Class 2A-1 Title Game Standouts

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   For the third straight year, Washington and Millwood squared off in the state championship game. And for the third straight year, Washington walked off the field at UCO with the gold ball. The Warriors beat the Falcons 7-6 to win their third straight state championship and finish the season with a perfect record for the third straight year. The Warriors were tested from the start but extended their winning streak to 44 consecutive games. Check out the full championship game highlights below.   <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=LXkd8jqZOTs </div></figure>   And now, we take a look at the nine standouts from the state championship game. Five guys from the champs in Washington and four guys from Millwood. Both teams played outstanding football so we have plenty of standouts from both sides of this championship clash.   [player_tooltip player_id='1109329' first='Anthony' last='Keys'] - Sophomore Running Back - Millwood   Millwood sophomore running back [player_tooltip player_id='1109329' first='Anthony' last='Keys'] is going to be a very fun player to watch in this Falcon offense over the next two seasons. Keys has been the guy for Millwood in the backfield this season and has taken full advantage of the opportunity. In Friday's championship game, Keys turned into a bit of a workhorse in this Millwood offense. He had 21 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Keys also caught a 22-yard pass right up the middle and he came down awkwardly after climbing the ladder to make that catch. Otherwise, Keys could have taken that catch the distance. And on that play, it looked like his ankle or his knee might have gotten hurt but you couldn't really tell for the rest of the game.   [player_tooltip player_id='571111' first='Cameron' last='Carter'] - Senior Linebacker - Millwood   Two years ago, we started talking about Millwood senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='571111' first='Cameron' last='Carter'] after watching him in the 2022 state championship game against Washington. Fast forward to 2024 and we're still talking about him playing outstanding defense in the state championship game against Washington. Carter was an absolute monster at the point of attack on Friday afternoon, forcing a pair of fumbles and getting multiple tackles behind the line of scrimmage. We'll stand by this statement, Carter is one of the better linebackers in the state's 2025 class. He checks a lot of the boxes and when he gets from Point A to Point B, he always has bad intentions and that was on full display Friday. He's one of the hardest hitters in the 2025 class.   [player_tooltip player_id='473879' first='Case' last='Alexander'] - Sophomore Linebacker - Washington   While Carter is one of the top linebackers in the state's 2025 class, Washington sophomore linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='473879' first='Case' last='Alexander'] is that guy for the state's 2027 class and he's solidified himself as that, regardless of position. Alexander wasn't at 100 percent in the 2A-1 state title game, dealing with a high ankle sprain that kept him limited to the defensive side of the ball. Otherwise we could have seen the 2027 prospect at tight end as well. But defensively, you couldn't tell that Alexander was hobbled by a bad ankle. He led the team in tackles with eleven on the day and made some big plays in the biggest moments. Alexander really impressed us in the title game last year when he was a freshman but he continues to raise the bar.   [player_tooltip player_id='434614' first='CJ' last='Turnbull'] - Junior Quarterback - Millwood   We'll continue to say this because he's earned it this season but Millwood junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='434614' first='CJ' last='Turnbull'] has been one of the most improved players across the state this season. And he's been pretty good in his first two seasons as a starter but as we've stated in the last few months, he's taken his game up a notch. Turnbull also finished the game as Millwood's leading rusher on Friday afternoon. Throwing the ball, the Millwood quarterback didn't have the best performance from a throwing standpoint but he did everything he could do to make things happen. Now, moving forward, we're going to be paying close attention to what the Millwood quarterback looks like in his fourth season as a starter in 2025 to see how he continues to develop.   [player_tooltip player_id='473891' first='Creed' last='Barrett'] - Freshman Quarterback - Washington   We've written about Washington freshman quarterback quite a bit this season and about how we simply did not see him coming out of the gate and being as successful as he's been this season. And when you look at this state championship game performance, this might have actually been Barrett's toughest game of his freshman year. He would go 12-25 for 145 yards with a touchdown and one interception. And Millwood's front seven absolutely got after Barrett and it felt like he was under fire the majority of the game. But he kept coming back for more and kept performing at a high level. Now, moving forward, Barrett has a very bright future with the Washington offense. He's off to a fantastic start to his career.   [player_tooltip player_id='311986' first='Hudson' last='Howard'] - Senior Running Back - Washington   Washington senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='311986' first='Hudson' last='Howard'] capped off his high school career with another stellar performance on Friday afternoon. Howard wasn't utilized as much in the first two quarters but he exploded in the second half. Overall, he finished with 17 carries for 89 yards and the thing that we continue to like about his game is he's incredibly patient and poised and waits for the running lane to open up and he explodes through that hole. But you can make the argument that Howard's biggest play came on the defensive side of the ball. Late in the game, Millwood was driving to take the lead and Howard deflected a pass on fourth down to give the Warriors the ball back and clinch their third consecutive state championship.   [player_tooltip player_id='353411' first='Nate' last='Roberts'] - Senior Tight End - Washington   There's a reason why Washington senior tight end [player_tooltip player_id='353411' first='Nate' last='Roberts'] has been considered by us as the state's top overall prospect for a while now. Not only does he check literally every box there is when it comes to tight end prospects but he also knows how to shine bright on the state's biggest stage. Roberts caught Washington's only touchdown on Friday afternoon and in a game where the offenses for both sides were struggling, Roberts was the one consistent threat from start to finish. He would end his high school career with six catches for 74 yards and the score. And we're not sure what it is about Roberts but he always finds a way to make these big plays in the title game. He's done it every year they've captured the gold ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1109230' first='Tanner' last='Olson'] - Senior Defensive Back - Washington   Our final standout from Washington is senior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1109230' first='Tanner' last='Olson'] and he might have saved his best performance for the last game of his high school career. Olson was matched up with Millwood's top option in the passing game and he held his own. We talked with Olson after the game and he mentioned how he knew what he was up against after having the same assignment in last year's state championship game. Olson answered the call and really did a good job limiting one of the fastest wide receivers in the state. And Olson made two massive plays defensively in a game where offense was at a premium. He came up with not one, but two interceptions that forced Millwood drives to come to a screeching halt.   [player_tooltip player_id='1572456' first='Yaiqab' last='Johnson'] - Senior Linebacker - Millwood   Millwood senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1572456' first='Yaiqab' last='Johnson'] is our final state title game standout. WHen you look at the numbers, Johnson was definitely one of the better players that took the field on Friday afternoon. But what lands him on this breakdown is the energy that he was playing with from start to finish. Johnson is one of those players that is just fun to watch because he has one gear and that's 100 MPH from start to finish. And like we said, Johnson was one of the more productive players on defense so we wasn't playing out of control. He finished with seven tackles, two of them coming behind the line of scrimmage and he recovered a fumble. He's another example of a prospect that will make a program better at the next level.

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