Eight Carl Albert Players To Watch At State

<!-- 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 5A state championship game is set! #1 Carl Albert will square off with #6 Bishop McGuinness in Edmond on Saturday at noon. Although these teams are no longer district foes, they are very familiar with meeting with the state championship on the line. These two teams met four times in a five year stretch from 2016-2020 with the state title on the line. For defending champion Carl Albert, it's a chance at immortality. The Titans are currently in a tie with Ada for the most state championships in state history with 19. Not to mention they've also won 52 consecutive games. On the other side is Bishop McGuinness and the Irish will have no problems playing the spoiler role. They have been road warriors all year and they are going to be gunning for the gold ball Saturday afternoon. In this post, we put the spotlight on eight players from Carl Albert to watch on Saturday. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more state championship preview coverage. And be sure to check out our&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PrepRedzoneOklahoma">PRZ-Oklahoma YouTube Channel</a></strong>&nbsp;for exclusive (and free) video content, including interviews with both head coaches!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1836815' first='Anderson' last='Collier'] - Junior Quarterback</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1836815' first='Anderson' last='Collier'] had to battle to earn the QB1 job this offseason. Eventually, Collier won that job and hasn't let go ever since. Now, Collier is sharing the backfield this season with a running back that has had literally the best season in program history. So it's easy to focus in on the running back and not look at the quarterback. But we're looking at Collier here and we see a signal caller who has not hurt the Titans at any point this season. He's thrown for over 20 touchdowns and has not thrown an interception all season. That kind of efficiency, along with protecting the football makes him a dangerous passer. When defenses have sold out to stop the run this season, Collier has immediately made them pay. . </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680079' first='Beau' last='Davis'] - Junior Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carl Albert had to find a way to replace arguably the best linebacker in program history and junior backer [player_tooltip player_id='1680079' first='Beau' last='Davis'] was a player that we thought could step into that role. He's certainly lived up to the preseason hype and it's easy to see why he's already considered one of the better 2027 linebacker prospects, earning D1 offers and more attention from college coaches. During their semifinal win over Newcastle, it was our first chance to see Davis in person in a game and he did not disappoint. Davis was a heat-seeking missile and the physical nature that he plays the game immediately stood out to us. He was all over the field on Friday night and when he got from Point A to Point B, he always had bad intentions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1830547' first='Darion' last='Thomas'] - Junior Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Out of the eight Carl Albert Titans on this breakdown, junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1830547' first='Darion' last='Thomas'] is the one that we didn't know much about prior to the season. And after seeing what he's been able to do this season, specifically in the last six weeks, he would definitely be considered a breakout star for the Titans. The Carl Albert defense has been filthy all season. Thomas leads them in tackles with 119 on the season and he's going to end the season as the team's leading tackler. In their last six games, Thomas has totaled 70 of his 119 tackles. Whatever happened halfway through his junior season, that switch got flipped and he turned into an absolute monster on the defensive side of the ball. He's another defensive name to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='693905' first='Delijah' last='Matthews'] - Junior Running Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming into this season, we thought that junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='693905' first='Delijah' last='Matthews'] would have a really solid breakout season. We didn't think that he would run for over 40 touchdowns and break the school's single-season rushing touchdown record. But that's where we're at after Matthews broke a record that was just set by Xavier Robinson a few years ago. Not only is Matthews a must-watch player at the running back position, he's also been dangerous in the return game and he can also help the offense as a receiver out of the backfield. Matthews went from a promising junior prospect back in August to one of the absolute best players in the state this season. Needless to say, he'll have a huge role in Saturday's game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1694441' first='Jacson' last='Webster'] - Junior Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior wide receiver and cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='1694441' first='Jacson' last='Webster'] has emerged this season as the team's top target in the passing game. Now look, Carl Albert's star running back has demanded a lot of the shine from this season. But overlooking Webster would be a mistake and he's proven that this season. Webster leads the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns on the year. He's found the end zone ten times this year and he's been a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses that don't know what to try and take away between the run game and pass game. In their semifinal win over Newcastle, Webster made some "grown man" plays after the catch. There were multiple catches where he was dragging defenders downfield. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1836813' first='Jake' last='Farley'] - Senior Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We wrote about senior safety [player_tooltip player_id='1836813' first='Jake' last='Farley'] last week as the "under the radar" player for the Titans this season. In hindsight, it seems crazy to consider Farley that when you consider the fact that he's one interception away from tying the school's single season interception record. Farley got another interception in their win over Newcastle last week. We mentioned this last week but the Titans had to replace some stars in the secondary but Farley has been a program guy that's been patiently waiting for his opportunity to get on the field and make plays. He's made the most of his opportunity this season. And with Carl Albert's front seven causing chaos, forcing teams to throw the ball, Farley has made them pay. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1637576' first='Joe' last='Thomas'] - Junior Defensive Lineman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1637576' first='Joe' last='Thomas'] burst onto the scene during his sophomore season. It's been well documented at this point just how dominant the Carl Albert defense was last season. The fact that they had a sophomore defensive lineman that was not only producing but producing at a high level on this unit definitely earned a lot of attention. Thomas and this Carl Albert defensive line has been one of the best units in the state over the last two seasons. Despite Carl Albert losing some key pieces elsewhere in the defense, Thomas and company has made up for it by absolutely dominating things on the line of scrimmage. For the second straight season, Thomas has put up big numbers on the defensive line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1539931' first='Lebron' last='Royal'] - Senior Defensive Lineman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Joining Thomas on the defensive line is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1539931' first='Lebron' last='Royal'] and he has been unbelievable this season but that shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone. Last season, Royal was one of the best defensive linemen in the state. On that dominant Carl Albert defense, there were multiple games where Royal was the best player on that unit. This season, Royal continues to show that he's a dominant force on the line of scrimmage. And when we look at this championship match-up on Saturday, Royal comes into play immediately. Bishop McGuinness' offensive line and running game is one of their top strengths. Watching Royal go up against the Irish offensive line is going to be a very fun part of this 5A title game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->