshman in 2022 and took another step at the position this fall. Webb led a Sand Springs offense that was run-heavy but when he had a chance to sling the ball around, he was impressive to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242231' first='Grady' last='Adamson'] - 2025 Quarterback - Deer Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Deer Creek junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='242231' first='Grady' last='Adamson'] came into this season as one of the top quarterbacks in his class. The thing that impressed us the most about Adamson this season was his production in the run game. Adamson is an efficient and explosive quarterback. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='215207' first='Holden' last='Thompson'] - 2024 Running Back - Stillwater</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After missing all of his junior season, Stillwater senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='215207' first='Holden' last='Thompson'] made up for the lost time this fall. He ran for over 2,000 yards and was one of the more impressive workhorse backs that we saw this season. He had multiple games with over 30 carries. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1041938' first='Jordan' last='Warrior'] - 2024 Athlete - Putnam City West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Putnam City West made it back to the playoffs this season and it was clear early on that the Patriots had the firepower to do just that. Senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='1041938' first='Jordan' last='Warrior'] was part of that firepower on both sides of the ball. He had a stellar season in all three phases. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='392007' first='Judson' last='Keefer'] - 2024 Quarterback - Putnam City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Putnam City senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='392007' first='Judson' last='Keefer'] definitely earned his spot on this breakdown after the season he had. Keefer put up some really impressive numbers in the passing game and then when he needed to tuck the ball and run, he had success. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='211559' first='JuJu' last='Smith'] - 2025 Athlete - Choctaw</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Choctaw junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='211559' first='JuJu' last='Smith'] is going to be a fun player to watch next season. For the Yellowjackets this year, Smith was Choctaw's most explosive player in all phases of the game. He was incredibly productive on the offensive side of the ball this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='129399' first='Kayden' last='McGee'] - 2024 Wide Receiver - Muskogee</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Muskogee senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='129399' first='Kayden' last='McGee'] was once again one of the best players in 6A-2 this season. Last year, he took his game to new heights and came into this fall with a big target on him. He still rose to the challenge every week, helping Muskogee to the gold ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='598826' first='Ondraye' last='Beasley'] - 2025 Athlete - Muskogee</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Muskogee junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='598826' first='Ondraye' last='Beasley'] could be categorized as a breakout star this season. Beasley was one of Muskogee's top offensive weapons this fall. Beasley was a threat in the run game but he was also one of their top receivers and he's back for more in 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='515901' first='PJ' last='Wallace'] - 2025 Running Back - Bartlesville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlesville junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='515901' first='PJ' last='Wallace'] is one of the best running backs in the state. Wallace was outstanding as a sophomore and he was probably even better this fall as a junior. As we start looking ahead to 2024, Wallace is near the top of the list at his position. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611314' first='Talon' last='Kendrick'] - 2024 Athlete - Stillwater</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We had a feeling before the season that 2023 would be a big year for Stillwater senior [player_tooltip player_id='611314' first='Talon' last='Kendrick'] and that's exactly how it played out. We saw the Pioneers three times in person this season and every time, Kendrick was one of the best players on the field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='291011' first='Will' last='Smith'] - 2024 Defensive Lineman - Choctaw</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After having to miss the first part of his senior season, Choctaw defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='291011' first='Will' last='Smith'] came back with a vengeance and had a terrific season. Smith is signed with Tulsa and has the ability to be a tremendous edge rusher with unique athletic ability. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>EARLY LOOK AT 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 6A-2 is going to look very different in 2024. The last two seasons have begun a new era after Bixby moved up to 6A-1 an that opened the door for teams like Muskogee and Stillwater to take the crown. But looking ahead to 2024 and 2025, 6A-2 is getting a major shakeup with teams moving up from Class 5A and others moving down. Bishop McGuinness, Lawton Eisenhower and Piedmont highlight the teams moving up starting next season. Muskogee should be the team to beat heading into 2024 but they will have plenty of competition at the top. The top four teams in 6A-2 over the last two seasons have been Choctaw, Deer Creek, Muskogee and Stillwater and those four will be at the top again next season. Other teams like Bartlesville and Sand Springs, as well as some of the new teams to the class will certainly make some noise with some of the young talent they will return. Either way, 6A-2 could become a little deeper and more competitive in 2024 but those top four teams are still at the top until someone knocks them off. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->