2025 Most Improved Player – Wyatt Atkinson

<!-- 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 2025 football season has come to an end and the calendar has officially flipped to 2026. Throughout the month of January, we'll be putting the spotlight on some of the top individuals from the 2025 football season. From All State Teams to our Player Of The Year award and much more! In today's post, we're recognizing the 2025 Most Improved Player. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more individual spotlights. 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 recapping the 2025 football season! This year's 2025 Most Improved Player is Perkins-Tryon senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1161913' first='Wyatt' last='Atkinson']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1161913' first='Wyatt' last='Atkinson'] - SENIOR RUNNING BACK - PERKINS-TRYON</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sometimes you just need an opportunity and when you make the most of it, good things happen. Coming into this season, we were expecting senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1161913' first='Wyatt' last='Atkinson'] to split carries with another senior running back. That was the case last season but when that senior went down with an injury, Atkinson became the guy in this Perkins-Tryon offense and he certainly made the most of his opportunity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the season, he ran the ball 252 times for 2,213 yards and 29 touchdowns. We don't have official stats from every team in the state, but it's safe to say that Atkinson is at least near the top of the list if he isn't at the very top of the list in rushing yards this season. He also had 83 tackles and 28 tackles for loss on the defensive side of the ball. Overall, he accounted for 36 touchdowns in six different ways on the season. In addition to his rushing touchdowns, he also threw a touchdown and scored as a receiver, a kick returner, returned a fumble and an interception for scores. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming into this season, Atkinson had 24 total touchdowns in his three previous seasons combined. He ran for 1,475 yards and 20 touchdowns in the previous three seasons combined. And full disclosure, he was right on the fence for being a finalist for our PRZ-Oklahoma Player Of The Year award. There was no doubt that Atkinson was one of the best players in the state this season. He also helped lead the Demons all the way to the 3A semifinals despite the fact that they stumbled in the regular season and they were a three-seed out of their district, going into the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And one of the things that separates Atkinson from some of the other worthy contenders here is his clutch gene. The Perkins-Tryon standout had arguably his best performances of the season against their toughest competition. He ran for over 200 yards on 35 carries in their week four showdown with Sulphur. In their first two playoff wins, both coming on the road, Atkinson ran for over 450 yards and four touchdowns on 54 carries. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We got a chance to watch Atkinson in person in week three, when he scored three rushing touchdowns, returned an interception for a score and had a kick return for his fifth touchdown on the night. Those highlights are below. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/CsPpqVws00A","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/CsPpqVws00A </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->