A State: Hooker Players To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong><em><strong><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></strong></em></strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class A state championship game is set! #2 Fairview will look to defend their state championship against Hooker in Edmond on Saturday afternoon at 1PM. It will be a rematch of a district showdown earlier this season. Fairview is looking for a second consecutive championship and another perfect season. Meanwhile Hooker is looking to take down an unbeaten team for the fourth consecutive week in the playoffs. In this post, we break down ten players from Hooker that you need to know about and even more names to know ahead of Saturday's game. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more state championship coverage!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>RELATED</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/12/class-a-title-first-look-2/">– Class A State Title First Look</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/12/a-state-fairview-players-to-watch/">- Fairview's Players To Watch</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>HOOKER'S TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1108511"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"This year's Hooker team is headlined by juniors and sophomores and even a few freshmen to keep an eye on moving forward. But senior offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1108511' first='Adrian' last='Ibarra'] is one of the seniors to keep an eye on when the Bulldogs look to pull off the upset of defending champion Fairview in Saturday's title clash. Ibarra leads an offensive line that sets the tone offensively. This team does a great job of running the football and Ibarra is one of the guys opening up the holes up front. This team has the ability to be balanced but there is no doubt that they are at their best when they are pounding the rock moving forward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1108550"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"We mentioned how this team is headlined by underclassmen, look no further than sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1108550' first='Aydan' last='Woolridge'] at the linebacker position. Woolridge saw playing time last year as a freshman but he has absolutely exploded during his sophomore season. Woolridge leads the team in tackles with nearly 150 tackles on the season. And Woolridge has taken his game to new heights here in the playoffs. In the last four games, Woolridge has 48 tackles and he's rolling going into the state championship game. The sophomore is a tackling machine with double digit tackles in four of the last five games this season.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1108554"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Another young emerging player on the Hooker defense is freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1108554' first='Gunnar' last='Martens'] this weekend. Martens is the younger brother of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='572028' first='Kleat' last='Martens'] and Gunnar has certainly had an impact on the Hooker defense this season. He has 54 tackles on the season and 15 tackles for loss this fall. And just like a few other players on this standout defense, Martens has played excellent in the playoffs. Nearly half of his tackles on the season have come in the last month as the playoffs have begun. He did not have any defensive stats in the regular season meeting against Fairview. That should change on Saturday.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1084102"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Martens isn't the only freshman that's going to be a player to watch on Saturday. Hooker freshman running back [player_tooltip player_id='1084102' first='Justin' last='Palacios'] has emerged as an absolute star this season for the Bulldogs. Palacios leads the team in rushing with nearly 1,700 yards on the season and 21 touchdowns on the year. And during Hooker's ten-game winning streak, Palacios has run for at least 100 yards in every game except one and has 19 touchdowns during that stretch. The regular season loss to Fairview seems to be the turning point not only for Hooker, but for Palacios this fall. He's become one of Class A's top running backs.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["572029"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Following a breakout season last fall as a freshman, offensive and defensive standout [player_tooltip player_id='572029' first='Keilan' last='Robinson'] returned this fall and has been one of the best two-way players in Class A. Robinson got hurt in the offseason while playing basketball and that had him somewhat limited early on in the season. But His best game on the offensive side of the ball came in week four when the Bulldogs met defending champion Fairview. Robinson is going to be a big key to their success on Saturday. Fairview has one of the better passing attacks in the state and Robinson's abilities as a lockdown corner will be critical.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["572028"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Hooker junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='572028' first='Kleat' last='Martens'] emerged last season as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks, not only in Class A, but in the state. As a sophomore, Martens threw for 21 touchdowns and also had 20 touchdowns on the ground. It's hard to ignore production like that as we came into this season. Martens continues to be one of the top dual-threat signal callers this fall with over 1,000 passing yards and over 1,000 rushing yards. But with the emergence of Palacios at running back, Martens hasn't had as much pressure to carry the offense. That has allowed him to become more efficient at quarterback.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1108522"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"When we think about Saturday's game, one of the players that we have a giant circle on is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1108522' first='Nate' last='Hidalgo'] on the defensive line. Hidalgo can easily pass the eye test with his size and then he does the same thing with his production on the field. Hidalgo leads the team in tackles for loss with 25 on the season. He's one of the team's leading tacklers and he's a match-up nightmare for most offensive linemen in Class A football. Nate's older brother Zach was a star for the Hooker basketball team a few years ago and Hidalgo has the potential to be the same on the gridiron. We're fired up to see him in person Saturday.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["1108520"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"After missing the majority of his sophomore season, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1108520' first='Peyton' last='Parker'] has come back with a vengeance during his junior season this fall. Parker is another player on this Hooker defense that has 100 tackles on the season. He's second on the team in tackles for loss with 22 on the year and he's had multiple games this season where he's had more than one tackle for loss. Parker exploded during his freshman season in 2021 with nearly 100 tackles on the year. After missing the majority of last season, Parker is back and appears to be better than ever. We're looking forward to seeing what he does against Fairview's offense.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["1108523"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"After talking with Hooker head coach Trevor Powers earlier this week, one player that we certainly have circled coming into Saturday's game is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1108523' first='Rhett' last='Nunley'] along the offensive and defensive line. Powers mentioned that Nunley was a powerful lineman with size and ability. He certainly has the potential to be one of the fast risers in the state's 2025 class. The old cliche when it comes to recruiting is you can't coach size. And Nunley has size, listed on the roster at 6'3 and 300 pounds. Similar to players like Hidalgo, most opponents in Class A have no answers for dealing with a player like Nunley.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["1108519"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"We mentioned a few times in this breakdown how Hooker is at their best when they are running the football. However, don't overlook the Bulldogs in the passing game. And when they've taken to the air this season, junior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1108519' first='Trace' last='Duncan'] has been the go-to target. Duncan leads the team in receiving. He's enjoyed a breakout season for the Bulldogs at the wide receiver position this fall. And he's playing some outstanding football in the playoffs. He had a career night in the first round win over Mangum. He put up career-highs in catches and yards as they rolled to a first round victory.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-657342a1a2510"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>MORE NAMES TO KNOW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>PLAYER</strong></td><td><strong>CLASS</strong></td><td><strong>POSITION</strong></td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1108525' first='Alfonso' last='Ortiz']</td><td>2025</td><td>Offensive Lineman</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1108509' first='Braxton' last='Burge']</td><td>2024</td><td>Wide Receiver</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1108524' first='Cale' last='Metcalf']</td><td>2025</td><td>Offensive Lineman</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1108521' first='Daniel' last='Quezada']</td><td>2025</td><td>Linebacker</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1108527' first='Jonathan' last='Cano']</td><td>2025</td><td>Offensive Lineman</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1108510' first='Omar' last='Gomez']</td><td>2024</td><td>Defensive Back</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->