6A-D2 Semifinal Preview
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It’s Thanksgiving week and in most seasons, we already would have had the semifinals for 6A-D1 and 6A-D2 and we would already know the championship match-up. Those teams would also have this week off to prepare for that title game. But as we know, this isn’t a normal year. So this week brings the semifinals in 6A-D1 and 6A-D2. We have our final four match-up’s and it’s time to break those down. Our semifinal previews will get you completely ready for this week’s games.
#1 STILLWATER (8-0) VS #4 CHOCTAW (8-3)
Saturday, 1PM @ Owasso HS
The Match-Up: The first 6A-D2 match-up in what will be a Saturday doubleheader features top ranked Stillwater facing off with Choctaw. Last year, 6A-D2 was a two-team race with Bixby and the Pioneers and it appears to be the same in 2020. However, Choctaw and Midwest City will certainly have something to say about that on Saturday. For Stillwater, the only thing that has slowed them down this year has been the Covid pandemic. They had three games during the regular season that were cancelled due to Covid concerns. That includes what would have been the non-district game of the year when they were supposed to play Bixby on September 18th. Despite the bumps in the road, the Pioneers still come into the semifinals with a perfect record and they’ve been absolutely dominant all season. With so many returning players from last year’s team, the Pioneers simply picked up where they left off from last season, and that was blowing teams out. The closest game was a 13-point win over an Edmond Santa Fe team that’s playing Saturday in the 6A-D1 semifinals. The rest of their wins this year came by 20 points or more. The only thing that has really tripped up Choctaw have been road trips to Arkansas. They played a complete non-district schedule against Arkansas opponents and lost two of their first three games. The losses came to Springdale and Greenwood on the road while they beat Van Buren at home. Then they opened up district play, on the road once again, against Booker T Washington and scored a huge win over the Hornets. The only other trip up this fall was a road loss to Bixby by 11 points. Since that loss, they’ve won their last five, all by double digits, including a quarterfinal win over Putnam City North.
CHOCTAW PLAYERS TO WATCH
A big reason why Choctaw came into the 2020 season with high expectations was because of a loaded roster full of talent in all classes. They have a great mix of seniors, juniors and even sophomores that have emerged as fantastic playmakers. Starting on the defensive side of the ball with one of the biggest recruits to come out of Choctaw in years. Senior defensive back
Jordan Mukes
Jordan
Mukes
6'3" | DB
Choctaw | 2021
State
OK
, an Oklahoma commit, has emerged over the last 14 months as one of the top defensive back prospects in the state. Choctaw has used his combination of size, speed and skill and moved him around to various positions in their secondary. Last week, in the win over PC North, he was tasked with shutting down breakout wide receiver
Jeff Nwankwo
Jeff
Nwankwo
6'6" | WR
Putnam City North | 2021
State
OK
and was successful. This week, he might be more important in run defense but has shown the ability to do that. Combining with Mukes in an effort to slow down Stillwater’s running game will be defensive end
Desean Brown
Desean
Brown
6'3" | DL
Choctaw | 2022
State
OK
. The junior has been a breakout player for the Yellowjackets this fall. He gives Choctaw an absolute burst up front and has a chance to be one of the top players at his position in the junior class. Choctaw’s defense is hungry to make a statement this week after being shelled by Stillwater in both meetings a year ago. And finally, we have sophomore quarterback
Steele Wasel
Steele
Wasel
6'4" | 210 lbs | QB
Choctaw | 2023
State
OK
. Choctaw’s defense might be hungry but they won’t be able to shut Stillwater all the way down. So Wasel and the Yellowjackets will have to put up some points. Wasel has shown that he has a bright future and there is a lot to like in his game. But this is without a doubt the biggest game that he’s ever played and he’ll need to play like a veteran on Saturday.
STILLWATER PLAYERS TO WATCH
We mentioned that Stillwater offense and specifically the running game. The Pioneers feature one of the best running backs in the state with senior
Qwontrel Walker
Qwontrel
Walker
5'8" | RB
Stillwater | 2021
State
OK
. We’ve written about Walker a lot this fall and the knocks on his game when it comes to recruiting have been well documented. But one thing cannot be denied when you talk about Walker and that is that he is indeed one of the best running backs in Oklahoma today. One of the best plays that I’ve ever seen in person was his long touchdown run last year against Bixby in the championship game. Walker has that ability every single time he touches the ball. We go from one criminally underrated Stillwater recruit to another in senior
Luke McEndoo
Luke
McEndoo
6'2" | ATH
Stillwater | 2021
State
OK
. He plays a variety of positions for the Pioneers and he’s incredibly valuable in every single spot on the field. McEndoo helps block the way for Walker in the running game but also has the ability to carry the ball himself or go out and make a catch or two. Then you flip him to the defensive side of the ball and he flourishes there as well. McEndoo and the Stillwater front seven will want to make things very uncomfortable for Wasel every time he drops back to pass. And staying on that topic, Stillwater counters Mukes with a very talented defensive back of their own with Baylor commit
Tevin Williams
Tevin
Williams
6'1" | DB
Stillwater | 2021
State
OK
. There is no doubt that the Pioneers have the talent in their front seven to slow down Choctaw’s running game and get after Wasel in the process. However, he’s one of the better young quarterbacks in the state and he’s going to be able to make some throws. It’ll be up to Williams and several other Pioneers in the secondary to make sure these potential big plays don’t happen.
The History: When Class 6A was split into two divisions, these two teams became district foes. They met every year in the regular season from 2014-2019. With the districts being shuffled going into 2020, this was the first year that Choctaw and Stillwater did not meet in the regular season. Last year was the only time that these two teams have squared off in the playoffs when they met again in the semifinal round. Stillwater swept both meetings last season and it wasn’t close at all. They won by a combined score of 136-26. The Pioneers have rolled in this series since the 6A split. With the exception of their first meeting in 2014, Stillwater has won their last six meetings against the Yellowjackets.
EXPERIENCE
Choctaw: Last year, Choctaw made history by getting their first playoff win in decades, as well as their first appearance in the semifinals in decades. This year, Choctaw expected to be back here and wouldn’t be celebrating justing making it to the semifinals. Last year’s trip to the semifinals ended with a loss to Stillwater.
Stillwater: Stillwater is into the semifinals for the third consecutive season. Two years ago, was Stillwater’s first time in the semifinals since 1995. The Pioneers beat Booker T Washington in that semifinal clash and would beat Choctaw in last year’s semifinal. Of course, those semifinal victories were followed up by championship losses to Bixby.
#2 BIXBY (9-0) VS #3 MIDWEST CITY (8-2)
Saturday, 7PM @ Jenks HS
The Match-Up: After you watch the first semifinal at Owasso with Choctaw and Stillwater, make the drive over to Jenks and catch the second game of the 6A-D2 semifinal doubleheader. It should come as no surprise that Bixby has once again found their way to the semifinals but what might be a surprise is the team that they will face on Saturday eveing. Midwest City came into this season more as a darkhorse as opposed to a contender. The Bombers came in at #8 in our preseason rankings back in August and it didn’t take very long to realize that was much too low for this Bomber group. They opened up the season against Westmoore and stunned the Jags with a late touchdown to win. The next week, they would push rival Carl Albert before falling short of what would have been a huge win against the Titans. Following that loss, the Bombers would roll off five straight wins, including impressive wins over Lawton and Putnam City North. They would lose to Stillwater in what was their season finale and came into the playoffs at 6-2. They shutout Muskogee in a first round blowout and then focused their attention on a quarterfinal showdown with Booker T Washington. The Bombers fell down 7-0 but would shut out the Hornets from there and rolled to a 26-7 victory. Then you have the Bixby Spartans, who have simply dominated 6A-D2 since it’s inception. Of the six state championships that have been won, the Spartans have five of them. And they came into 2020 looking to continue that dynasty. They came into 2020 with a 25-game winning streak. That streak is now at 34 games and counting. They blew out Union to open the season and then won an instant classic against Jenks the following week. The Spartans weren’t tested again until week six against Choctaw. They would still win by double digits. The Spartans finished out the regular season in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN, where they put up 70 against Booker T Washington. After blowing out Del City in last week’s quarterfinal, the Spartans find themselves one win away from yet another state championship appearance. 6A-D2 has never had a championship game that did not involve the Bixby Spartans.
BIXBY PLAYERS TO WATCH
We start with the champions and it’s hard to not start the conversation with the quarterback who has led them to the last two state titles and is looking for his third ring. Senior
Mason Williams
Mason
Williams
5'10" | QB
Bixby | 2021
State
OK
has already set all the quarterback records at Bixby and is looking to finish off his career with an incredible record as QB1 of the Spartans. He’s 34-1 as their starter and he’s thrown for over 100 touchdowns in his career. Williams clearly knows what it takes to get the Spartans to the title game. And similar to Walker at Stillwater, the only thing keeping recruiters from breaking down his door to land him is questions about his height. However, those questions are pointless when you look at the production he has had with several different weapons to throw the ball to. One of those weapons is his partner in the backfield with junior
Braylin Presley
Braylin
Presley
5'9" | RB
Bixby | 2022
State
OK
. We knew that Presley would be a stick of dynamite for the Spartans in the running game. However, what impresses us the most about his junior season is the production he’s had as a receiver. He’s become a complete game changer in this Bixby offense and has picked right up where his older brother Brennan left off last year. Brennan was one of the best overall players in the state in 2019 and Braylin has taken that spot in 2020. Then you flip it to the defensive side of the ball and a player who has not gotten enough pub this year is senior defensive lineman
Macqeilen Ware
Macqeilen
Ware
6'3" | DL
Bixby | 2021
State
OK
. Part of that is absolutely on us but it’s tough to ignore some of the performances that Williams or Presley have had this season. However, this Spartan defense has been lights out this year and Ware starts it all up front for Bixby. He has great size, speed and strength and really has the chance to be something special at the next level when it comes to defensive ends. A big key on Saturday will be how Ware can get after Midwest City’s young quarterback.
MIDWEST CITY PLAYERS TO WATCH
We just mentioned Midwest City’s young quarterback and that is sophomore
DeAngelo Irvin Jr
DeAngelo
Irvin Jr
5'8" | QB
Midwest City | 2023
State
OK
. From the opening game of the season, Irvin has played like a veteran leader on this Bomber team. He has not looked like a sophomore at any point this season, helping lead the Bomber offense to this point in the season. It was obvious that Irvin would be a playmaker for the Bombers from that opening game against Westmoore when he made the game winning play to give the Bombers the win. Irvin has the ability to beat defenses with his arm or his legs as he’s been one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this year. On the other side of the ball, junior linebacker
Shamaur Edwards
Shamaur
Edwards
6'3" | DL
Midwest City | 2022
State
OK
will be incredibly important to the Bombers on Saturday. Really, Edwards and this entire Bomber front seven will need to be at the top of their game if they want to change the story of this series with Bixby. One of the top playmakers in the state is Presley at Bixby. It’ll be up to Edwards and the front seven for Midwest City to try to contain Presley. While Edwards is a big and strong linebacker, he’ll need to be light on his feet and move quickly to bottle up Presley. And last but not least is one of the best players in the Saturday’s match-up. Senior standout
Makale Smith
Makale
Smith
5'11" | DB
Midwest City | 2021
State
OK
, an Oklahoma State commit has been outstanding in all three phases of the game this year for the Bombers. On offense, he’s Irvin’s number one option at wide receiver. On defense, he’s tasked with shutting down the opposing top receiver. And finally, in special teams, if you make the mistake of kicking to Smith and aren’t sound in your containment, he will make you pay in the blink of an eye. You hear this phrase all the time in football. “Big time players make big time plays in big time games.” Smith is that big time player and if the Bombers want to take the crown from the champs, Smith will need make those big plays.
The History: We have plenty of immediate history between these two programs. Bixby has had Midwest City’s number and the Bombers are tired of having their season ended by the Spartans. This will be the fourth consecutive year that these two teams have met with all four meetings coming in the playoffs. Other than the last four playoff meetings, these two never met. Bixby won close semifinal meetings in 2017 and again in 2018. The combined winning margin was just five points in the two semifinal clashes. Then the two teams met again in the quarterfinals a year ago and the Spartans won that in a 42-10 rout. The Bombers are hoping that they can change how this series has gone on Saturday.
EXPERIENCE
Bixby: At this point it’s no secret that this has been a class that the Spartans have dominated in it’s early history. Bixby has punched their ticket to the semifinals for the seventh straight year and they bring with them a perfect 6-0 record in 6A-D2 semifinal games. They have never lost and have never missed out on a trip to the 6A-D2 state title game.
Midwest City: As mentioned earlier, the Bombers are very familiar with Bixby in playoff meetings. This is the third semifinal appearance for the Bombers in the last four years and all three meetings came against Bixby. The Bombers’ last win in the semifinal round came in 1996 when they had a three year run of making it to the title game from ’94-’96.