Top Four Teams Clash In A-1 Semifinals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's week two of the semifinal round across the state and Prep Redzone Oklahoma will get you ready for all of the games coming up this week. Now, as a reminder, we had our first week of semifinals last week and while a lot of attention this week will be on the state championship games at UCO, we'll see some great semifinal football in classes 4A-A this week. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma all week for in-depth looks at every semifinal contest. And we continue today with Class A-1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#1 REJOICE CHRISTIAN (11-1) VS #4 PAWHUSKA (11-1)<br>Friday - 7:00PM - Oologah H.S.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top-ranked and defending champion Rejoice Christian will square off with #4 Pawhuska in Oologah Friday night. Both teams come into Friday's game with 11-1 records with one team being the defending champ and the other being the ultimate contender. For Rejoice Christian, they are one win away from punching their ticket back to the state championship game. The Eagles are playing outstanding football this season and the only setback was back in non-district play against Cascia Hall. The Eagles have overcome the injury bug at various times this season to roll into Friday's semifinal. For Pawhuska, they feel like the ultimate contender coming into the playoffs. They have a team that's capable of making it to the state championship game. But they've never been able to get out of the semifinals. The Huskies play a very entertaining brand of football and there have been some entertaining finishes, including their quarterfinal win over Wynnewood. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>REJOICE CHRISTIAN PLAYER TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1328118' first='Kamieon' last='Compton-Nero'] - Sophomore Quarterback/Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1328118' first='Kamieon' last='Compton-Nero'] is one of the best players in the state and there's a reason why he's already considered one of the top prospects in Oklahoma. Last season, we started to see flashes of what the Rejoice standout could be during his freshman season. This year, he's elevated his game to new heights and he's the ultimate weapon for the Eagles. Offensively, he's the typical dual-threat quarterback that can torch a defense with his arm or his legs. Defensively, he's been outstanding in the secondary. It doesn't matter where Compton-Nero is lined up on the field, he's able to have an impact and he's arguably the top game-changing athlete left in the Class A-1 playoffs. The ceiling for him as a prospect is through the roof. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>PAWHUSKA PLAYER TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1325101' first='Vann' last='Wildcat'] - Junior Running Back/Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior running back and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1325101' first='Vann' last='Wildcat'] is one of the toughest players in Class A-1 and he will certainly play a big role in their game plan on Friday night. Offensively, Wildcat is the ultimate linebacker playing running back. He's a physical runner that will not back away from contact and it usually takes more than one guy to bring him down. Defensively, he's your prototypical linebacker that has a nose for the football. We watched Wildcat in person earlier this season and he seemed like his motor only had one speed. Even when he got banged up later in the game, you wouldn't be able to tell because of the way he plays the game. Wildcat has been one of the better two-way players in this class for well over a year at this point. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#2 POCOLA (10-2) VS #3 TONKAWA (11-1)<br>Friday - 7:00PM - Catoosa H.S. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the other semifinal, we'll see #2 Pocola squaring off with #3 Tonkawa in Catoosa on Friday night. This match-up features two programs that have very different football histories. Tonkawa is used to contending for titles while Pocola is in the semifinals for the first time in program history. The Indians aren't going to settle for just making it to Friday's semifinal round. They expect to win and punch their ticket to the state championship game. Pocola has to be playing with a ton of confidence after going on the road and taking down Class A powerhouse Fairview in the quarterfinal round. They've been building momentum to making a run over the last few years. On the other side is Tonkawa and the Buccaneers were flying under the radar until they started consistently beating some of the top teams in this class. They ran away with the district title and they haven't slowed down with the playoffs beginning. Tonkawa is searching for their first title game appearance since winning it all in 2018. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>POCOLA PLAYER TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1473214' first='Ja' last='Posey'] - Junior Quarterback</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1473214' first='Ja' last='Posey'] has been one of Class A-1's top passers over the last two seasons. Posey burst onto the scene last year as one of the state's breakout stars at quarterback. He's come back this season with a vengeance this season. He's once again one of the top quarterbacks in the class and he's helped lead the Indians to the semifinals for the first time in program history. Posey has played really well down the stretch and he's going to be hungry to get back on the field on Friday night. Fairview did a good job of containing Posey and the passing game in the quarterfinals. The junior gunslinger is going to be ready to get back on the field and execute at a high level. If Posey and this Pocola offense can hit explosive plays, they'll be in a good spot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>TONKAWA PLAYER TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1694451' first='Kace' last='Tautfest'] - Junior Running Back/Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1694451' first='Kace' last='Tautfest'] is the team's leading tackler with well over 100 on the season and this is a Tonkawa defense that has done a great job against some of the better offensive units in this class. Tautfest will also line up at running back when the Buccaneers are near the goal line. He's been their short yardage specialist and similar to Wildcat in the other semifinal, he's very clearly a linebacker when he's toting the rock on offense. He's a physical player that has a motor that doesn't stop. Tonkawa is facing a Pocola squad that has some firepower on the offensive side of the ball but they've found a way to be very balanced. The Tonkawa junior and the Buccaneer defense will look to slow them down and make them very uncomfortable on Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->