You can’t do a feature like this, talking about the top players to watch in the Class 5A playoffs without mentioning senior running back Malachi Nicholson Malachi Nicholson 5'11" | RB El Reno | 2024 State OK from El Reno. Nicholson has been arguably the best running back in the state this season. He’s already ran for well over 2,000 yards and went over 500 yards in a single game. He’s been fantastic all year and has put up some monster numbers in multiple games. Now, as dominant as Nicholson has been, and he’s been right at the top, he and El Reno have a tough first round match-up with defending champ Carl Albert.

Every season, we see players come from out of nowhere to become some of the best players at their respective position. El Reno senior running back Malachi Nicholson Malachi Nicholson 5'11" | RB El Reno | 2024 State OK might be another example of that. Over the summer, we previewed El Reno and mentioned how Nicholson seemed to be knocking on the door of a breakout season. He had a good junior campaign last season but he has been nothing short of spectacular this year. Nicholson grabbed all the headlines earlier this season when he ran for more than 500 yards in a single game. But Nicholson has been much more than just that one game against Noble. He has run for more than 2,100 yards on the season and still has one more game to go in the regular season and then the playoffs. El Reno has produced some playmakers over the last few years and Nicholson is the next up.

Class 5A is deep this season and specifically at the running back position. Prior to this week’s additions, we already had four running backs in Class 5A on this watchlist and now we’ve added two more with Wood and Malachi Nicholson Malachi Nicholson 5'11" | RB El Reno | 2024 State OK out of El Reno. We knew the senior standout was primed for a big season with the Indians but I don’t think anyone, including Nicholson expected this kind of production. El Reno has only played six games and Nicholson already has over 1,700 yards and 20 touchdowns and is very clearly the top producing running back in the state. Nicholson got on everyone’s radar a few weeks ago when he joined a very limited club of running backs with over 500 yards in a single game. But even take that performance away from his stats and he’s still well over 1,000 yards. Nicholson is producing at a high level every single week. The senior standout and the Indians are scratching and clawing for a playoff spot and if they get into the postseason, they’ll be a hard team to beat.

It was a record-setting night for El Reno running back Malachi Nicholson Malachi Nicholson 5'11" | RB El Reno | 2024 State OK on Friday night. They would survive a high-scoring affair with a 68-67 victory over Noble. Nicholson put up numbers that we’ve never seen before in a single game in Oklahoma. Nicholson ran the ball 37 times for 521 yards and eight touchdowns. According to every records that we’ve been able to track, nobody has been able to run for that many yards in a single game. Nicholson came into this season with plenty of momentum after a breakout season last year. Nicholson is yet another example of a running back in Class 5A as this class is the best in Oklahoma at running back.

Speaking of El Reno’s running game, in addition to being strong because of the offensive line, they also have the majority of their production coming back from the running back position. Leading the way will be 2024 standout Malachi Nicholson Malachi Nicholson 5'11" | RB El Reno | 2024 State OK after an outstanding junior season last fall. Nicholson was an absolute workhorse for El Reno as he racked up 250 carries on the season and finished with well over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. Just like Kaulaity, Nicholson also participates in powerlifting and he has some very impressive lifting numbers. He’s a compact back that also has breakaway speed and isn’t just bulldozing through defenders. Nicholson’s combination of size, speed and strength is going to make him one of the top running backs in the class.