Week One Players To Watch

<!-- 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>The 2024 football season gets in full swing with week one and every Thursday, we'll take a look at ten players to watch in some of the best games across Oklahoma. Earlier this week, we&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/09/week-ones-ten-best-games-2/">broke down some of those top games</a></strong>. We also put out a&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/09/washington-practice-report-2/">practice report on Washington</a></strong>&nbsp;before their showdown with Sulphur and had an in-depth breakdown of the massive&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/09/scene-setter-owasso-at-jenks/">Jenks-Owasso showdown</a></strong>. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day throughout the season for new content!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='349831' first='Ashton' last='Cunningham'] - Senior Defensive Back - Union</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After an overtime thriller in northwest Arkansas against Bentonville, Union goes back on the road to face Stillwater. Senior defensive back and Boston College commit [player_tooltip player_id='349831' first='Ashton' last='Cunningham'] is a player that we have circled because this Union secondary will be a big key to their success on Friday night. Stillwater's strength this season will definitely come from their passing attack. They have a talented quarterback and multiple receivers who can beat a defense. If Cunningham and the rest of this Union secondary can win in those one on one situations, the Redhawks will be in a good position. Cunningham has been one of the top guys at his position for a while now. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='294265' first='Cale' last='Marley'] - Senior Quarterback - Rejoice Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week zero's win over NOAH had to feel special for senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='294265' first='Cale' last='Marley'] after he missed almost all of the 2023 season with a knee injury. Marley and the Eagles rolled to a 55-20 victory and now they turn their attention to a big road test against Cascia Hall. Marley is a very dynamic athlete that can change the game in the blink of an eye. We saw glimpses of it throughout the 2022 season when he filled in for an injured Chance Wilson. Last season, he was supposed to enjoy that breakout season as QB1 of the Eagles but had to sit on the sidelines instead. Now, he has the Eagles as a team to watch out for in Class A-1 and we could end up seeing a high-scoring game Friday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1326387' first='Colten' last='Cole'] - Junior Quarterback - Sulphur</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sulphur kicks off their 2024 football season on the road against 2A powerhouse Washington. The Warriors have won 31 consecutive games and Sulphur looks to end that lengthy winning streak. Leading the way on offense will be junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1326387' first='Colten' last='Cole'] and we're looking forward to seeing how the junior signal caller looks this fall. Last season, Cole was incredibly productive as a sophomore but he also comes into this season looking for some new playmakers to step up at wide receiver. If Cole takes a big step forward as a quarterback, the Bulldogs could definitely put some pressure on Washington, who hasn't lost since the 2021 title game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1348256' first='Gavin' last='Nichols'] - Junior Athlete - Bishop Kelley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's the annual "Bishop Battle" in week one as Bishop Kelley opens up their 2024 season against rival Bishop McGuinness. The Irish fell to Deer Creek in week zero and they're looking to bounce back with a win. The Comets open this season against their rivals after losing to the Irish to end the 2023 season. One player that we have our eye on is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1348256' first='Gavin' last='Nichols'] on both sides of the ball. Coming into this season, Nichols was a player that the Bishop Kelley coaches circled as someone who could have a breakout season for the Comets this fall. He brings a lot to the table on both sides of the ball and we're looking forward to seeing what kind of impact he has this week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379243' first='Jax' last='Bernard'] - Senior Quarterback - Fairview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairview has won 31 consecutive games and senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='379243' first='Jax' last='Bernard'] has been QB1 for all 31. But this week, Bernard and the Yellowjackets have a serious test this week as they go up against a really good Kingston team on the road. Bernard and the Yellowjackets rolled to a 35-7 win over Alva in week zero but this week's game could definitely be a tougher match-up. Bernard is one of the best players in the state in our opinion. All you have to do is look at what he's been able to accomplish in the last two seasons and it's not much of a stretch. He was a Player Of The Year finalist a year ago and he's off to a strong start for his senior season in 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1187311' first='Jon' last='Grimmett'] - Senior Tight End/Defensive End - Pauls Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pauls Valley took care of business in their week zero rivalry win over Lindsay. Now, they shift their attention to another big match-up as they host Davis. The Wolves are a serious championship contender in Class 2A-2 this season and bring a ton of experience back from last year. Pauls Valley counters with one of the more experienced rosters in Class 3A. One of the leaders is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1187311' first='Jon' last='Grimmett'] at the tight end and defensive end positions. Grimmett is committed to UNLV and in last week's season opener, Grimmett would come up with an interception that he returned for a touchdown to secure the win over Lindsay. Pauls Valley has serious skill and Grimmett is just one part of it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='598825' first='MiShaun' last='Graham'] - Senior Wide Receiver - Del City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's bounce back time for Del City following a 35-0 loss to Edmond Memorial. The Eagles hit the road to Tulsa to face a Booker T Washington team that is also looking to bounce back from a week zero loss. For Del City, the focus will be on a rebuilt offense that will look to take a step forward following the week zero loss. One player that could help in that department is wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='598825' first='MiShaun' last='Graham'] because he can absolutely change the game in a blink of an eye. He's a terrific target for Del City offensively. Graham really impressed us when we caught him in person back in the spring. He's a deep ball threat and a highlight play waiting to happen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='649663' first='Octavian' last='Roberson'] - Sophomore Running Back - Broken Arrow</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Broken Arrow continues their northwest Arkansas portion of the schedule this week when they host Fayetteville. Last week, they beat Springdale Har-Ber 42-21 and we can't help but be impressed with the performance of their offense. They had a balanced attack and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='649663' first='Octavian' last='Roberson'] was outstanding throughout the night. Whether it was running the ball or catching the ball, Roberson put up some monster numbers in the season opener. All in all, he would finish with over 200 yards of total offense and he found the end zone multiple times. But now, Roberson and the Tigers will get challenged by a Fayetteville squad that is coming off a state championship in 2023. Roberson has gotten his sophomore season off to a fast start. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1421417' first='Riley' last='Baptiste'] - Senior Running Back - Edmond Memorial</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Edmond Memorial rolled to a 35-0 win on the road against Del City. The Bulldogs now return home for a week one showdown with Deer Creek. And when you look at that week zero win for the Bulldogs, it's hard not to be impressed with the balance that they had on the offensive side of the ball. Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1421417' first='Riley' last='Baptiste'] had a strong game for the Bulldogs in the win. He would finish with a little over 100 yards and a touchdown against a tough Del City defense, specifically in the front seven. Now, he looks to have a similar impact against a Deer Creek defense that limited Bishop McGuinness offensively in their week zero win. Baptiste is just one of several offensive standouts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='598830' first='Treyvon' last='Compton'] - Senior Quarterback - Meeker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meeker goes on the road to face a very good Pawhuska team to open up their 2024 football season. But the Bulldogs might have the most dynamic player on the field on Friday night. Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='598830' first='Treyvon' last='Compton'] has the ability to beat a defense with his arm or his legs. Last season, Compton had a monster season and emerged as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in 2A football. Now, Meeker finds themselves as a top ten team in the new Class 2A-2 and there are high expectations for the Bulldogs. If Compton has a big season, they could be a dark horse to make a deep run. We'll know more about the Bulldogs after this big test to start the 2024 season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->