Class 5A Semifinal Preview

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> The 2020 playoffs are in full swing and we have arrived at semi-final week for Class 5A, 4A, and 3A. Stay tuned for breakdowns for the matchups in each class as we release them all week. Today we will take a look at the matchups in 5A as some of the teams here are as expected and others have been pleasant surprises. Let’s take a look at them. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>#2 COLLINSVILLE (11-0) AT #1 CARL ALBERT (9-1) </strong></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Friday, 7 PM @ Carl Albert HS</strong></span> Our first semi-final in 5A features two teams that just about everyone expected to be here. Carl Albert is the 4-time defending champion in 5A and has been dominant all season once again despite their hiccup against Bixby. Since their loss to the Spartans, the Titans have outscored their opponents 270-83 including their 36-20 win over a very talented Bishop Kelley team last week. They are firing on all cylinders right now and are doing so on the backs of their veteran playmakers, especially their dynamic duo of running backs. On the other side, Collinsville has been equally impressive this season and come into this game just as hot as they handled Guthrie with ease last week despite not playing in 3 weeks. They have quietly been one of the top teams in the state this season as nobody in 5A has come within 2 scores of them. They can no longer cruise under the radar though and will have their chance to show what they have on Friday night as they take on the greatest dynasty that 5A has seen in the last couple of decades. <strong>Carl Albert Players to Watch</strong> While they have one of the most decorated QBs in state history in [player_tooltip player_id="38534" first="Ben" last="Harris"], the Titans’ bread and butter for the last couple of seasons offensively has been on the ground with their star RBs [player_tooltip player_id="38684" first="Buddy" last="Bizzell"] and [player_tooltip player_id="38487" first="Javion" last="Hunt"]. The duo has combined for 1737 yards and 27 TDs on the ground this year and has been virtually unstoppable in 2020. Outside of their big three though, watch for Senior wideout [player_tooltip player_id="38584" first="Cobe" last="Crews"]. Crews is an excellent athlete who has big-play speed and agility with the potential to go the distance anytime he touches the ball. <strong>Collinsville Players to Watch</strong> On the other side, Collinsville may not have quite the star power of a Carl Albert, but what they do have is a team that plays physical as hell on both sides of the ball. They are led on offense and defense by [player_tooltip player_id="51256" first="Andrew" last="Carney"] and [player_tooltip player_id="61136" first="Brayden" last="Gilkey"]. Carney and Gilkey have been a handful on the ground for every team they have played this season and have developed into one of the better duos of hard-hitting runners in the state as Gilkey has a decorated background as a wrestler and Carney doubles as both the QB and as a downhill run-stopping LB on defense for the Cardinals. Outside of those two, look out for WR [player_tooltip player_id="64382" first="Oscar" last="Hammond"] to be the X-Factor offensively in this game for the Cardinals if they have trouble establishing the run. Hammond can run well for his size at 6’3", and is very physical at the point of attack. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Overall Analysis</strong></span> I don’t expect this game to be a blowout on either side, both teams have dominated to get to this point. At the end of the day though, it is hard to pick against Carl Albert in the playoffs. However, as we have seen this season, the Titans are not as sound against the run as they have been in recent years. If Collinsville can come out hot and hit them in the mouth early and often with their physical run game, they could have a legit shot at dethroning the kings of 5A. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>#6 McALESTER (10-2) AT #5 BISHOP McGUINNESS (9-2)</strong></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span><strong>Friday, 7 PM @ <span style="font-size: 12pt;">BISHOP McGUINNESS </span>HS</strong> The second semi-final matchup in 5A features two teams that not many picked to be here. Bishop McGuinness came into the season at number 10 in our rankings and they have outplayed that ranking and then some. They have had one of the most lethal offenses as of late and put that on full display in their last game against a top 5 team in Coweta where they dropped 39 points in route to another semi-final appearance. The Irish came up just short in the state title game against Carl Albert last year and are one game away from a chance at redemption. On the other side, McAlester has been one of the biggest surprises of the playoffs for most. The Buffaloes have had possibly the most difficult journey to the semifinals across all classes, having to face #10 Pryor and #8 El Reno on the road the last two weeks. Despite being the superior team in our rankings, McAlester was the lower-seeded team in both of their previous matchups. That did not stop them from stunning the state though with a 47-0 win over Pryor, and a 43-41 win over El Reno where they ran the ball at will against a defense that has stuffed the run all season when healthy. McAlester isn’t the most talented team across the board when you look at the stars across the state, but they are red hot and peaking at the right time. <strong>Bishop McGuinness Players to Watch</strong> As stated above, McGuinness has one of the most lethal offenses in the state and most of their production has come in the run game behind their star QB [player_tooltip player_id="38557" first="Luke" last="Tarman"] and their transfer RB [player_tooltip player_id="51871" first="Michael" last="Taffe"]. Tarman has been one of the best runners regardless of position across all classes in 2020 with over 2000 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground. He has been no slouch in the passing game either this year as he has thrown for over 1800 yards and has 20 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions. Joining him in the backfield, [player_tooltip player_id="51871" first="Michael" last="Taffe"] hasn’t been quite the threat that Tarman is, but he has been a quality contributor with over 900 yards combined rushing and receiving and has been a nice weapon for the Irish when teams have keyed on stopping Tarman in the run game. <strong>McAlester Players to Watch</strong> On the other side, McAlester has also had a very potent offense that has hit its stride as of late and has helped them bulldoze through teams to this point. Most of that production has come from the unexpected emergence of their Junior QB <strong>Trent Boatright, </strong>and their Sophomore RB <strong>Erik McCarty. </strong>Boatright is not a finished product by any means as a passer but has been quite efficient this year, completing over 69% of his passes and only throwing 5 INTs to his 11 TDs. He has not had to throw the ball too much as of late though due to the absolute tear that McCarty is on. Erik McCarty broke out in a big way in the regular season with over 1400 yards rushing, but his playoff resume to this point is truly special. Through 3 playoff games, Erik McCarty has run for 368 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground while averaging over 9 yards per carry. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Overall Analysis</strong></span> This game will likely be a shootout with the way both of these teams have been playing offensively. The key for both squads will be to try and control the pace of the game with their rushing attacks. I personally like McGuiness’s playoff experience to prevail in this one, but I would not be too surprised if McAlester finds a way to win another one where they are the underdogs going in.