5A Playoffs: Players To Watch

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! The 2021 regular season has come to an end and it’s time to get cranked up for the playoffs! Prep Redzone Oklahoma will be your home for the 2021 postseason as we’ll have wall to wall coverage. From playoff previews, to the most in-depth state championship coverage you’ll find anywhere, we’ll have you covered. Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day for more preview content throughout the week. In this post, we take a look at the players who will be making an impact on the 5A playoffs. To check out our<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/11/class-5a-playoff-preview/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 5A Playoff Preview, Click Here!</a> GAME CHANGERS [player_tooltip player_id="38684" first="Buddy" last="Bizzell"] - Running Back - Carl Albert We kick things off with a player that has had a massive impact on 5A football for the last three seasons. Carl Albert’s [player_tooltip player_id="38684" first="Buddy" last="Bizzell"] first became a big name as a sophomore and that’s only continued over the last two seasons. While Carl Albert is the massive favorite like they’ve been in the last two seasons, Bizzell gives the Titans a legitimate threat that more importantly is experienced at this time of the year. He knows what it takes to get the Titans back to Edmond playing for it all. [player_tooltip player_id="38690" first="Chase" last="Faber"] - Linebacker - McAlester When your unit is called the "Black Death Defense", you’re probably doing a few things right. And we knew that McAlester senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="38690" first="Chase" last="Faber"] would be one of the best linebackers in 5A football but we didn’t expect this kind of dominance from Faber and company. McAlester has a few playmakers on both sides of the ball but when it comes to defense, Faber is where everything starts and he’s made himself one of the best linebackers in the state, regardless of class. [player_tooltip player_id="219070" first="Colin" last="Fisher"] - Quarterback - Noble The left-handed quarterback apparently is also one of the best baseball prospects in the state’s 2023 class so he’s committed to Arkansas for baseball. However, after looking at him in person earlier this year and seeing what he’s done within this Noble offense, it’s hard not to consider Fisher among the state’s best at the quarterback position within the 2023 class. Fisher expertly leads a Noble offense that has yet to really be contained and they hope to continue that over the next month. [player_tooltip player_id="38687" first="Gage" last="Hamm"] - Quarterback - Coweta Coweta had high expectations coming into this season simply because they returned a quarterback in [player_tooltip player_id="38687" first="Gage" last="Hamm"] who was a third-year starter at the position. It also certainly helped that Hamm has gotten better and better every time he’s stepped on the field. From torching defenses with the pass or tucking the ball and running, Hamm is a true dual-threat quarterback weapon. It helps that he has some weapons around him but Hamm is the real deal at that position. [player_tooltip player_id="219244" first="Isaiah" last="Gray"] - Running Back - Lawton MacArthur Lawton MacArthur was a field goal away from coming into the playoffs with an undefeated record. The Highlanders have been dominant all season and it’s been largely in part because of breakout star [player_tooltip player_id="219244" first="Isaiah" last="Gray"]. We started seeing what Gray was doing early on in the season and he certainly got our attention when he kept producing like that, week after week. It didn’t matter who the Highlanders were playing, Gray was going to get the ball and he was going to make something happen with it. [player_tooltip player_id="38766" first="Malik" last="McMurtrey"] - Running Back - Tahlequah Tahlequah comes into the playoffs as an underdog as they go on the road to take on Coweta in the first round. In the battle of the Tigers, Tahlequah will be looking to pull off the upset on the road and they’ll lean on senior running back [player_tooltip player_id="38766" first="Malik" last="McMurtrey"] to make that happen. McMurtrey has had a very consistent season in 5A football where there are plenty of running backs all over the class. Despite that, McMurtrey has still found a way to stand out in the crowd. Tahlequah will rely on McMurtrey once again on Friday night. [player_tooltip player_id="64382" first="Oscar" last="Hammond"] - Wide Receiver - Collinsville Collinsville came into this season with high expectations because of their "Big Three" of [player_tooltip player_id="51256" first="Andrew" last="Carney"], [player_tooltip player_id="61136" first="Brayden" last="Gilkey"] and [player_tooltip player_id="64382" first="Oscar" last="Hammond"]. When it comes to players who can completely change the game, that spot goes to the senior wide receiver in Hammond. The Collinsville wideout had a breakout season last year and yet was still flying under the radar around the state coming into this season. However, he’s gotten more respect this year and rightfully so as he can change a game in the blink of an eye. <hr /> STAT SHEET STUFFERS [player_tooltip player_id="61136" first="Brayden" last="Gilkey"] - Running Back/Linebacker - Collinsville We’re leading off this category with Collinsville’s [player_tooltip player_id="61136" first="Brayden" last="Gilkey"] because it’s sorted by alphabetical but Gilkey might be the best example of this in 5A. He’s one of the most productive linebackers in 5A football and also doubles as a running back for the Cardinals on the offensive side of the ball. He has well over 20 touchdowns on the ground and has put up monster numbers on offense. Gilkey and this Collinsville offense is clicking on all cylinders right now and that’s a scary proposition for the rest of 5A football. [player_tooltip player_id="230393" first="Brunk" last="Gray"] - Quarterback - Pryor Over the last five years or so, it seems like Pryor always finds a way to get a solid quarterback who can absolutely light up opposing defenses. Last year, it was Ben Ward, this year, it’s junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="230393" first="Brunk" last="Gray"]. The junior quarterback class is outstanding in Oklahoma and Gray is one of the more underrated guys of the bunch. However, he might not be underrated for long as he’s one of the best in 5A football this year when it comes to throwing the ball and Pryor could be another dark horse candidate in the playoffs. [player_tooltip player_id="98174" first="Cal" last="Swanson"] - Quarterback - Ardmore We first saw Ardmore junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="98174" first="Cal" last="Swanson"] last winter and it was apparent to us after watching him throw for an afternoon that he had what it took to be one of the better quarterbacks in a loaded 2023 class. Fast forward to right now and Swanson has been one of the more efficient quarterbacks in Oklahoma and has put up some big numbers throwing the ball. He also has the Tigers as a true contender in Class 5A and ready to make a deep run to a possible gold ball. [player_tooltip player_id="230394" first="Isaiah" last="Hammons"] - Running Back - Guthrie When we think of Guthrie football this year, it’s hard not to just put their entire defensive unit on this breakdown. In fact, they have a few players on that side of the ball that probably should be on here, but we’re going with running back [player_tooltip player_id="230394" first="Isaiah" last="Hammons"]. Because as dominant as this Guthrie defense is, they still need some firepower on the offensive side of the ball and that has been Hammons. The Guthrie running back is enjoying a breakout season and hopes to lead the Blue Jays back to title contention. [player_tooltip player_id="38689" first="Jaylon" last="Orange"] - Running Back - Shawnee This season never really got off to the way that Shawnee wanted as they began the year 0-3 and played in a brutal district with top four teams McAlester and Coweta. However, the Wolves still found a way into the playoffs and you have to look at running back [player_tooltip player_id="38689" first="Jaylon" last="Orange"] and the Shawnee running game as a big reason why. Orange experienced a breakout season last year as a junior and has continued that this season. They’ll be an underdog in the playoffs as they take on undefeated Collinsville, but they’ll rely on Orange once again. [player_tooltip player_id="51871" first="Michael" last="Taffe"] - Running Back - Bishop McGuinness Last year, [player_tooltip player_id="51871" first="Michael" last="Taffe"] was somewhat overshadowed by McGuinness quarterback Luke Tarman, who was in the middle of the more memorable seasons by a QB in the last few seasons. This year, it was pretty clear that with Tarman graduating, Taffe would have more of a role in the offense. Not only has Taffe had more of a role, he’s been the McGuinness offense for the most part and has dominated this season. McGuinness replaced one Player Of The Year candidate with another one. [player_tooltip player_id="38772" first="Montez" last="Edwards"] - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back - Lawton MacArthur We already wrote about [player_tooltip player_id="219244" first="Isaiah" last="Gray"] and how he might be one of the breakout stars of this season. One of the standouts from Lawton MacArthur that we actually knew about coming into this season was senior standout [player_tooltip player_id="38772" first="Montez" last="Edwards"]. The senior athlete is one of the more underrated players in the state’s 2022 class and he brings a tremendous amount of versatility to the football field. On offense, he’s the home run threat at wide receiver when the defense gets sucked in to try to slow down Gray and Edwards has made plenty of defenses pay. <hr /> X-FACTORS [player_tooltip player_id="51256" first="Andrew" last="Carney"] - Quarterback - Collinsville The first X-Factor has to be Collinsville quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="51256" first="Andrew" last="Carney"] as he’s been one of the bigger mysteries this fall. He missed several games in the middle of the season with an injury but he’s back in the lineup and the Cardinals are playing better than ever. If we start seeing the Carney that we saw last season, the Cardinals are going to be a tough out throughout the playoffs. Carney can beat an opposing defense with his arm and also tuck it and run and give the Cardinals another rushing threat. [player_tooltip player_id="91049" first="Erik" last="McCarty"] - Running Back - McAlester If we were ranking the players in the playoffs it would be hard not to have McAlester running back [player_tooltip player_id="91049" first="Erik" last="McCarty"] at the top of the list. After his breakout season as a sophomore, McCarty has had less of a workload this fall but still finds the end zone multiple times every single game. He’s without a doubt the best player on the best team in Class 5A and will certainly have an impact on how this playoff run goes. McCarty and the Buffaloes are hungry to back up all the hype and bring home that elusive gold ball. [player_tooltip player_id="57163" first="Mason" last="Ford"] - Athlete - Coweta One of the ultimate X-Factors in the 5A playoffs in our opinion is Coweta junior standout [player_tooltip player_id="57163" first="Mason" last="Ford"]. We’ve written plenty of things about Ford over the last year, really since he had a breakout season as a freshman. Even as a freshman, it was apparent that he was one of the best players on his team and that’s only continued over the last two seasons. Ford has become more and more confident and is a home run threat at wide receiver and in the return game. He’s also a shut down corner on defense.