One of the best two-way stars on this breakdown has to be Cascia Hall senior Cooper Lai Cooper Lai 6'1" | 180 lbs | DB Cascia Hall | 2023 State OK . On offense, Lai has been an outstanding quarterback for three seasons. But when it comes to his future on the gridiron, it appears to be on the defensive side of the ball as a safety. Lai had an outstanding offseason during the spring and summer and he kept that momentum going when his senior season began. Lai was a star for Cascia Hall on both sides of the ball and was a complete gamechanger. His recruitment really started to pick up during the offseason when he was having success at various camps. As his senior tape continues to make the rounds, his recruitment should pick up once again. Lai is one of the few top available defensive backs in the ’23 class.

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.

This offseason, Cascia Hall standout Cooper Lai Cooper Lai 6'1" | 180 lbs | DB Cascia Hall | 2023 State OK emerged as one of the top safety prospects in the state after his junior film made the rounds and he continued to excel during spring drills and at college camps. He has continued that momentum into his senior season and he’s a big reason why Cascia Hall is once again in the mix when it comes to state title contenders. In addition to being a safety, Lai has been QB1 for the Commandos for the last few seasons. And he’s a dynamic athlete on the offensive side of the ball. But it’s defense and specifically safety that will get Lai to the next level. And he’s made plenty of plays on that side of the ball as well. Lai has been incredibly productive this season and his stock is going up in a major way.

Things continue to be wild in this Class 3A district as #6 Cascia Hall hosts #4 Bristow. Bristow beat Verdigris two weeks ago, Verdigris beat Cascia Hall last week and now the Commandos look to knock off the Pirates Friday night to create complete chaos in the district standings. And Cascia Hall, along with their senior quarterback Cooper Lai Cooper Lai 6'1" | 180 lbs | DB Cascia Hall | 2023 State OK , will be hungry to get back in the win column this week after being shut out last week against Verdigris. Cascia was held scoreless and Verdigris linebacker Reese Roller Reese Roller 6'0" | 210 lbs | LB Verdigris | 2023 State OK had a career night with 6 sacks and 18 tackles on the night. Lai has been one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the state’s 2023 class for a few years now and he’ll look to make another major impact this week. Lai is also a standout safety and will definitely be important this week in run support as they go up against a Bristow offense that runs the flexbone option attack. Like last week, get ready for a very physical game.

Cascia Hall’s top rated prospect is 2023 quarterback and safety Cooper Lai Cooper Lai 6'1" | 180 lbs | DB Cascia Hall | 2023 State OK . He’s going into his second full season as the starting quarterback and is a very dynamic dual-threat QB that is even better on the defensive side of the ball. Lai is a safety prospect and has received plenty of attention this offseason. Lai received an offer from Oklahoma State and had a great offseason, participating in camps and 7v7 tournaments. Lai rocketed up our recruiting rankings for the state’s 2023 class. Lai is so dangerous as a runner on the offensive side of the ball but it’ll be what he does on defense that will make the largest impact on Friday. Lai and the Cascia secondary will attempt to slow down the top dual-threat quarterback in the state.