4A State: Wagoner Players To Watch
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The Class 4A state championship game is set for Saturday night at 7PM in Edmond as #1 Cushing faces off with #6 Wagoner. It’s a rematch from a week six game in district play where Cushing was able to knock off the Bulldogs with a 42-0 win. In this post, we’re taking a look at some of the Wagoner Bulldogs that you need to know about heading into Saturday evening’s game. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more 4A state championship content before, during and following the game on Saturday night!
The highest rated prospect in Saturday’s match-up for either team is Wagoner linebacker Alex Shieldnight Alex Shieldnight 6’3″ | 230 lbs | DL Wagoner | 2025 State OK . He checks a lot of the boxes in terms of being a prospect for the next level and he has the production this season to be considered one of the best linebackers in the state. Shieldnight leads the team with ten sacks on the season and he’s an important part to Wagoner’s stout run defense, that has only allowed over 100 rushing yards in one game, coincidentally, that one game was against Cushing. Shieldnight really impressed us when we watched the Bulldogs back in late May and he’s only continued that momentum throughout this season. Shieldnight and the Wagoner defense will look to slow down Cushing’s high-powered offense on Saturday. Nobody has been able to stop the Cushing offense but if they can slow them down, that will certainly give the Bulldogs a shot.
Another player that has come up big in the last few weeks is senior wide receiver Brayden Skeen Brayden Skeen 6’0″ | WR Wagoner | 2023 OK . The senior wideout has been Wagoner’s second leading wide receiver throughout the season but head coach Dale Condict mentioned to us how vital he has been in the last two weeks. Similar to Shieldnight, Skeen was outstanding in the semifinal win over Poteau and was a big part of them not only winning, but pitching the shutout. Skeen is an important part of what the Bulldogs do on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver. While a lot of the attention might go to our next player to watch, that has opened things up for Skeen to be an impact player in a big way. If Skeen can keep this momentum going by having another big performance in the championship game, the Bulldogs might be able to pull off the upset and avenge that loss to Cushing earlier in the regular season.
Arguably the most valuable player to Wagoner this season has been senior standout Gabe Rodriguez Gabe Rodriguez 5’11” | ATH Wagoner | 2023 State OK . Last year, Rodriguez doubled as the quarterback and safety. This year, Rodriguez has been more of a running back and wide receiver on offense and has flourished in that role. He’s able to have a greater impact on the game on offense and then he still has his production on the defensive side of the ball. Rodriguez is up there in tackles for the second straight year and is one of the leaders on the team in pass breakups. Then you turn around and see that Rodriguez is Wagoner’s leading rusher and receiver on offense and sees the true impact he has. He has over 700 yards rushing and another 600+ yards receiving. He’s also accounted for 20 touchdowns on the season between offense and special teams. It should be no surprise that Rodriguez is a complete player. That’s what older brother Malcolm was when he was at Wagoner. He’s now a rookie with the Detroit Lions.
The emergence of sophomore quarterback Kale Charboneau Kale Charboneau 6’0″ | 210 lbs | ATH Wagoner | 2025 State OK this year has allowed the Bulldogs to use Rodriguez in several different ways on the offensive side of the ball, where he can be more valuable to the team’s overall success. Charboneau has answered the call as a sophomore and he’s looking to help lead the Bulldogs to a state championship. The sophomore has thrown 16 touchdowns on the season while having nearly 2,000 yards passing. He also has nearly 500 yards on the ground and has scored ten touchdowns with the ground game. Charboneau has been one of the breakout stars of this season for the Bulldogs and like we mentioned at the beginning, without Charboneau having this kind of season at quarterback, the Bulldogs aren’t able too use Rodriguez in creative ways that allows him to be the leading rusher and receiver and maybe Wagoner doesn’t make it to the title game. That can’t be stressed enough.
Highlights
Similar to Shieldnight, Wagoner junior Witt Edwards Witt Edwards 6’6″ | 200 lbs | WR Wagoner | 2024 State OK is one of the more intriguing prospects in Saturday night’s game. We first caught Edwards last season during the regular season and then saw him a couple times during the offseason at our showcase camp as well as team camp. Edwards is very similar to Rodriguez in terms that he’s extremely versatile and can make an impact playing a variety of positions. On offense, Edwards is mostly known as a wide receiver or could even be considered a tight end because of his size. And then when you look at what he can do on defense, that’s where the versatility is off the charts. We’ve seen Edwards play safety, he could also come down and play linebacker or even defensive end in the right scheme. He’s the rare player that based on his size and overall athleticism could find success at all three levels of the defense. We expect him to have an impact on defense against Cushing.
MORE NAMES TO KNOW
Braylan Roberson – 2023 Running Back
Keyton Cole – 2024 Linebacker
Matt Swanson – 2025 Defensive Back