Class of 5A Rankings: Playoff Edition

With the playoffs tipping off later this week, here's a check in on how the top teams in Class 5A shook out.   10. John Marshall 14-10   Its tough deciding a 10th spot. It's a splitting of hairs between John Marshall, Lawton MacArthur and Bishop Kelley. But unlike Dwayne Whitaker, there's no 10A, 10B, and 10C in this list. In this case, the edge goes to John Marshall for playing in a nightmare of a district and sweeping the defending champions, Midwest City. Those are two of the tops wins in the class, and prove a team led by exciting juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2393527' first='Zuo' last='Kpogba'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1552375' first='Davon' last='Chaffin'] have the ability to win the tough games to make a potential State Tournament run. Which begins this week at Carl Albert's regional.     9. East Central 18-5   East Central's talent is that of a state tournament team, but injuries and transfer eligibility rules means they've only played a handful of games with a full roster. When that roster is fully together, it's really good. Check the smackdown on Shawnee and a double digit win at Bishop Kelley. But a pair of losses to Collinsville shaped their regular season and gave them a third place finish. Meaning they'll start on the road with a Regional hosted by TPS rivals, Rogers. Win that, and they'll likely be greeted with a third test against Booker T Washington. That type of Area win could propel the extremely talented roster to a State Title run.   8. Tulsa Rogers 18-5   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2327104' first='Branden' last='Crosslen'] has the athletic ability and upside to be a potential star. He's emerged as a key leader of the sophomore heavy team. They also have a pair of juniors that could help push them over the top and to their first State Tournament appearance since 2021. 6'4 Jay Otes is a physical forward, who plays bigger than their height. And junior guard Shon King is tough as they come as part of their talented backcourt.   7. Carl Albert 17-7   2010 is the last time Carl Albert didn't make the State Tournament. There's a possibly that freshmen on their roster might not have been born when that happened. It will be a challenge in a tough 5A west field. But with the way the Titans closed out the year, they look up for the fight. Carl Albert took down El Reno, 61-54 to end the season. Senior urgency is vital come playoff time, and [player_tooltip player_id='2749886' first='Xavier' last='Garcia'] was a strong example of that in the win. He may have came off the bench, but the strong guard poured in 21 tough points. With exciting sophomores, tough upperclassmen and a program tradition built on winning, the Titans have a chance to extend their streak another year.   6. Midwest City 17-7   The defending champs have had an up and down season. There's been the highs of beating Millwood and Del City in overtime. Both are important bragging right wins in the 405 but they also slipped to fourth in their district, in part due to two loses to John Marshall. Which sets up a potential game that many would've believed before the season would've been at Area. Or even at State. Assuming both win on Thursday night, a potential Midwest City vs El Reno is the must watch game of the 5A Regional round.   5. Del City 16-7   Head coach Lenny Hatchet simply produces wins for the Eagles. The last two season have seen them graduate loads of offensive production, but Del City's stingy defense keeps grinding out wins. Which helped them finish second in tough district 2 and earn a regional hosting spot. A potential rematch against Lawton MacArthur is likely on Friday night. Win there and only one win will be needed at Area next week. Which would extend their state tournament streak to 9 straights year (in 6A and 5A).   4. Tulsa Memorial 21-4   After missing the State Tournament last year, the Chargers have been on a mission. They went undefeated in District play. They have been well tested outside of it with their only losses being to State Tournament quality foes. Now that it's playoff time, those narrow losses will need to be turned to wins. With versatile senior [player_tooltip player_id='1579600' first='Jalil' last='Cotton'] at the core of a program with a strong tradition, expect for some of those 50-50 games to start going Memorial's way. And for the Chargers to be at the Big House on March 10th.   3. Lawton 22-3   The Wolverines navigated the toughest district in 5A, and finished on top. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1796291' first='Tavaris' last='Deans'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1796289' first='Pene' last='Vaisagote'] are two of the best athletes in Oklahoma. They're both signed to play football but in their final weeks on the hardwood, expect them to produce some of the best highlights in the state. There's hungry young talent around the duo and the Wolverines are strong contenders to make their first state tournament since 2009.   2. El Reno 22-2   There's no shame in their two losses, with one against 6A contender Broken Arrow. And then being tripped in the final district game of the season at Carl Albert. They of course lean on the senior duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1391434' first='Carter' last='Roman Nose'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1391437' first='Tre' last='Davis'], two All State quality players. But depth is always crucial to navigate a tough 5A westside. Sophomore Jacob Nichols contributed in their recent tune up win over Mustang, and if he can provide scoring punch off the bench, El Reno could capture their first Gold Ball since 1953.   1. Booker T Washington 18-7   They've played the toughest schedule in 5A, with out of state clashes, the Tournament of Champions and a season opening road win at Douglass. So, sure their record has a few more blemishes, but there's likely no team more battled tested than last years' runner ups. With some of the best guards in the state, the Hornets are looking to add their 17th Gold Ball to the trophy case. And their first since 2019. They have two steely seniors in [player_tooltip player_id='1685526' first='BJ' last='Harris'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1475991' first='Jamarri' last='Simpson'], junior sharpshooters [player_tooltip player_id='1783190' first='Isaac' last='Sanders'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2277651' first='Mason' last='Matulis'] along with potential sophomore superstar Joc Mitchell.

With the playoffs tipping off later this week, here's a check in on how the top teams in Class 5A shook out.