Week Five Players To Watch

<!-- 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>The 2026 football season continues this week as we are a few days away from the halfway mark of the regular season. Every Thursday, we'll put the spotlight on ten players to watch in some of the biggest games across the state of Oklahoma. On Wednesday nights, you can get a sneak peek at the ten players to watch by checking out our YouTube channel at 7PM.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>RELATED</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://youtu.be/yTdMBoc4frM" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/yTdMBoc4frM">- Week Five Players To Watch Video</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1035272' first='Braddox' last='Broughton'] - 2027 Quarterback - Sapulpa</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sapulpa goes on the road to face Bishop Kelley on Friday night and senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1035272' first='Braddox' last='Broughton'] will definitely be a player to watch in this one. There aren't many quarterbacks in the state that have more starting experience than Broughton. He's in his third season as QB1 of the Chieftains and he also played as a freshman for Edison. He's gotten off to a good start so far this season with ten passing touchdowns and the Cheiftains will need that experience and overall production as they head to Tulsa to face the Comets. We've talked about it before but this is a district where you simply can't afford to have an off week. There will be some good teams that get left out on the postseason. Broughton and the Chieftains look like a playoff team right now and Friday's game will be another test for them. The only loss was by a touchdown to defending 6A-2 state champion Sand Springs. Look for Broughton and the Sapulpa offense to get out to a fast start.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1175581' first='Brandon' last='Smith'] - 2027 Athlete - McAlester</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In that same district where Sapulpa plays Bishop Kelley, we'll see McAlester hosting Coweta. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1175581' first='Brandon' last='Smith'] has been a big part of what the Buffaloes have done this season and if they upset the visiting Tigers, we have no doubt that he'll be a big reason why. Coweta just got a massive win over Del City last week and they'll be looking to avoid a let down when they visit McAlester. Smith will have a major role in all three phases of the game for McAlester in this one. He's their leading receiver, a solid defensive back and he's emerged as a legitimate threat in the return game. Even against some of McAlester's toughest opponents, where they came up short on the scoreboard, Smith still established himself as one of the best players on the field. If Smith and the Buffaloes can pull off the upset Friday night, you have to look at them as a serious team in Class 5A. In our opinion, Smith is one of the more competitive players in Class 5A football. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1642605' first='Holt' last='Wilson'] - 2028 Wide Receiver - Owasso</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owasso opens up their district slate this week by going on the road to face Jenks. Junior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1642605' first='Holt' last='Wilson'] is starting to figure some things out in this Owasso offense and emerging as one of their more reliable options in the passing game. On paper, Wilson looks like the ultimate possession receiver where Owasso will look to feed him but that's not the only bright spot in his game. The thing that we like about his performance so far is the on-field IQ. Whenever Owasso is facing third and long, more times than not, they are going to Wilson because he knows where to be on the field to keep the chains moving. We think as the Rams go into district play, they are going to start feeding him the ball even more. And that starts on Friday night against the Trojans. Don't be surprised if the Rams put together those lengthy drives where they maintain possession by feeding Wilson and letting him carve up the Jenks defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1084102' first='Justin' last='Palacios'] - 2027 Running Back/Defensive Back - Hooker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Way out in the panhandle you have Hooker hosting top-ranked Tonkawa in a Class A-1 showdown. Senior running back and defensive standout [player_tooltip player_id='1084102' first='Justin' last='Palacios'] has been one of the best players in this class for a long time and should be talked about more across the state. For his career, he has over 5,000 rushing yards and has scored at least 20 touchdowns in each of his first three seasons. He's off to a great start this season and there's no doubt that he'll be a major key to what the Bulldogs do on Friday night against a very talented Buccaneer defense. We've talked about this in the past but Hooker has one of the best home field advantages but more than that, Palacios always seems to have his best performances in these big games. And it doesn't get much bigger than hosting the top-ranked Buccaneers that made it to the state title game a year ago. Look for Palacios to play like a man possessed and put Hooker in a position to win this game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='913667' first='Kade' last='Barton'] - 2027 Defensive End - Mount St. Mary</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mount St. Mary is coming off arguably the biggest win in program history after stunning Marlow last week in the final seconds. They have to go back to work this week against a very good Plainview team that's getting better and better every single week. Senior defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='913667' first='Kade' last='Barton'] is the player to watch for the Rockets in this one for a few reasons. First off, he's one of the better edge defenders in the state's 2027 class so based on talent alone, he's a name that you need to know about. But then you look at the match-up and Plainview has been a run-first team and they've been successful with that. Barton and the rest of this Mount St. Mary defensive front will need to be ready for another four quarter battle. The Rocket edge defender also has some momentum after coming up with a big strip sack that helped the Rockets get the win over Marlow. He's proven time and time again that he's a big game player and this is another big game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1171160' first='Kade' last='Pratt'] - 2027 Linebacker/Running Back - Broken Bow</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Broken Bow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1171160' first='Kade' last='Pratt'] falls under the same category as Palacios in a lot of ways. We have no idea why more schools aren't on Pratt as a 2027 prospect when you see the production that he's had on the defensive side of the ball. Pratt and the Savages are hosting Poteau on Friday night and bad news for the Pirates is the fact that Pratt and Broken Bow probably come into this one with a sour taste in their mouth. They came up short last week against Sallisaw and can't afford another district loss or their district title hopes might go up in smoke. Simply put, Pratt is one of the best linebackers in the state and we don't think that's up for debate. What has been interesting to watch is how the Savages have used him on offense. He's emerged as their short yardage specialist and he plays the running back like a linebacker. Physicality is the name of his game and he'll bring that into Friday's game against a young Poteau offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1206910' first='Landon' last='Kizzar'] - 2027 Quarterback - Jenks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Jenks Trojans are hosting the game of the week in Class 6A-1 this week and senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1206910' first='Landon' last='Kizzar'] certainly has this one circled. These two teams met in the semifinals a year ago and Kizzar was knocked out of the game on the first possession and he could only watch as the Trojans had their season ended against the Rams. Kizzar has gotten off to a great start this season and has become more of a threat in the run game, in addition to his efficiency as a passer. Kizzar will look to carve up an Owasso defense that is still trying to figure out their identity and grow up quickly. Kizzar and the Trojans will also be glad to play in front of the home fans for the first time this season. Kizzar and the Jenks offense exploded last week in a road win over rival Union. The Jenks senior signal caller will continue to have more responsibilities moving forward as they continue without arguably their best offensive playmaker. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2370840' first='Max' last='Madrid'] - 2029 Running Back/Defensive Back - Lincoln Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Christian goes across town to face Victory Christian on Friday night after taking care of business in a top five clash against Tahlequah Sequoyah last week. The Bulldogs were led last week by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2370840' first='Max' last='Madrid'] and he's enjoyed a breakout season so far in 2026 on both sides of the ball. Lincoln Christian coaches were confident in Madrid coming into this season and told us that he was a ball player so the breakout season probably isn't a surprise to them. But we needed to see it ourselves when it matters most and Madrid has performed incredibly well on both sides of the ball. He's coming off arguably his best game at running back last week and we can't stress enough how impactful he is on the defensive side of the ball. He's a player that has a motor that never seems to slow down. He's comfortable pretty much anywhere on the defense and is a name to know moving forward. Madrid and the Bulldogs look to avoid a letdown this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1506286' first='Ozias' last='Adams'] - 2027 Running Back - Moore</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moore looks to remain undefeated on the season when they host Deer Creek on Friday night in a major district battle. Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1506286' first='Ozias' last='Adams'] is a big reason why the Lions are undefeated so far and looking like a team that could be a dark horse for a high playoff seed in a loaded 6A-1 district. Adams has run for over 100 yards in each of their first four games but there's no doubt that the competition is getting ratcheted up in district play and it starts this week against the Antlers. Adams has also been a touchdown machine in the first month of the season. In three of their first four games, Adams finished the night with three rushing touchdowns. If he has that type of performance again on Friday night, the Lions probably go into the second half of the regular season maintaining a perfect record. We knew Adams was a 2027 running back to watch but he's backed up all the preseason hype and has been a fun player to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2198337' first='Price' last='Lusk'] - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back - Bartlesville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a rare non-district game in week five as Bartlesville hosts an undefeated Yukon squad Friday night. Senior wide receiver and cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='2198337' first='Price' last='Lusk'] is the player to watch for the Bruins because of his ability to impact both sides of the field. Offensively, Lusk has emerged as the top wide receiver in this offense and one of the best in Class 6A-2. We figured that would be the case after watching him at our May showcase event, where he was one of the best athletes on the field. Lusk moved to Bartlesville from Broken Arrow and immediately became a player to watch in this Bruin offense. He'll also be needed on defense to help slow down this high-powered Yukon offense. The Bruins are definitely improved this season but this week's test is a big one against a very talented Yukon team. But as we go into the contest Friday night, we're looking at Lusk to have a big game on both sides of the ball and if they pull the upset, he'll have a major part of that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->