Class 5A Playoff Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   The 2023 regular season is in the books! And it's time to start talking playoff football across Oklahoma. It feels like yesterday that we were previewing the 2023 football season and the year was kicking off. Now, teams truly begin their journey on the road to Edmond. Before we know it, we'll be at UCO crowning state champions to wrap up a fantastic 2023 season. Prep Redzone Oklahoma will have you completely covered for the 2023 playoffs. From all the teams and players you need to know about to the best state championship coverage in the state, we'll have wall to wall coverage of the 2023 playoffs.   In this post, we're taking a look at Class 5A. From the team to beat to the top contenders and storylines to follow and so much more! For a complete breakdown on all the top players on each team heading into the 5A playoffs, <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/11/class-5a-players-to-watch-playoff-edition/">CLICK HERE.</a> And check back each day for more playoff preview content ONLY on Prep Redzone Oklahoma!   PLAYOFF BRACKET   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/11/5A-Bracket-.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1078888" /></figure>   TEAM TO BEAT   Carl Albert Titans   Defending champion and top-ranked Carl Albert comes into the playoffs as the team to beat in Class 5A. The Titans ran to a state championship a year ago and they came into the 2023 season as the unquestioned favorite in the class. But this season has certainly seen Carl Albert get challenged a few times. They beat Muskogee on the road in a game featuring #1 teams. They beat #3 Guthrie in the final minute of the game and had to rally to beat Piedmont in week ten. So while the Titans look like a heavy favorite on paper, they haven't been invincible. However, it's hard to put any other team in Class 5A in this spot over the Titans at this point. They have four players on their roster committed to OU and another that is one of the top prospects in the state's 2025 class.   TOP CONTENDERS   Del City Eagles   We lead off the "Top Contenders" section with #2 Del City. We could end up seeing a Mid-Del clash in the state championship game with the Eagles looking to knock the Titans off the 5A mountain top. Del City has been ranked right behind Carl Albert since the start of the season. They come into the playoffs at 9-0 and they have been absolutely dominant this season. The closest game of the year came in district play against a McAlester team that has made back to back state championship game appearances. They won that district contest by 14 points and ran away with the district championship. Del City has one of the best offenses in Class 5A and a legitimate three-headed monster at quarterback, running back and wide receiver that will all be playing at the next level.   Elgin Owls   The #4 Elgin Owls moved up from Class 4A to Class 5A last season and immediately contended for the district championship. The Owls were a surprise team in 2022 but they expected to be a contender in 2023. We liked the experience and talent that the Owls brought back on both sides of the ball and they've been dominant this season. For the second straight year, the district championship race in 5A-1 came down to Elgin and Midwest City in the final week of the regular season. After falling short in the final seconds last year, the Owls took care of business last week and come into the postseason as a district champion. They have a tough path in a loaded Class 5A playoff bracket. But this is a team that has the firepower and experience to contend for a gold ball.   Guthrie Blue Jays   The #3 Guthrie Blue Jays round out the top contenders to Carl Albert's crown. The Blue Jays had Carl Albert on the ropes a few weeks ago. They led 21-17 with just a few minutes to play. But the Titans stunned Guthrie with a touchdown on fourth and goal with under a minute to play. Despite that, Guthrie knows that they can compete with the champs and they are right there in the mix of the best teams in Class 5A. They shut out seven of their ten opponents this season. They didn't give up a touchdown until the week eight game with Carl Albert. But the Blue Jays might have the toughest path to winning the state championship. If they win their first round game, they will more than likely see #2 Del City in the quarterfinals. And they are on the tougher side of the 5A bracket.   DARK HORSE   Bishop Kelley Comets   When we look at the Class 5A playoffs overall, any team outside of that top four is going to have their hands full when it comes to making a run to Edmond. So our pick for a dark horse is #5 Bishop Kelley. Even though the Comets are a district champion and a top five team, that top four will be tough to stop. But we like the way the Comets have been playing over the last eight weeks and their road to a state championship game is more navigable than some other teams. The Comets began the season with back to back losses but immediately turned things around. They won their annual rivalry game with Bishop McGuinness in week two and then took off in district play. They beat Collinsville in week five and then won an instant classic over Claremore to lock up the district title.   MUST WATCH 1ST ROUND GAME   Sapulpa AT Claremore   Whenever you talk about the first round of the playoffs, the marquee match-up usually happens when the 2-seed faces the 3-seed. That's what we have here as Claremore hosts Sapulpa. The Chieftains came into this season with high expectations but they found themselves in a tough district and suffered back to back losses in October. For Claremore, they fell in the final minutes on the road to Bishop Kelley for their only loss this season. Both teams feature outstanding offenses with legit stars on that side of the ball. We'll dive into this under the "Top Storylines" section but these two teams also happen to be on the tougher side of the playoff bracket. So whoever wins this game will still have a gauntlet run ahead of them if they are to make a trip to Edmond.   MORE 1ST ROUND GAMES TO WATCH   Bishop McGuinness AT Midwest City When we look back at the beginning of this season, Bishop McGuinness and Midwest City were under the radar compared to other teams in their respective districts. But the Bombers and the Irish both exceeded all preseason expectations. McGuinness stunned Piedmont in week nine to jump up the district standings. And Midwest City was playing for a district title in the final week of the regular season.   Collinsville AT Coweta We have two teams that spent plenty of time in the Class 5A rankings this season. Collinsville has basically been ranked all season and suffered a tough loss to Claremore on the road in week ten. That loss put them in this first round match-up with Coweta. And the Tigers overcame a tough start that featured back to back losses against defending champions Carl Albert and Wagoner with a 7-3 record.   Lawton MacArthur AT Guthrie Guthrie has been one of the best teams in Class 5A but as we mentioned earlier, they have the toughest road to competing for a state championship. In the first round, they'll host a Lawton MacArthur team that has been one of the more underrated teams in the class this season. The Highlanders aren't your typical 3-seed and have some playmakers that could give Guthrie some problems.   TOP STORYLINES   Another 5A-2 Sweep Coming?   Last season, we saw a complete sweep in the first round as 5A-2 teams went 4-0 in first round games against teams from 5A-1. Bishop McGuinness, Carl Albert, Guthrie and Piedmont were the four 5A-2 playoff teams and all four moved on to the quarterfinals and two would advance to the semifinals. Those four programs are back in the playoffs and while second consecutive first round sweep doesn't seem likely, it wouldn't be an impossibility either. District champion Elgin will be the toughest 5A-1 team to beat but they'll host Piedmont and the Wildcats just showed last week against defending champion Carl Albert that they can compete with anyone in Class 5A. So while it doesn't seem likely, look out for the teams out of 5A-2 flexing and showing that they are the best district in 5A.   Carl Albert's Pursuit Of Perfection   Defending champion Carl Albert came into this season as the heavy favorite to capture another 5A state championship. The Titans not only had to battle a tough schedule but they had to battle unbelievably high expectations week after week. Not only was this team expected to win, they were expected to dominate. Prior to the 2022 season, one of our bold predictions was that Carl Albert would win at least three straight state titles. They won the first last year and are the favorite again. But expectations could not be higher for this team as they look to complete a perfect season. And with another state championship, the Titans would have 18 in school history. That would put them in a tie with Jenks for the second most in state history. Ada holds the record with 19 gold balls.   Top Heavy Bracket   We mentioned it a few times in our "Top Contenders" section but there is no doubt that when you look at the Class 5A playoff bracket, the top side of the bracket features the tougher road to Edmond. The teams ranked #2, #3 and #4 were all on the same side. And whenever you have a potential quarterfinal match-up that will feature #2 against #3, you have a brutal road to contending for a state championship. But just like we mentioned with 5A-2 and sometimes you just have districts that are more top-heavy than others, you also have situations where the bracket works out that way as well. Whoever ends up making it to Edmond from the top half of the bracket is going to earn it. Whether it's Del City, Elgin, Guthrie or another team, they will have survived the gauntlet.

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