Here are my picks of some talented football players to watch on Week 0 of play!

Hartshorne Miners

Jackson Moody – Moody had an impressive outing against Roland and Spiro in last week’s scrimmage. He guided the Miners at quarterback and free safety, making important stops, recovering fumbles and scoring on the ground. He is also the punter for the team. We will see Moody all over the field this season in many different positions. “He does it all for us,” Head Coach Bill Williams said.

Acetin Rowell – Junior Acetin Rowell had a tremendous performance in the scrimmage, running hard, eluding tacklers and collecting useful yards on each carry. He made a difference at linebacker on the defensive side of the ball as well. Rowell has been getting bigger and stronger during the offseason, and his work is evident on the field.

The Miners will face Henryetta this Friday for their first regular season game, a start to an exciting season for Hartshorne.

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McAlester Buffaloes

Caden Lesnau – Lesnau performed well in last week’s scrimmage against Wagoner. He threw accurately, rushed hard on the ground and made football-savvy decisions at quarterback. Lesnau will be leading the offense for the Buffaloes this season, no easy task at a program like McAlester. I am excited to see what this player is capable of in regular season play.

Owen Russell – Playing outside linebacker and tight end for the Buffs, Russell is poised for success this season. On the defensive side of the game, Russell was very aggressive, sprinted after the ball and made some critical tackles in last week’s scrimmage. Russell performed well on the offensive side as well, catching passes proficiently and gaining solid rushing yards.

The Buffs will travel to Broken Bow on Friday for a highly anticipated matchup to start their season.

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Quinton Savages

Eli Blankenship – Playing quarterback for the Savages, Blankenship did well against Graham-Dustin on the field of scrimmage last Friday. He made smart decisions at QB, showing his maturity and self-confidence. His passes were accurate, as well as his sure-footing when running the ball. After talking with Head Coach Haynie, he was impressed by Blankenship and is excited to his progress this season.

The Savages will head to Arkoma this Friday for one more scrimmage before they begin regular season games on Sept. 1.

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I am so excited to be covering SE Oklahoma, my home! If you have any information to share on your team or you would like to recommend specific school coverage in the Southeast Area, please email me at payton.moody@vype.com

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