Breaking Down The 5A Quarterfinals

<!-- 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>We're on to the quarterfinal round across the Oklahoma playoffs this week. We'll break down every quarterfinal match-up over the next few days. Continuing right now with Class 5A. We'll have a break down on each match-up, along with a more in-depth look at the marquee match-up of the week. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more quarterfinal previews!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#6 BISHOP McGUINNESS (10-1) AT CLAREMORE (8-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Claremore is hosting a quarterfinal game after going on the road and taking down district champion Coweta in the first round. The Zebras bounced back from losing three of their last five games by getting that big win over the Tigers last week. Led by a dominant rushing attack, Claremore will look to punch their ticket to the semifinals for the second time in the last three years. They host a Bishop McGuinness team that is one of the best in the class. For the Irish, they lost their first game of the season in week ten and because of a three-way tie, they fell to the three seed. McGuinness went on the road and beat Guthrie in the first round, which is not an easy thing to do whatsoever. They'll travel to Claremore, looking for their third semifinal appearance in the last four seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#3 DEL CITY (9-2) AT #5 LAWTON MACARTHUR (9-2) (MARQUEE MATCH-UP)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whenever you have two top five teams squaring off in the quarterfinals, that's always going to get some extra eyeballs on the match-up. #3 Del City will head to Lawton to square off with #5 Lawton MacArthur. When you're looking at the 5A playoff bracket, you could make the argument that the winner of this game could be the favorite to make it to Edmond. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Highlanders beat Bishop McGuinness in week ten to capture the district championship and they kept that momentum going last week in the first round win over Noble. Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='670654' first='Aivan' last='Locklin'] has been playing great football down the stretch and junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1182029' first='Connor' last='Claborn'] has been lights out all season. The Highlanders have multiple standouts that are going to end up playing D1 football so this could be the year that the Highlanders go on the run and compete for the state title for the first time since winning it all in 2014. Lawton Mac came into this season having lost three straight first round games and finally got that monkey off their back last week. They look to keep that momentum going this week against the Eagles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Del City has been more battle-tested this season than the last two regular seasons. Perhaps that will set them up for success this week and beyond. The Eagles lost a week ten match-up with Pryor with the district title on the line. They bounced back last week by beating Booker T Washington in an overtime classic. The Eagles are led by two-way star [player_tooltip player_id='587262' first='Ricklan' last='B Holmes II'] but he's not the only two-way star that can take over a ball game. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1035154' first='Kaleb' last='Blackwolf'] continues to make statement after statement that he's one of the best overall players in the state. That 1-2 punch is incredibly hard to slow down. All signs point to this game being a four-quarter battle but again, the winner could be in a solid position to make it to that state championship game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>McALESTER (7-4) AT #1 CARL ALBERT (11-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The McAlester Buffaloes are certainly playing some of their best football at the right time. They started this season 0-4 but haven't lost since. They've won seven straight games and none more exciting than last week's 28-27 win in overtime over Collinsville. The Buffaloes will look to continue that momentum this week but they have the toughest match-up as they face top-ranked Carl Albert. The Titans have won three straight state championships and they are the clear favorites to win another gold ball in the next few weeks. Carl Albert's first round win last week gave the Titans 50 consecutive wins. Carl Albert is in pursuit of their 20th state championship in school history, which would break the state record. They come into Friday as major favorites. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#7 NEWCASTLE (8-3) AT #2 PRYOR (11-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a rematch of last year's quarterfinal game but this time it's flipped. Last year, Pryor went to Newcastle and fell to the Racers. This year, they're hosting and hoping that the home team wins again in 2025. The Tigers are undefeated and have one of the best offenses in the state, regardless of class. With a win on Friday, it's safe to say this Pryor team is the best in school history. For Newcastle, their move up from 4A to 5A has tested the Racers but they've passed every time. They're one win away from another semifinal appearance. They took care of business in the first round, beating Altus by 35. Newcastle made it out of that district with Bishop McGuinness and Lawton MacArthur. They are battle-tested and will be ready for a battle on Friday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->