Ten Bixby Players To Watch At State

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   The Class 6A-1 state championship game is set! #1 Bixby will square off with #3 Owasso in Edmond on Saturday night at 7PM. It will be the third time in the last four years that these two meet with the state championship on the line. Of course, it's a rematch of last year's overtime thriller that was won by the Spartans on a two-point conversion. Bixby has been on top of 6A-1 ever since they entered the class in 2022. This year, they've been considered the best team in the country as well. So it's not surprising to see the Spartans making their 12th consecutive appearance in the state championship game. On the other side you have the Owasso Rams and they've won ten straight since dropping their first two games to Bixby and Jenks. It's the return of Bill Blankenship to a state championship game stage, one that he's very familiar to stand on. In this post, we're taking a look at ten Bixby Spartans to keep an eye on Saturday 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='415161' first='Braeden' last='Presley'] - Senior Wide Receiver/Defensive Back   Senior wide receiver and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='415161' first='Braeden' last='Presley'] is one of the best players in Oklahoma and that's been the case for the last two seasons. This offseason, Presley committed to Oklahoma State and he's remained committed to the Cowboys. Now, we get to see Presley return to Edmond on Saturday night and this was the stage last year where the future Cowboy firmly established himself as one of Oklahoma's marquee players. He was one of, if not the best player on the field in their championship win a season ago. He'll look to have that same impact on Saturday night and he'll have plenty of opportunities as he lines up on offense, defense and he's a threat in the return game.   [player_tooltip player_id='284114' first='Carson' last='Kirby'] - Senior Quarterback   During this Bixby dynasty, the Spartans have benefitted from a wealth of experience at the QB position. Tanner Griffin and [player_tooltip player_id='1833356' first='Mason' last='Williams'] each started three seasons and senior [player_tooltip player_id='284114' first='Carson' last='Kirby'] has been the latest Spartan 3-year starter. And as we've watched Kirby this season, he is under complete control in this Bixby offense. He's thrown 38 touchdowns and now has over 100 passing touchdowns for his career. We've watched a ton of Kirby at the quarterback position over the last three to four years and his overall development as a quarterback has been very fun to watch. But there's only one thing on his mind as he takes the field for a final time and that's another gold ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1689504' first='Connor' last='Arant'] - Sophomore Tight End/Defensive End   A few years ago, the Spartans had a young sophomore that was an emerging star at tight end and defensive end with Luke Hasz. Fast forward to now and they're doing it again. [player_tooltip player_id='1689504' first='Connor' last='Arant'] is a prospect that emerged this offseason as a name that we needed to get familiar with and he has had an outstanding sophomore season with the Spartans. Offensively, he's turned himself into the ultimate red zone weapon for the Bixby offense. He's made some big plays against some of the toughest competition in the passing game. He's also been productive on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive end in special situations. Arant's recruitment has absolutely exploded this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='414994' first='Cord' last='Nolan'] - Senior Linebacker   There's a chance that senior linebacker and Texas Tech commit [player_tooltip player_id='414994' first='Cord' last='Nolan'] is one of, if not the most experienced player to take the field for this Bixby dynasty. Nolan saw significant playing time during his freshman season and then has been an established starter since his sophomore season. This year, head coach Loren Montgomery described Nolan as the "alpha" on this year's team and that's certainly saying something considering how much experience and overall next level talent is on this year's squad. We first wrote about Nolan following the 2022 season opener against Owasso and now he heads into his final game as a Spartan and it's once again with the Rams.   [player_tooltip player_id='338550' first='Emory' last='Snyder'] - Senior Defensive Back   Senior defensive back and West Virginia commit [player_tooltip player_id='338550' first='Emory' last='Snyder'] has been one of the more underrated defensive standouts over the last two seasons. Throw on the tape or watch Snyder in person and you see a player that is incredibly comfortable and confident in his abilities at the cornerback position. He's firmly established himself as not only one of the state's top DB prospects in the 2026 class but he has to be considered one of the best overall prospects on the defensive side of the ball. But the main reason Snyder finds himself on this breakdown is the match-up. Simply put, Snyder has had a lot of success against Owasso in the last three meetings with the Rams.   [player_tooltip player_id='1831001' first='Jack' last='Gill'] - Junior Quarterback   It wouldn't be a Bixby offense without a player that comes in on short yardage situations or near the goal line to take direct snaps as a wildcat quarterback. This season, junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1831001' first='Jack' last='Gill'] has been that player and he's fit the role incredibly well. Last season, it was Cooper Parker and this year it's Gill. In fact, Gill had one of his better performances in their semifinal win over Broken Arrow. Gill finished the afternoon with three touchdowns. It's Bixby's version of the "tush push" in those short yardage situations although it's a different flavor. Gill and the Bixby offensive line have executed this play to perfection this season and we'll surely see it a handful of times Saturday night.   [player_tooltip player_id='1045556' first='Jayson' last='Moll'] - Senior Running Back   Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1045556' first='Jayson' last='Moll'] has made the most of his one season running in this Bixby offense. On the year, he has over 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns. He's averaging ten yards per carry behind a dominant offensive line. But when it comes to Moll's game, there's only one gear and that's the absolute max. If he gets into the open field or if there is the slightest opening in a defense, Moll is going to be able to exploit it instantly. Moll is also a threat for Bixby as a receiver out of the backfield and they'll even line him up elsewhere. Saturday night's game will be a fun one for the Bixby senior. He moved to Bixby this offseason after being an impact player for Owasso the last two seasons.   [player_tooltip player_id='528027' first='Kaeden' last='Penny'] - Junior Offensive/Defensive Lineman   Junior offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='528027' first='Kaeden' last='Penny'] is an Oklahoma commit and has firmly established himself as one of the very best players in the state and in this part of the country. And he's only a junior. Offensively, he's a dominant force on the line of scrimmage but he also turns around and brings that same energy and force to the defensive side of the ball. Bixby has had a lot of great offensive linemen and a lot of great defensive linemen during this dynasty stretch. Penny is in a position where he could honestly be considered the best at either position. Only time will tell if that's the case but he has been special for the Spartans and everything they do starts with dominant play on the line.   [player_tooltip player_id='1830444' first='Nathan' last='Gonzalez'] - Senior Wide Receiver/Defensive Back   Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1830444' first='Nathan' last='Gonzalez'] has emerged this season as the top target in the Bixby offense. He leads the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns. He's been a consistent threat for the Spartans but really, he runs in this offense so well. They do a great job of throwing it out to him and getting him in space. The other Spartan receivers do a good job of blocking down field and all of a sudden a solid gain turns into a big play. But Gonzalez has also stood out for the Spartans on the defensive side of the ball at the cornerback position. He's already had a big performance in the playoffs. He dominated in their quarterfinal win over Union and will look to do it again on the biggest stage.   [player_tooltip player_id='1831002' first='Nathan' last='Hobbs'] - Junior Linebacker   We finish off this breakdown with junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1831002' first='Nathan' last='Hobbs'] and we had to include him considering the last time these two played, Hobbs was one of the best players on the field. In that season opener against the Rams, Hobbs was playing like a man possessed on the defensive side of the ball. He was one of the team's leading tacklers that night, he finished with a sack and we lost track of how many passes he broke up. Hobbs felt like he was literally all over the field on that August night. Even when he wasn't in the backfield creating havoc, he would disrupt passing lanes by getting his hands up. He leads the team in pass breakups but finally got his first interception last week.

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