Eight Sand Springs Players To Watch At State

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   The Class 6A-2 state championship game is set! #1 Sand Springs will square off with #4 Choctaw in Edmond on Friday night at 7PM. These two teams have met in each of the last three playoffs, all in the quarterfinals and Choctaw is 3-0 against the Sandites during that stretch. For Choctaw, it's a return trip to the state championship game, where they will get the opportunity to defend their title they won last season. The Yellowjackets have gotten very familiar with playing for the gold ball in Edmond. This is also their third trip in the last four seasons. On the other side you have a Sand Springs squad that has been knocking on the door of making it to the title game and now they are one win away from the gold ball. The Sandites took over the top spot in 6A-2 about a month ago as the west side district beat up on each other. In this post, we put the spotlight on Sand Springs and look at eight different players to keep an eye on Friday 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='1304614' first='Alex' last='Dudley'] - Senior Wide Receiver/Defensive Back   Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1304614' first='Alex' last='Dudley'] has been a complete player for the Sandites over the last several seasons and this year is no different. Whether it's been on offense, defense or in the return game in special teams, Dudley has been an impact player for the Sandites. Now, this season, most of his production has been in the secondary. The Dudley family has been very impactful for Sand Springs football. The Sandite senior standout is third on the team in tackles and is one of several leaders on the defensive side of the ball. While he's primarily on defense, don't overlook his ability to make plays in the return game or even on offense. He's caught a couple touchdowns this season. And with the state championship on the line, the Sandites are going to lean on this senior class and pull out all the stops as they try to win the school's first state title in over 50 years.   [player_tooltip player_id='1837040' first='Brock' last='O'Dell'] - Senior Running Back/Linebacker   Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1837040' first='Brock' last='O'Dell'] comes into this week as Sand Springs' leading tackler from his linebacker position. O'Dell has just over 120 tackles on the year and has also totaled 12 tackles for loss. But it's been his impact on the offensive side of the ball in the playoffs that makes him such an intriguing player to watch this week. In addition to being one of the leaders of the defense, O'Dell has chipped in on offense in their last two wins. He had four touchdowns on the ground in their quarterfinal win over Piedmont but no run was bigger than the game-winning two-point conversion in the semifinals with less than a minute to play. Whenever you're talking about "players to watch" going into the biggest game of the year, O'Dell has to be mentioned because he's elevated his game to new heights in the playoffs and is becoming that "big moment" player.   [player_tooltip player_id='1530080' first='Dom' last='Forbes'] - Junior Wide Receiver   Halfway through his junior season, [player_tooltip player_id='1530080' first='Dom' last='Forbes'] became the school's all time leading receiver. He still had a season and a half to raise that bar and record to a spot that might not ever be touched. Forbes was one of the state's breakout stars last season as a sophomore. He had an unbelievable season and he's been the top target in the Sandite passing attack again this season. But because of Forbes' breakout season last year, he hasn't snuck up on anybody this season. Defenses have gotten wise and are starting to throw two (and sometimes three) defenders his way, trying to limit his impact. But the Sandites have made defenses pay. It's freed up other players to step up and make plays. So even when Forbes, who is one of the top receivers in the state, is bottled up by double or triple teams, he's still impacting the game as it frees someone up.   [player_tooltip player_id='449993' first='Easton' last='Webb'] - Senior Quarterback   Simply put, senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='449993' first='Easton' last='Webb'] is one of the best players in the state and it's been that way since the start of last season. Webb has been a promising QB prospect since his freshman season but he made a leap in between his sophomore and junior seasons that put him in the "elite" category when it came to 2026 quarterbacks in Oklahoma. This season, Webb has been the unquestioned leader of the Sandites and the thing that we've liked about his game is how much he can impact the game in every aspect of the offense. The semifinal win over Putnam City was a great example of that. The weather was terrible and Webb had to use his legs and there were multiple times where he was able to beat the Putnam City defense on the ground, including the touchdown that set up the game-winning two-point conversion.   [player_tooltip player_id='1636070' first='Emory' last='Smittick'] - Senior Linebacker   Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1636070' first='Emory' last='Smittick'] joins O'Dell as Sandite linebackers that have terrorized opposing offenses. Just like O'Dell, Smittick is one of the team's leading tacklers with over 100 tackles on the season. There are some really good linebacker duos across the state but you would have to include Smittick and O'Dell in that conversation when you consider the production and overall impact they've had this season. Smittick was one of the first defensive players that Sand Springs' coaches named when it comes to players that have helped guide the Sandites to the state title game. He's been incredibly productive during his career and has a wealth of experience that has helped some of those younger players coming along. We mentioned this in the Choctaw article but both teams have outstanding linebackers that fly around and get to the football.   [player_tooltip player_id='2072734' first='Paxton' last='Salazar'] - Junior Wide Receiver   We mentioned with Forbes how other wide receivers have been freed up as they try to take him away. Junior wideout [player_tooltip player_id='2072734' first='Paxton' last='Salazar'] is the perfect example of that. In last week's semifinal win over Putnam City, the Pirates did whatever they could to limit Forbes. Because of that, Salazar was left free and he made the Putnam City defense pay. He had his best performance in the win over Putnam City with 12 catches for 124 yards. Prior to the semifinal win, Salazar came into that game with just 15 receptions on the season. He had 12 in that game alone. So as we start looking ahead to Friday night's championship game, the Sandites now have two experienced and productive weapons to make the Yellowjackets pay. If Salazar keeps this momentum going into this week, the Sandite offense is going to be able move the ball on Friday.   [player_tooltip player_id='1830817' first='Tre' last='Pope'] - Senior Defensive Back   Senior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1830817' first='Tre' last='Pope'] has made the most of his opportunities this season in the Sand Springs secondary. The Sandites have a few players that have stood out on this side of the ball but Pope has to be considered one of the breakout stars when you look at the production he's had this season. He leads the team in interceptions and in pass break ups. Whenever opposing quarterbacks have tested Pope, he routinely has passed each test with flying colors. And because of that, he has not been tested as much during this playoff run. The Sandites are playing a Choctaw offense that is one of the more balanced offenses in the state. If Pope and the Sandite secondary can have another successful night defending the pass and making Choctaw more one-dimensional, they'll be in a good position on Friday night.   [player_tooltip player_id='1837037' first='Waylon' last='Jeffers'] - Senior Defensive Lineman   Senior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1837037' first='Waylon' last='Jeffers'] is the fifth defensive standout to keep an eye on this week in the state championship game. As we mentioned earlier, the Sandites have to come into this week with a lot of confidence on the defensive side of the ball. They shut out Putnam City in the second half to punch their ticket to the state championship game. If Jeffers and the Sandites can put together two halves of football similar to what we saw in the second half last week, they'll be in a good position. Jeffers looks like the leader of this defensive line and helps set the tone on the line of scrimmage for the Sandites defensively. This season, he has nearly 50 tackles on the season but is one of the team's leaders when it comes to tackles for loss. He'll look to set the tone again Friday against a well-balanced Choctaw offense.

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