Week Three Players To Watch

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!   The 2026 football season continues this week as we've reached the end of non-district play for most teams on Friday night. Every Thursday, we'll put the spotlight on ten players to watch in some of the biggest games across the state of Oklahoma. On Wednesday nights, you can get a sneak peek at the ten players to watch by checking out our YouTube channel at 7PM.   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/uqPcXImHhWc" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/uqPcXImHhWc">- Week Three Players To Watch Video</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='1836640' first='Braxten' last='Antuna'] - 2027 Running Back - Elgin   Elgin has gotten off to a 3-0 start this season and they have a ton of momentum after beating Tuttle 28-14 last week in a rematch of the last two 4A state championship games. Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1836640' first='Braxten' last='Antuna'] is a player to watch for the Owls moving forward because of his ability to tote the rock but also be a threat for the Owls out of the backfield. Elgin is going on the road to face a Cache team that is also 3-0 on the season but they haven't been tested like they will on Friday night. We've been of the belief that Antuna is one of the more underrated running backs in the state for a while now. His ability to beat defenses as a hard-nosed runner or as a pass catcher makes him one of the more talented offensive weapons in 5A football. Antuna was definitely a player to watch coming into this season and that still remains heading into week three.   [player_tooltip player_id='1878056' first='Brooks' last='Backus'] - 2028 Running Back - Piedmont   Piedmont goes on the road looking to take down a ranked 6A-1 team in Norman North. Junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1878056' first='Brooks' last='Backus'] is going to not only play a huge role in Friday's game but he's a player to watch for the Wildcats as they look to emerge as a 6A-2 contender this season. Backus is one of many rushing weapons that Piedmont will use to try and shorten the game. This is a program that runs the flexbone offense to perfection and they will look to use their offense to keep Norman North's explosive offense off the field. The last time Backus was on the field, he found the end zone a couple times in a blowout win over Southmoore. That was also two weeks ago so Backus should come into Friday night's game rested and ready to go. The junior broke onto the scene last year as a sophomore, finishing with over 1,000 yards and now he's hungry for more.   [player_tooltip player_id='1298836' first='Byron' last='Mason'] - 2027 Running Back - Norman North   On the other side of the Piedmont @ Norman North match-up, but staying at the running back position, senior [player_tooltip player_id='1298836' first='Byron' last='Mason'] is a player to watch for Norman North. Mason recently committed to D2 powerhouse Harding and in his first game after committing, he totaled 250 yards of total offense in a win over Sand Springs last week. We've been on the record for a while now that Mason is one of the best running backs in the state and all you have to do is look at his overall production and abilities to figure that out pretty quickly. Mason might be the best all purpose back in the state when you combine his ability to carry the ball 20+ times but also turn around and be a threat out of the backfield as a pass catcher. We mentioned Norman North's explosive offense earlier and Mason is a big reason behind that and he's playing with a ton of momentum right now.   [player_tooltip player_id='1673157' first='Carson' last='Odom'] - 2028 Linebacker - Owasso   We mentioned this in our video breakdown, but we might have a little recency bias here with this pick. Owasso is going on the road to face Sand Springs Friday night and we'll be on the look out for junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1673157' first='Carson' last='Odom'] in that one. We just watched Owasso in person and while things didn't go well in Broken Arrow, Odom was one of the players that really stood out to us from the start of the game. Odom is a linebacker that made the move from Jenks to Owasso this offseason and he has really fit in well, right in the middle of this Owasso defense. Despite the loss, Odom was one of the best football players on the field last week. And now, heading into a week three clash with Sand Springs, there is no doubt that Odom and the rest of the Rams will have a sour taste in their mouth. That's going to make him an even more dangerous defender Friday night.   [player_tooltip player_id='1182029' first='Connor' last='Claborn'] - 2027 Running Back - Lawton MacArthur   Lawton MacArthur makes a rare trip to Tulsa to square off with Booker T Washington on Friday night. The Highlanders will be led by one of the better running backs in the state as senior [player_tooltip player_id='1182029' first='Connor' last='Claborn'] looks to impact the game in a major way. Claborn got banged up in their season opener in week zero and had to also miss their week one game. Claborn returned to the field last week and finished with over 150 yards as he continues to be one of the highest producers at the running back position in Oklahoma. Now, this week's match-up is one that we are very interested in watching closely. Because Claborn and the Highlanders are facing a Booker T Washington defense that has two P4 prospects on the defensive line. Running against the Hornets is not going to be an easy task. But Claborn has been automatic when healthy so something will have to give.   [player_tooltip player_id='1670662' first='Dane' last='Jensen'] - 2027 Linebacker - Pawhuska   Pawhuska goes on the road to face Woodland on Friday night, looking to take down a top ten team in Class A-2 for the second straight week. Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1670662' first='Dane' last='Jensen'] is definitely going to be ready for this week's match-up for a few reasons. First off, Jensen is coming off a dominant performance last week in a shutout victory over Hominy. Secondly, Jensen was unstoppable against Woodland in their regular season meeting last year. We got a chance to watch that firsthand how Jensen was basically living in the Woodland backfield. You combine that with his ability to be used at various times on the offensive side of the ball and you have a player that's going to be an impact guy Friday night. Now, the biggest question for Jensen and the Huskies is how far can they truly go in an absolutely loaded and competitive Class A-1?   [player_tooltip player_id='1837043' first='Dominic' last='Forbes'] - 2027 Wide Receiver - Sand Springs   We mentioned the Owasso @ Sand Springs match-up earlier and for the Sandites, there's no doubt that their player to watch every week is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1837043' first='Dominic' last='Forbes'] at the wide receiver position or wherever else they put him. Sand Springs is 1-2 but we were in the house for that one win on the season and came away even more impressed with Forbes. Coming into this season, Forbes was very clearly one of the state's best wide receivers. This year, we think you can just say that he's one of the state's best players, regardless of positions. He's still a can't miss prospect when it comes to the wide receiver position. But the Sandites are using him in more ways to get the football in his hands. In that win over Sapulpa, they used him on the goal line, taking direct snaps and he finished with a pair of rushing touchdowns. He'll be one of the best players on the field Friday.   [player_tooltip player_id='1176238' first='Israel' last='Hammons'] - 2027 Linebacker - Choctaw   It's one of the best games in Oklahoma this week as Choctaw goes on the road to face Muskogee in a rematch of the 2024 state title game and a match-up of two top six teams in the 6A-2 rankings. Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1176238' first='Israel' last='Hammons'] is an Oklahoma State commit and in our opinion, he's one of the best overall football players in Oklahoma. Hammons is one of those players that has proven time after time that he can line up anywhere on the field and be an impactful player. His future looks like it's on the defensive side of the ball but don't be surprised if the Yellowjackets rely on Hammons to also play some offense and also be an impact player in special teams. Hammons and the Yellowjackets got their first win of the season last week against Union. But they'll face a Muskogee team that has been hard to kill so far in the first three games of the season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1829569' first='Jerett' last='Gibson'] - 2028 Quarterback - Perkins-Tryon   Perkins-Tryon is playing with a ton of momentum after beating Cushing in their annual rivalry affair last week. Now, they'll go on the road and look to take down two-time defending state champion Rejoice Christian. Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1829569' first='Jerett' last='Gibson'] has gotten off to a solid start this season, as he's made the move to QB1 this season. He got plenty of playing time last season but in different positions. Now, he's QB1 and helped guide the Demons to a 30-20 win last week after being shut out in week zero against 2A-1 powerhouse Washington. Gibson is a player that we saw back in May at our second offseason showcase and he impressed throwing the ball. He had a strong performance throwing and running the ball in the win over Cushing. Now, he and the Demons will be looking to pick up even more momentum on Friday night in Owasso.   [player_tooltip player_id='700412' first='Peyton' last='Campbell'] - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back - Stillwater   Stillwater is ready to get back on the field after having last week off, following a tough loss on the road against Bixby. Stillwater senior [player_tooltip player_id='700412' first='Peyton' last='Campbell'] is quickly becoming one of our favorite two-way players to watch in 6A-2. Campbell, in our opinion, was one of the better safeties in the state last season. But this year, because Stillwater needed new players to step up at wide receiver, Campbell stepped into a role at wide receiver and is off to a strong start this season. Campbell and the Wolverines are on the road Friday night against a talented Lawton team. They will also face Owasso next week. These are two big tests for the Pioneers in late September. Campbell will be utilized a lot on the offensive side of the ball but he might be more important this week on defense. Lawton's quarterback is an OU commit that Campbell will try to disrupt.

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