Carl Albert And 5A-1 Teams Get Ready For Semifinals

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!   We've reached the semifinal round across the state and Prep Redzone Oklahoma will get you ready for all of the games coming up this week. Now, as a reminder, only six classes will play their semifinal games this week. With every state championship game being played at UCO, to make that happen, half of the classes will play this week and the other half of the classes will play their semifinal games next week. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma all week for in-depth looks at every semifinal contest. And we continue today with Class 5A.   #1 CARL ALBERT (12-0) VS #7 NEWCASTLE (9-3) Friday - 7:00PM - Norman North H.S.   It's #1 Carl Albert squaring off with #7 Newcastle on Friday night in Norman. It's an intriguing match-up as it puts Carl Albert, who has dominated Class 5A for the majority of this century, against Newcastle, who is the new kid on the block in 5A but they've made the semifinals in each of their first two seasons. For Carl Albert, the Titans are chasing history this season. And we're not just talking about their 51-game winning streak. The Titans are tied with Ada for the most championships in state history with 19. One more gold ball puts Carl Albert all alone on the mountaintop. The Titans have been dominant this season. They've truly been challenged just twice this year but the result has been the same. They'll look to punch their ticket back to Edmond Friday. For Newcastle, the Racers have to come into this week with a ton of confidence. First off, they've been here before. They made it to the semifinals last year and lost a tough (and a little controversial) one to Guthrie. But they're also coming into this week after getting one of the best wins of the quarterfinal round. They went on the road and beat an unbeaten Pryor team, that in our opinion, was their best team in school history. The Racers have shown they can beat some of the top teams in Class 5A but there is no doubt that Carl Albert represents the ultimate challenge when it comes to Class 5A.   CARL ALBERT PLAYER TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='693905' first='Delijah' last='Matthews'] - Junior Running Back   Carl Albert junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='693905' first='Delijah' last='Matthews'] might be the best football player in the state this season. Matthews went from a possible breakout star at the start of the year to one of the best players in Oklahoma. Matthews is closing in quickly on breaking Carl Albert's single season rushing touchdown mark. That's what he's been this season. A touchdown machine. He's two touchdowns away from 40 on the ground this season and nobody has really been able to slow him down. Even in the last two games to start their playoff run, Matthews didn't have as many carries or yards as he had earlier in the season but still found the end zone seven times.   CARL ALBERT UNDER THE RADAR PLAYER   [player_tooltip player_id='1836813' first='Jake' last='Farley'] - Senior Defensive Back   We were very curious how the Titans were going to replace some of the talented players they had in the secondary from last year's team. Leading that group this season has been program player [player_tooltip player_id='1836813' first='Jake' last='Farley'] at the safety position. Farley leads the team in interceptions and it's not particular close. It's interesting to see how the Titans continue to dominate, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. They lost multiple starters to D1 programs from this defense and specifically in the secondary. But players like Farley and company have stepped up in a major way. He's the perfect example of a player that was patient, waited for his time and is taking full advantage.   NEWCASTLE PLAYER TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='449184' first='TJ' last='Bradford'] - Senior Running Back/Defensive Back   This match-up might have the two best running backs in Class 5A this season. Newcastle senior [player_tooltip player_id='449184' first='TJ' last='Bradford'] has been one of the state's best 2026 running backs since bursting onto the scene as a freshman. Last season, Bradford helped guide the Racers to the 5A semifinals and they came up just shy of the state title game. He's back in the semifinals and will have some unfinished business. Bradford is outstanding for the Racers on both sides of the ball. While we personally have always liked what he can do on offense, it would be foolish not to mention the fact that Bradford is also one of the team's leading tacklers on the defensive side of the ball.   NEWCASTLE UNDER THE RADAR PLAYER   [player_tooltip player_id='1727333' first='Quinn' last='Housley'] - Junior Defensive Back   Junior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1727333' first='Quinn' last='Housley'] is a player that we didn't know much about coming into this season but he's certainly elevated his play in the last six weeks. Housley is one of Newcastle's leading tacklers with 85 on the season. But when you dive into the game logs, you'll see the majority of those tackles coming in the last five weeks. He's been on an absolute tear and when you're trying to slow down Carl Albert and their star running back, you need all your defensive players on the same page and in pursuit mode. Housley is playing some of his best football at the perfect time and the Racers will need that as they try to take down the Titans.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   #5 LAWTON MACARTHUR (10-2) VS #6 BISHOP McGUINNESS (11-1) Friday - 7:00PM - Noble H.S.   #5 Lawton MacArthur will square off with #6 Bishop McGuinness for the second time this month on Friday night. These two teams met in the regular season finale. The Highlanders prevailed, beating the Irish on the road 35-21 to capture the district title. The Irish certainly haven't forgotten the game that spoiled a potential perfect season. Bishop McGuinness went from having a perfect regular season record to dropping to third in the district because of a three-way tiebreaker. They've bounced back in the last two weeks with back to back road wins over Guthrie and Claremore. Now, they turn their attention to taking down a Lawton MacArthur squad and punch their ticket back to the state championship game. For the Highlanders, they're coming off the best offensive performance of the season. They beat Del City 70-49 in the semifinals behind an unrelenting rushing attack that lit up the scoreboard. The Highlanders are playing with a lot of confidence and momentum after getting bounced out in the first round three straight years. Now, they're one win shy of playing for the state title for the first time since winning it all in 2014. These teams are certainly familiar with one another and there's no doubt that will come into play Friday.   LAWTON MACARTHUR PLAYER TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='670654' first='Aivan' last='Locklin'] - Senior Quarterback   There was no doubt that senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='670654' first='Aivan' last='Locklin'] was going to be the player to watch pick here for the Highlanders going into this semifinal clash with Bishop McGuinness. Earlier this month, it was Locklin that dominated in the regular season finale against the Irish. He had four touchdowns on the ground and racked up a ton of yards in their 35-21 victory. Not only is Locklin playing with a lot of momentum right now, he also ran for nearly 150 yards last week in the quarterfinals, but he's had proven success against the McGuinness defense and it didn't happen that long ago. But don't forget, Locklin is also capable of torching defenses with his arm.   LAWTON MACARTHUR UNDER THE RADAR PLAYER   [player_tooltip player_id='2065846' first='Prince' last='Salazar'] - Freshman Running Back   Lawton MacArthur has been blitzing opponents on the ground and freshman running back [player_tooltip player_id='2065846' first='Prince' last='Salazar'] is a name that you'll definitely need to know moving forward. Lawton Mac's starting running back is starting to flirt with 2,000 yards but Salazar is coming off the best performance of his career. In their quarterfinal win over Del City, Salazar carried the ball ten times for over 200 yards and six touchdowns. This Lawton MacArthur rushing attack is quickly becoming one of, if not the best in the state. Opponents have to worry about the QB run game, their dynamic starting running back and now this young freshman, who has burst onto the scene in the playoffs.   BISHOP McGUINNESS PLAYER TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='587264' first='Aiden' last='Monigold'] - Senior Defensive Lineman   It's an interesting match-up for senior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='587264' first='Aiden' last='Monigold'] on Friday night. Monigold started his high school career at Lawton Eisenhower so he's very familiar with some of Lawton MacArthur's top players. While his familiarity with the Highlanders is certainly an intriguing storyline going into Friday, it's not the biggest reason he's the player to watch. The Highlanders have been able to run the ball at will over the last month, including in the regular season meeting with the Irish. Monigold and the rest of the Bishop McGuinness defensive front will be vital to slowing down the Highlanders and disrupting what they've been doing on the ground.   BISHOP McGUINNESS UNDER THE RADAR PLAYER   [player_tooltip player_id='1836882' first='Marcellous' last='Tyner'] - Sophomore Wide Receiver/Defensive Back   Sophomore wide receiver and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1836882' first='Marcellous' last='Tyner'] is definitely a player that might be flying "under the radar" right now but that probably won't last long. Tyner has had an impressive sophomore season and he's certainly impressed the McGuinness coaches. He was recently named a captain for the Irish and has been a big part of what they've done on both sides of the ball this season. Defensively, he'll play a big role on Friday night. While the Highlanders have been tearing it up on the ground, they still have weapons in the passing game. Tyner feels like a player that is primed for a big performance on Friday night so he's a name to watch.

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