Oklahoma high school football scrimmage takeaways: Washington TEs stand out against Tuttle
With Week Zero of the Oklahoma high school football season only a week away, teams are getting some final live reps in scrimmages this weekend. Here are some of the key takeaways:
Washington hangs tough with Tuttle
A pair of programs that were one win away from winning state titles in 2021 met on Tuttle’s football field Thursday.
Washington, the two-time defending runner-up in Class 2A, has scrimmaged the Class 4A powerhouse Tigers in recent years, using the matchup to prepare itself for stiff competition ahead of the season.
Washington has been a formidable opponent for the scrimmage host, but the Warriors appear to be better than ever this year.
Washington held its own against Tuttle and looked sharp.
Washington star senior tailback Cole Scott was out with an ankle sprain, but junior quarterback Major Cantrell had a solid day.
So did his pair of star tight ends, junior Cooper Alexander and sophomore Nate Roberts.
Both 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, the two stand out on the field and also play defensive end. They’re likely the best tight-end duo in the state, regardless of classification, and hold Division I offers.
They both come from football families. Alexander is the son of former OU and NFL tight end Stephen Alexander, and Roberts is the younger brother of North Texas tight end and former Norman North star Jake Roberts.
The Washington tight ends were a matchup nightmare for Tuttle.
“We want to kind of just create as many different looks and variations with alignment with them that will create those mismatches,” Washington coach Brad Beller said.
Tuttle has just three returning starters on offense and three on defense.
Tuttle coach Brad Ballard said his team still has some question marks as the Tigers get ready for another season.
“I thought our kids played hard,” he said. “Thought we did OK on defense. Offense, we missed a lot of things, but about what I expected. Young. Made a lot of mistakes that we got to fix. That’s kind of where we’re at. That’s what scrimmages are for.”
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Titan Football Preview at Carl Albert
The Titan Football Preview round-robin scrimmage was held at Carl Albert on Thursday night. Lawton Eisenhower, Heritage Hall, Lawton MacArthur, Yukon, Southmoore and Carl Albert took the field in various two-quarter scrimmages.
Heritage Hall and Lawton Eisenhower stepped on the gridiron first and the Chargers looked good with junior quarterback Andy Bass leading the show. Bass opened the scrimmage with a 30-yard touchdown run, for one of Heritage Hall’s two scores, and continued to shine from there with a couple of nice throws to his speedy receiver group.
“Stepping into quarterback he did a really good job,” Heritage Hall coach Brett Bogert said. “We put a lot on our quarterbacks and his first year starting, he’s done a great job. Obviously, that track speed helps.”
Pairing Bass with running back River Faulkner in the backfield should bode well for the Chargers this season. Faulkner rushed for 1,146 yards and 22 touchdowns last year and is expected to have another impressive year.
Lawton Eisenhower put points on the board as well. Kingston Tito took a pass for over 50 yards for a score that gave the Eagles some momentum. Overall, the Eagles performed well but couldn’t overcome a fumble turnover in the second quarter with such little time in the scrimmage.
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Carl Albert, Southmoore impressed with quarterback play
Reed DeQuasie looks to have gained a step in the offseason. The senior quarterback broke for two long runs that gave the Titans great field position. He was one of the highlights of a tight scrimmage against Southmoore which ended in a 7-7 tie.
But he wasn’t the only quarterback that looked good. Southmoore’s Brodie Sanchez looked sharp tossing the ball and the SaberCats benefitted from his play. His passing led to Southmoore scoring the first points as he connected with receiver Skyler Mayer on a short touchdown pass.
Shortly after, DeQuasie broke for a long scramble and junior running back Xavier Robinson punched it in from a few yards out. But the two scores were all the two teams were able to muster in the defensive battle.
Carl Albert’s Iowa State commit Tashawn James played a big role for the Titans defense.
“He was all over the place and had some really big hits,” Carl Albert coach Mike Dunn said. “I tell everybody that asks, he’s a throwback player. He plays the game right and he made some big hits and made some plays in pass coverage. He had a big day.”
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Gaining film
Yukon’s Logan Day impressed with powerful running, routinely breaking tackles and earning extra yardage. However, his play was not enough as Lawton MacArthur won the mini scrimmage 14-0.
But new Yukon coach Marshall Hahn said the Millers weren’t trying to run a game plan that would put the most points on the board. They were more interested in getting certain plays, athletes and schemes on tape to review their progress.
“Hats off to Lawton Mac they did a great job and exposed some things we need to work on,” Hahn said. “One thing that I know about our kids, they’ll get to work on those things, take the coaching and move forward.”
Hahn was most impressed with his offensive linemen and a few of his sophomores that took the field against Lawton MacArthur’s varsity squad.
Yukon opens the season against Westmoore on Sept. 1.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Oklahoma high school football teams fared in preseason scrimmages
