3A Playoffs – Players To Watch
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The 2022 regular season has come to an end and it’s time to start taking a look at the playoffs! Prep Redzone Oklahoma will be your home for the playoffs from now until the last state champion is crowned in Edmond. In this post, we’re taking a look and breaking down some of the top players to watch in the Class 3A playoffs. In case you missed it, you can check out our 3A playoff preview RIGHT HERE. Keep it locked in for more playoff preview content throughout the next week ONLY on Prep Redzone Oklahoma!
One of the top overall athletes in Class 3A is Cascia Hall senior Cooper Lai Cooper Lai 6’1″ | 180 lbs | DB Cascia Hall | 2023 State OK . He starts for the Commandos at quarterback and safety and has a tremendous impact on every game they play. As a quarterback, he’s more valuable to the Commandos as a runner because that’s what Cascia Hall does. But he’s shown that he can throw the ball around. Lai also turns around and is the captain of the defense and flies around the field there. He’s an absolute ball hawk, forcing turnovers that he then turns around and turns into points on offense. Cascia Hall has a really underrated offense with several key players in addition to Lai. We really like what they do offensively and it starts with the quarterback in Lai. His future might be on the defensive side of the ball but he’s a tremendous athlete.
Berryhill is not your typical four seed heading into the playoffs and senior Ethan Stites Ethan Stites 6’2″ | 225 lbs | LB Berryhill | 2023 State OK isn’t your typical running back. The big and physical linebacker who also doubles as Berryhill’s starting running back has been one of the more productive backs in Class 3A this season. Now, we are curious as to what Stites’ availability will be as we don’t believe that he played in the week ten game against Seminole. If Stites is able to go, we expect Berryhill to give district champion Verdigris everything they want on Friday night. If he’s not, that’s a big hit to Berryhill’s offense as Stites has been an absolute touchdown machine this season. As a prospect, he’s also turned into one of the top linebacker prospects in the state’s 2023 class. If healthy, Berryhill could very well pull off an upset in round one.
Lincoln Christian senior John Washington John Washington 5’9″ | 175 lbs | ATH Lincoln Christian | 2023 State OK has been an absolute star for the Bulldogs this season. With Easton Rogers Easton Rogers 6’3″ | 210 lbs | ATH Lincoln Christian | 2023 State OK missing nearly the entire season, Washington has become the go-to playmaker in the Lincoln Christian offense and he’s delivered. He’s scored at least one rushing touchdown in all ten games and is also the second leading receiver on the team. In a game we covered just a few weeks ago, Washington had over 100 yards on the ground and 100 yards receiving by halftime. He’s an incredibly dynamic weapon that Lincoln Christian uses very well. When you look at the numbers they’ve put up on offense, it’s incredibly efficient and balanced. But when it comes to Washington, his numbers are off the charts. There’s no reason to think that he won’t continue this production over the next month.
Highlights
Pauls Valley senior Justin Humphrey Justin Humphrey 6’2″ | ATH Pauls Valley | 2023 State OK is one of the more underrated playmakers in the Oklahoma. Humphrey lines up at quarterback but he’s an absolute athlete playing the position. Last year, he had over 1,000 yards on the ground in addition to what he does as a passer. Humphrey is a really good playmaker with his legs and he’s shown that several times this season, making 200+ yards on the ground look like another day at the office. Pauls Valley has their work cut out for them as they travel to Tulsa to face unbeaten Metro Christian and their high-powered passing attack. If Humphrey and the Pauls Valley offense can shorten the game and extend possessions, they could make this a much closer game than anticipated. Regardless of the outcome, Humphrey has been one of the better athletes to watch.
We mentioned that Pauls Valley-Metro Christian game and the Patriots with their high-powered passing attack. It’s led by senior quarterback Kirk Francis Kirk Francis 6’1″ | 185 lbs | QB Metro Christian | 2023 State OK , who is one of the best quarterbacks in Oklahoma and it’s been that way since his sophomore season. When you watch Francis on tape or in person, it’s hard not to be impressed with the efficiency in which he plays the position. And some of the throws that he makes are absolutely next level. Francis and the Patriot offense has been on a roll all season and there’s no reason to think that they’ll slow down anytime soon. The Metro offense goes as Francis goes and he’s been as close to perfect as you can get this season. We expect Francis to have another big month as he tries to help lead the Patriots to their third state title in the last four seasons.
One of the breakout stars from last season was Holland Hall linebacker Parker Jenney Parker Jenney 6’1″ | LB Holland Hall | 2023 State OK . He was absolutely dominant on the defensive side of the ball and was a big reason why the Dutch captured a second straight state championship. This season, with a very young team around him, Jenney has become one of the biggest leaders on the squad and has helped them bounce back from a slow start with five straight wins as they go into the playoffs. Jenney has become a very productive player on the offensive side of the ball this season. But it’s what he does on defense that makes him not only a player to watch in the playoffs, but one of the better prospects in the state’s 2023 class. Jenney finds a way to get into the backfield. A lot. If Holland Hall makes another playoff run, Jenney’s going to have a big impact.
Verdigris senior linebacker Reese Roller Reese Roller 6’0″ | 210 lbs | LB Verdigris | 2023 State OK has without a doubt been the most productive linebacker in Oklahoma over the last three seasons. Going into the playoffs, Roller has 52 sacks over the last three seasons and 58 for his career. For the third straight year, he has at least 15 sacks this season. He’s an absolute machine when it comes to getting into the backfield and bringing down the quarterback. It’s not just sacks either. Roller lives in the opposing backfield. He leads the team in tackles for loss by a wide margin. And in the last two seasons, Roller’s become a goal line back as well. This season, he’s hit the end zone eight times and doesn’t even have 200 yards rushing. He’s without a doubt their short-yardage back. But it’s what he does at linebacker that is so impactful and needs to be noticed.
Highlights
Heritage Hall is once again rolling into the playoffs and they are playing some of their best football right now. A big part behind that is their backfield duo of quarterback Andy Bass Andy Bass 6’0″ | 195 lbs | ATH Heritage Hall | 2024 State OK and running back River Faulkner River Faulkner 5’11” | 205 lbs | ATH Heritage Hall | 2023 State OK . For the first part of the season, the Chargers had to play without Faulkner in the lineup but once he returned, he quickly made up for lost time. He’s put up some monster numbers since getting back on the field as a running back and then turning around and playing linebacker as well. With Faulkner back in the lineup, it makes the Heritage Hall backfield of Faulkner and Bass one of the best, not only in Class 3A, but in the state right now. Both are fantastic athletes. But it’s what Faulkner that can do on both sides of the ball that can be a big reason why the Chargers make a deep run this month.
Highlights
One of the few players in Oklahoma that come into the playoffs with at least 2,000 yards on the ground is Muldrow senior running back Trenden Collins Trenden Collins 6’2″ | ATH Muldrow | 2023 State OK . After starting his career more as a defensive back, Collins has turned into an absolute star at running back for the Bulldogs this season. He’s also a track champion and he showcased that athleticism all season long. Before they ran into top-ranked Lincoln Christian in their final game, the “worst” performance Collins had was going for 147 yards. Collins and the Bulldogs will square off with Cascia Hall in the first round. That should be a great match-up as Cascia prides themselves on stopping the run. So far, only one team has been able to stop Collins this season. He’s put up some of the best individual performances of the season.
Our final player to watch going into the Class 3A playoffs is Perkins-Tryon junior Tre Stevenson Tre Stevenson 6’0″ | ATH Perkins-Tryon | 2024 State OK . We were impressed with Stevenson’s breakout season last year as a sophomore. Then we got a chance to watch Stevenson in person this year and he lived up to all of the hype and then some. Stevenson seems like he’s an automatic five to ten yards every time he touches the ball. He’s big, strong and he can explode through the line of scrimmage in a hurry. Stevenson also lines up and plays along the defensive line. While we think that he’s more valuable on the offensive side of the ball, it can’t be ignored what he does on defense and the impact he has there. Stevenson and Perkins-Tryon will host defending 2A champion Marlow in the first round. They could be another dark horse to watch out for this month.