3A State – Sulphur Players To Watch

<!-- 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 Class 3A state championship game is set! #1 Lincoln Christian will square off with #3 Sulphur in Edmond on Thursday at 7PM. It'll be Bulldog VS Bulldog as Lincoln Christian looks to complete the perfect 14-0 season for the second straight year and go back to back as Class 3A state champions. Sulphur is looking to capture their first state championship in two decades. In this breakdown, we're putting the spotlight on ten Sulphur Bulldogs to keep an eye on Thursday night. These ten players have had terrific 2024 campaigns and will look to impact Thursday's game. Keep it locked into Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more state championship preview content!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>RELATED</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/11/2024-3a-title-game-first-look/">– 3A State Championship First Look</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/12/3a-state-lincoln-christian-players-to-watch-3/">- Lincoln Christian Players To Watch</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1326373' first='Austin' last='Garrett'] - Senior Running Back/Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior running back and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1326373' first='Austin' last='Garrett'] is the first part of the legitimate three-headed monster at running back for the Bulldogs. As a running back, Garrett has run for over 700 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. But then you look at what he's been able to do on defense and that might be where he could have his greatest impact on Thursday night. Garrett leads the team in tackles with a little over 100 on the season. He also has nearly 20 tackles for loss and has caused a lot of chaos on that side of the ball. Whether it's offense or defense, we expect Garrett to be one of their top players Thursday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571875' first='Baer' last='Webb'] - Senior Defensive Lineman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1571875' first='Baer' last='Webb'] is definitely a name to look out for in Thursday's championship clash with Lincoln Christian. Coming into this week, Webb leads the team in sacks with seven on the season and he has over 50 tackles on the year. Now, his play on the line of scrimmage is going to be incredibly important because of how balanced Lincoln Christian's offense is with the pass and run game. Whether he's slowing down the run or terrorizing the quarterback, Webb could have a significant impact on the outcome of this game as they look to slow down Lincoln Christian's offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571868' first='Briar' last='Davenport'] - Junior Wide Receiver</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's easy to look at Sulphur's offense and focus on the running game but it would be unwise to overlook what the Bulldogs can do in the air. Junior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1571868' first='Briar' last='Davenport'] is enjoying a monster junior season as he's emerged as the top target in the passing game. Davenport leads the team in receiving with 35 catches for just shy of 700 yards and ten touchdowns. Just like with the run game, the Bulldogs do a good job of spreading out the production with their receivers. But when it comes down to it, Davenport feels like the go-to threat down the field when Sulphur needs a big play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1326381' first='Caden' last='Cole'] - Senior Offensive/Defensive Lineman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sulphur's offense has been an absolute machine this season. As a unit, they are averaging nearly 500 yards per game. They're also averaging nearly 300 yards per game with multiple guys standing out there. Paving the way for this offensive onslaught is senior offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1326381' first='Caden' last='Cole'] and he has been outstanding for the Bulldogs this season. Coming into the season, we had a feeling that the Sulphur offensive line would be a strength because of how much experience and overall talent they brought back within that unit. Cole is definitely a name to keep an eye on as he goes up against a talented Lincoln defensive line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571873' first='Cash' last='Matlack'] - Senior Running Back/Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another part of Sulphur's three-headed monster at running back is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1571873' first='Cash' last='Matlack'] and he comes into this week's game looking to join the other two guys in the 10 touchdown club. Right now, he has nine touchdowns on the year but just like the other guys, it looks like Matlack is equally as valuable on the defensive side of the ball. The thing that stands out to us about his game on defense is his nose for the football and he's always in the right place at the right time. His overall stats aren't going to blow you away but the turnover numbers do. And when he gets the ball in his hands, he can score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1326371' first='Eli' last='Vinson'] - Senior Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sulphur benefitted this offseason from the additions of several move ins to the program. Senior wide receiver and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1326371' first='Eli' last='Vinson'] is one of them. When we look at the production he's had this season, we definitely lean to the defensive side of the ball. Coming into this year, we thought that Vinson would be able to impact the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver but it's clear that he's helped the Bulldogs the most on defense. Vinson has enjoyed a breakout season in the Sulphur secondary. He's a terrific athlete that has state championship track experience from his time at Madill. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='353413' first='Justus' last='Gilliam'] - Senior Offensive/Defensive Lineman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you've been following us for the last several years, you know that we have been big fans of senior [player_tooltip player_id='353413' first='Justus' last='Gilliam'] on the offensive and defensive lines. Gilliam has been a player that has come to our Showcase events and torn things up on both sides of the line of scrimmage. So it's not surprising to see that he's one of Sulphur's more productive defensive linemen. This season, Gilliam has 75 tackles and leads the team with 20 tackles for loss. Now, we can't decide which side of the ball will be more valuable in this match-up with Lincoln Christian. We could make strong arguments for either side. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1350633' first='Luke' last='Linville'] - Senior Quarterback</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We mentioned the newcomers into the Sulphur program earlier. Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1350633' first='Luke' last='Linville'] is one of those guys and despite Sulphur having a returning starter at the position, Linville was able to earn his way into the QB1 role. Linville earned the job and has backed up that decision all season. He's thrown for just over 2,400 yards and 33 touchdowns with only three interceptions. And he's coming into Thursday night's championship game with a lot of momentum. In last week's semifinal win over Checotah, Linville would throw for over 300 yards and six touchdowns while completing over 70 percent of his passes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1569774' first='Maddax' last='Mobly'] - Junior Running Back/Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are several players that are in the conversation for "best player on the field" in this match-up. For Sulphur, junior [player_tooltip player_id='1569774' first='Maddax' last='Mobly'] might be at the top of the list. Mobly has been an absolute monster on the offensive side of the ball. He leads the team in rushing with over 800 yards and 17 touchdowns. He's also right there at the top of the list for receivers with nearly 700 yards and eight touchdowns. He's also been an impact player on the defensive side of the ball as one of the team's top tacklers. He's also scored as a kick returner. All in all, he comes into this week's game with 28 total touchdowns between all three phases. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571878' first='Maddox' last='Boyd'] - Senior Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We go to the secondary for our final Sulphur Bulldog to watch on Thursday night. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1571878' first='Maddox' last='Boyd'] comes into the championship game as one of the more experienced players on this Sulphur defense. He's also one of the more productive players on that side of the ball. Boyd is only behind Garrett on the tackle chart this season. He's second on the team with 80 tackles and is arguably their best player in the secondary. And when we look at this match-up, Sulphur's success against the Lincoln Christian passing game will be very important. Having Boyd in the secondary will definitely help. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->