High school football: 4A playoff preview
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Sunday, November 04, 2012
11/04/12 at 6:21 AM
2011 Champion
Wagoner (9-1): The No. 2 Bulldogs have rolled since their narrow opening loss to arch-rival Coweta, beating nine straight foes by an average margin of 31 points.
Team to beat
Cascia Hall (10-0): They've held the No. 1 spot for nine weeks in their first year at the 4A level. Senior running back Abrm McQuarters is a 1,000-yard rusher and senior quarterback/defensive back Tate Swab produces touchdowns on both sides of the ball.
Sleeper
Ada (10-0): It's been 16 years since the fifth-ranked Cougars won their 19th state title, most by any Oklahoma high school. But they may be back. Friday's win over OKC Douglass capped the school's first 10-0 regular season in 13 years.
Players to watch
Jake Gandara, Fort Gibson: The senior running back does good work on both sides of the ball. He has 1,781 rushing yards and 25 TDs, along with 32 tackles and two interceptions.
Hagen and Hunter Harrison, Catoosa: The twin junior linebackers each have more than 100 tackles.
Kole Koenig, Oologah: Senior linebacker has 111 stops.
Chas Stallard, Cleveland: Senior quarterback accounted for 2,661 yards and 32 TDs, leading the No. 8 Tigers (8-2) to their best regular-season finish in nine years.
Marquee matchup
Wagoner vs. OKC Douglass: Barring upsets, they would play in a rematch of the 2010 championship game in the second round. Douglass needed overtime to beat the Bulldogs 20-13 in 2010.
Looking head
Cascia Hall and No. 3 Anadarko wouldn't meet until the championship game. They played in last year's 3A final, with Anadarko rallying to win 35-18. But if the Commandos get past Catoosa, they likely would face Clinton, the 2011 runner-up, in the quarterfinals.
Predicted Finish
Wagoner 34, Cascia Hall 28
Associated Images:
Stallard
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