Eight Choctaw Players To Watch At State

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   The Class 6A-2 state championship game is set! #1 Sand Springs will square off with #4 Choctaw in Edmond on Friday night at 7PM. These two teams have met in each of the last three playoffs, all in the quarterfinals and Choctaw is 3-0 against the Sandites during that stretch. For Choctaw, it's a return trip to the state championship game, where they will get the opportunity to defend their title they won last season. The Yellowjackets have gotten very familiar with playing for the gold ball in Edmond. This is also their third trip in the last four seasons. On the other side you have a Sand Springs squad that has been knocking on the door of making it to the title game and now they are one win away from the gold ball. The Sandites took over the top spot in 6A-2 about a month ago as the west side district beat up on each other. In this post, we put the spotlight on Choctaw and look at eight different players to keep an eye on Friday night. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more state championship preview coverage. And be sure to check out our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PrepRedzoneOklahoma">PRZ-Oklahoma YouTube Channel</a> for exclusive (and free) video content, including interviews with both head coaches!   [player_tooltip player_id='1179994' first='Da'Jon' last='Green'] - Senior Wide Receiver/Defensive Back   We've said this a few times in the past but Choctaw has been on a great run in the last decade when it comes to producing defensive backs that end up playing D1 football. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1179994' first='Da'Jon' last='Green'] is the latest guy to come through this Choctaw secondary pipeline and he has been one of the best guys at his position this season. Choctaw coaches have pointed out the match-ups that Green has had, going against multiple guys who hold P4 offers and absolutely dominating the match-up. So when it comes to this match-up, against one of the top quarterbacks in the state, Choctaw having one of the best cover corners in the state will definitely benefit the Yellowjackets. This season, Green has not only been an outstanding cover corner, he's also lined up on offense and dominated at the wide receiver position. He's given the Yellowjackets a legitimate two-way star in 2025.   [player_tooltip player_id='1176238' first='Israel' last='Hammons'] - Junior Athlete   Junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='1176238' first='Israel' last='Hammons'] is one of our favorite players to watch in the state's 2027 class. Last season, Hammons became a name that everyone needed to know because of his unbelievable versatility. We've lost track of how many positions Hammons has played in the last two seasons. But he has settled in on the defensive side of the ball and has been absolutely dominant. Simply put, it really doesn't matter where Hammons lines up, he's going to have the ability to make game-changing plays. Hammons has firmly established himself as one of the top overall prospects in the state's 2027 class. He's picked up multiple P4 offers in the last few weeks alone and that's not going to slow down anytime soon. Hammons has had a terrific junior season on the defensive side of the ball and is another piece of this Choctaw defense that has steadily improved all season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1198491' first='Jayce' last='Watson'] - Junior Defensive Lineman   The Choctaw defense has to be feeling good coming into Friday night's championship game after the way they played against Stillwater in the semifinals. The Yellowjackets were relentless in their desire to shut down the run and leading that charge was junior [player_tooltip player_id='1198491' first='Jayce' last='Watson'] on the line of scrimmage. The Yellowjackets have several players on the front seven that have earned some pub but Watson is a player that we haven't written that much about. But when we look at this match-up with Sand Springs, he'll certainly play a big role. Again, Choctaw is going to look to force Sand Springs into some uncomfortable situations on the offensive side of the ball. That will start with the push that Watson and this Choctaw defensive line gets up front. If he has the same kind of impact on Friday night that he did in the semifinals, the Yellowjackets will be in a good spot.   [player_tooltip player_id='402379' first='Landon' last='Gatson'] - Senior Quarterback   Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='402379' first='Landon' last='Gatson'] has made the most of his season as the unquestioned leader of this Choctaw offense. In the last few years, Gatson dealt with injuries as well as splitting time or coming in only in running situations. This season, this Choctaw offense has been Gatson's to run and he's had a terrific senior season. Now, the thing that we like the most about his game this season has been in the last few weeks. Choctaw came into the playoffs at 6-4 and despite being defending champs, they. might have been flying under the radar. It didn't take long for them to remind everyone who they were. Gatson has elevated his play in the playoffs and is a big reason why the Yellowjackets are back in Edmond to defend their state championship. Gatson shined bright in last year's state championship win and will look to do it one more time Friday.   [player_tooltip player_id='476091' first='Mayor' last='Morgan'] - Senior Running Back   Senior running back and Air Force commit [player_tooltip player_id='476091' first='Mayor' last='Morgan'] has been a huge part of this Choctaw offense for the majority of the last three years. Ask any of the Choctaw coaches about Morgan and they routinely tell you the same thing. He's the ultimate team player and you can see that in the way he plays the game. It doesn't matter if Morgan is carrying the ball 20-30 times, being used more in the passing game or rarely touches the ball and is asked to be a blocker. Morgan will do whatever he has to do to help the team win a game and that's been evident when we've watched him in person or on film. But we will say this, if the Yellowjackets do put the ball in Morgan's hands and rely on him to carry this offense, he has the ability to do just that. Morgan has firmly established himself as a leader on and off the field for the Yellowjackets and has been instrumental to their success.   [player_tooltip player_id='1571077' first='Rocco' last='Tartaglione'] - Senior Linebacker   Both teams in Friday night's state championship game have senior linebackers that are absolute monsters on the defensive side of the ball. This Choctaw defense has a handful of guys that are going to end up playing P4 football at the next level. Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1571077' first='Rocco' last='Tartaglione'] is a player that should be able to play somewhere at the next level. Tartaglione is an undersized linebacker that absolutely dominates every football field he steps on. Throw on the tape, watch him in person, see the production he's had in the last two seasons and you see a player that has a nose for the football. He is always in the right place at the right time. He is such an underrated part of what Choctaw does on the defensive side of the ball. And as we mentioned with a few players already, we really like the way this defense is playing right now and Tartaglione is a key contributor to that.   [player_tooltip player_id='1035103' first='Titus' last='Hawk'] - Junior Tight End   We are fired up for another chance to see junior tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1035103' first='Titus' last='Hawk'] on Friday night. There aren't too many 2027 prospects that have had a better 2025 year than Hawk. He firmly established himself as one of the top prospects, not only in Oklahoma but in the country this year, earning offers from just about every top program in the nation. And rewind to when Choctaw was playing for the state title a year ago, it was Hawk that had one of the best performances of his career. He caught what ended up being the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter to beat Muskogee. Now, Hawk returns to Edmond and he's one of the best tight end prospects in the nation. We can't wait to see what he's able to do for an encore this week. At 6'6, Hawk is the ultimate physical mismatch in the passing game but he's also one of the more physical blockers for Choctaw.   [player_tooltip player_id='587295' first='Zaylun' last='Matlock'] - Senior Wide Receiver   Senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='587295' first='Zaylun' last='Matlock'] has always been a 2026 prospect that we've liked but he's flown under the radar. This offseason, Matlock moved from McLoud to Choctaw and has provided the Yellowjackets with an instant impact player on the offensive side of the ball. Choctaw had to find a way to replace a big piece of their offense in JuJu Smith from last year's title team and Matlock has turned into that guy for the Yellowjackets. He's a big play threat in the passing game but they'll also send him in motion and hand him the ball. They use him in a very similar way to how they used Smith in the last few seasons and Matlock has answered the call. The Choctaw senior has had some of his best performances this season against the toughest competition. He shined bright in their semifinal win over Stillwater and now looks to do it one more time.

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!