Pryor Practice Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 football season is just a few days away! And every Tuesday on Prep Redzone Oklahoma, we're continuing our daily coverage during the season with a practice report on one of the teams playing in one of the biggest games of the week. We're kicking things off with the Pryor Tigers as they will host Sallisaw on Friday night in a match-up featuring top five teams in Class 5A and Class 4A respectively. We take a look at the Tigers along with some of their players to watch this week. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day this week to get ready for week zero! And for the Pryor fans, subscribe to our <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PrepRedzoneOklahoma">YouTube Channel</a></strong> as we have Pryor head coach Kenny Davis joining us on our Preview Show Wednesday!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pryor Tigers come into this season as the number five team in our Class 5A preseason rankings. They were a quarterfinal team a year ago and they were very close to knocking on the door of that semifinal appearance. They also bring 15 starters back and might have one of the highest scoring offenses in Class 5A this season. So there is a lot of excitement around this Pryor football program for multiple reasons. This is going to be a fun season opener for the Tigers as they open their brand new stadium. There's going to be an open house event at the stadium earlier in the week but there is no doubt that this opener will have a little more juice than any other opener in recent memory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And that's a good thing that the Tigers will have that extra excitement in the air as they welcome in the Sallisaw Black Diamonds. Sallisaw comes into this season as the number four team in our Class 4A preseason rankings. After going 1-19 in 2021 and 2022 combined, they've gone 16-8 since. That's nothing new for head coach Brandon Tyler as he turns programs around instantly and has them winning on Friday nights. Like Pryor, Sallisaw brings back the majority of their starters. But while Pryor is a team that can torch defenses through the air, Sallisaw likes to stay on the ground so Friday's game will be a clash of styles. Regardless of who wins Friday night, both teams should be considered contenders in their district and in their respective classes this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>PRYOR'S PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1366322' first='Braden' last='Ward'] - Senior Quarterback</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In our preview show, we had Pryor head coach Kenny Davis on and we talked about how absurd [player_tooltip player_id='1366322' first='Braden' last='Ward']'s numbers were from last season. Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1366322' first='Braden' last='Ward'] comes into his third season as the starter after throwing for nearly 2,800 yards and 35 touchdowns while also adding nearly 600 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. With numbers like that, more people should be talking about Ward and we're looking forward to seeing what he's able to do this season. Pryor has nearly everyone back on the offensive side of the ball. Ward could put up some monster numbers but his first opportunity is against a tough Sallisaw defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1366324' first='Brock' last='Ward'] - Senior Wide Receiver</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Braden's twin brother Brock has been his top target over the last two seasons and we don't expect that to change as the Tigers kick off the 2025 campaign. Last season, Ward had just under 900 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He also gives Pryor a talented returner on the defensive side of the ball but we obviously like the production he's had on offense in the last two seasons. And when we talk about Pryor possibly having the best passing attack in Class 5A, that's where having a returner like Brock back in 2025 helps that statement. The "Ward to Ward" connection has been very beneficial to the Tigers and they look to keep that going. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1537428' first='Gage' last='LeFrere'] - Sophomore Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll continue to say this until it's too late and the price has gone up. Buy stock now on sophomore WR/DB [player_tooltip player_id='1537428' first='Gage' last='LeFrere'] before the number goes up. He's just entering his sophomore season but he was so productive for the Tigers last season as a freshman. He's continued that momentum with a terrific offseason at various 7v7 tournaments and camps. Every time we've seen him, he's been one of the top standouts. Now, there's a lot of hype (almost exclusively by us) for LeFrere going into the season so he has to back it up with his play on the field. But if he's able to do that, we're talking about one of the better overall prospects in the state's 2028 class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1208264' first='Mason' last='McAlvain'] – Junior Offensive/Defensive Lineman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another young prospect that plays on both sides is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1208264' first='Mason' last='McAlvain'] on the offensive and defensive lines. McAlvain is a very intriguing prospect moving forward because we got a chance to see him in person over the summer and the guy is big and he's putting up numbers in the weight room that you just don't see from a guy heading into his junior season. At least not very often and the guys that can do it are pretty elite. McAlvain is a name that we didn't know much about prior to this summer but we're all in on seeing what he can do this season. And he gets a chance to set the tone early against a run-first Sallisaw team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1708305' first='Stetson' last='Matheson'] - Senior Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1708305' first='Stetson' last='Matheson'] is a player that the Pryor coaches have been excited about for the entire offseason. Matheson is coming off a breakout junior season in 2024, where he was one of the team's leaders in tackles. He finished the year with well over 100 tackles on the season. And when you combine Matheson with McAlvain on the defensive line, that's a really strong core of a stout front seven. And with the Tigers hosting a Sallisaw team that wants to run the ball, having that strong front seven will be a big key to Friday night's game. Just like with McAlvain, we think this could be a big season for Matheson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->