Week Two 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 is in full swing 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 <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/09/week-twos-ten-best-games-2/">broke down some of those top games</a></strong>. We also put out a <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/09/jones-practice-report/">practice report on Jones</a></strong> before their battle with Bethany and had an in-depth breakdown of the 6A-1 ranked battle between <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/09/scene-setter-broken-arrow-at-mustang/">Broken Arrow and Mustang</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='294262' first='Alex' last='Shieldnight'] - Senior Defensive End - Wagoner</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wagoner senior defensive end and Oklahoma commit [player_tooltip player_id='294262' first='Alex' last='Shieldnight'] is always one of the players to watch when the Bulldogs take the field. But this week, they'll host a Tahlequah team that has some momentum going after taking care of Sapulpa last week and looking like one of the teams to watch in Class 5A. Shieldnight and the Bulldogs rolled to a rivalry win over Coweta in week one but we wouldn't be surprised if the Tigers give them a serious fight. When it comes to Shieldnight, he's been that guy for Wagoner for a while now. Halfway through his junior season, he set the school's career record for sacks. He's also turned himself into a threat on the offensive side of the ball as a tight end. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='268307' first='Brayson' last='Carter'] - Senior Wide Receiver/Defensive Back - Blanchard</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defending 4A champion Blanchard will host Newcastle on Friday night and it's another chance to see one of the very best football players in Oklahoma. Senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='268307' first='Brayson' last='Carter'] is the complete package on the gridiron. On offense, he has the potential to be Blanchard's top weapon in the passing game. On defense, he has a nose for the football and just finds a way to create chaos with turnovers. And in special teams he can continue to take a game over in that department. The Lions rolled to a week one win but they could get a more difficult challenge from a Newcastle team that was in their district. But Carter definitely needs to be in the conversation for being one of the best players in Oklahoma. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1324250' first='Dax' last='Owens'] - Sophomore Quarterback - Davis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Davis goes to Sulphur on Friday night, that's a match-up of teams that are hungry for wins after disappointing week one losses. Davis is playing a gauntlet of a non-district schedule against several top 3A teams but leading the way this week will be sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1324250' first='Dax' last='Owens'] as the Wolves look to bounce back. Owens had a strong freshman season last fall and he's looking to elevate his game again this season. And when you look around him, there's a lot to like about this Davis offense because they have some really good offensive weapons. If Owens and the Davis offense can take advantage of their possessions and get points on the board, they could pull off a big week two win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1348269' first='Judson' last='Gilliland'] - Junior Running Back - Bethany</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bethany has a big game this week as they go on the road to face Jones but we have been so impressed with the start of the season for junior [player_tooltip player_id='1348269' first='Judson' last='Gilliland'] at the running back position. We knew that Gilliland was going to be a name to watch coming into this season but he's gotten off to a great start. In his first two games, he's run for more than 100 yards and three touchdowns in each. As a sophomore, he only had one game where he scored three touchdowns and never had a game of at least 100 yards on the ground. But he's going against a Jones defense that has been lights out to start the season. So it's going to be a fun battle to see which side keeps that momentum going Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='211559' first='JuJu' last='Smith'] - Senior Wide Receiver - Choctaw</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In one of the more underrated games of week two, we'll see Choctaw going on the road Thursday night to Kansas to face one of their defending champions in Gardner-Edgerton. Senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='211559' first='JuJu' last='Smith'] is one of the best players in Oklahoma and now, he'll look to dominate in another state on Thursday night. Smith is such a terrific weapon for this Choctaw offense because he produces at a very high level at wide receiver but he can also run the ball and help out in special teams. We've seen Smith in person in so many different settings over the last three years and it's clear to us that he's a unique playmaker. He doesn't get enough credit around the state for the playmaking ability he brings to the field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402378' first='KD' last='Jones'] - Junior Running Back - Jenks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a rare Backyard Bowl where both Jenks and Union are coming into the week with losses. Jenks junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='402378' first='KD' last='Jones'] is definitely going to be a player to watch throughout the evening on Friday night. The last time we saw Jenks and Union square off, we saw Jones leading the Trojans to a monster comeback win in the 6A-1 semifinals. He scored the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute to play and added his name to the list of stars in this historic series. And we wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't mention (for those that are unaware) that he's the son of former Jenks star Kejuan Jones, who has arguably the most memorable Jenks-Union moment in the history of this series. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284117' first='Mason' last='James'] - Junior Wide Receiver - Norman North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norman North looks to bounce back this week following a tough loss to rival Norman in the season opener. It won't be easy as they go on the road to face a red-hot Deer Creek squad. But the Timberwolves will look to superstar wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='284117' first='Mason' last='James'] to play like one of the best players on the field Friday night. In the season opener last week, James had a handful of catches for over 100 yards and a touchdown. He'll look to elevate that production this week against a Deer Creek squad that has looked great to start the 2024 football season. In our opinion, James is right up there with some of the other top overall prospects in the state's 2026 class. Simply put, he's an explosive offensive weapon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='894347' first='Mason' last='Smith'] - Senior Wide Receiver - Deer Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In that same Deer Creek-Norman North match-up, we have another wide receiver named Mason to look out for. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='894347' first='Mason' last='Smith'] is one of the more underrated wide receivers in 6A football. The Army commit emerged last season as the number one target in the Deer Creek passing game. And while Deer Creek's quarterback gets a lot of attention, and rightfully so, it would be unwise to overlook this playmaker at wide receiver. Smith is coming off a stellar performance against Edmond Memorial where he was right around 200 yards receiving. And last week, Norman North gave up nearly 500 yards passing to Norman. So needless to say, it could be a big week for the Army commit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='916762' first='Owen' last='Darby'] - Senior Running Back - Cascia Hall</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cascia Hall will go five miles across town to face Metro Christian and the Commandos will look to continue their momentum on the offensive side of the ball. When you look at Cascia Hall on offense, it's easy to focus on the passing game and how many weapons they have there. But overlooking senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='916762' first='Owen' last='Darby'] and this rushing attack would be a critical mistake. Take last week for example. Cascia Hall rolled offensively and the passing game was the headline. But Darby was dominant every time he touched the ball. He finished with 17 carries for nearly 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Just two games in and this Cascia Hall offense has shown the ability to be potent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='188014' first='Shaker' last='Reisig'] - Senior Quarterback - Union</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our final player to watch is very similar to Jones at Jenks. The storylines write themselves with this one as Union senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='188014' first='Shaker' last='Reisig'] will face his former team once again as the Redhawks host rival Jenks. In our opinion, Reisig is the most accurate and efficient quarterback in Oklahoma and he's been that for a while now. So far this season, Reisig has still had that accuracy but he's going up against a Jenks defense that features multiple guys who are going to be playing at the next level. And one of the big storylines coming into this season centered around the new receivers after Union was hit hard there by graduation. Reisig and the Redhawks look to bounce back Friday after a week one loss. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->