4 Storylines from the new 5A Districts

District 1   Carl Albert   Del City   El Reno   Guymon   Lawton   Noble   Santa Fe South   Bears smelling blood? It's a District defined by coaching changes. The big dominos happened shortly after the season with Carl Albert and El Reno both opening. Josh Davis, a long time Mustang assistant with an one year pit stop at Putnam City North, took the reigns at El Reno. He'll be tasked with continuing the Indians' recent tradition of punching above their weight. While Carl Albert has to replace a legend in Jay Price, and did so with Dorrian Williams. Williams is only in his fourth year as a head coach but won back to back Gold Balls (and a Silver the year before) at Millwood. Under Williams' guidance, the Titans are expected to be District favorites.   The challenger was expected to be Del City, however a late in the cycle coaching change has created some uncertainty. New coach DeAngelo Anderson will surely craft a hard playing bunch that will keep the Eagles in contention. But the door is open for a rising program to make even more noise. It's Roger Raper's second year at Noble. In his first season he led Noble to a 17-11 mark, their first winning record since 2022. And first Area appearance in even longer.   On paper, Noble has the opportunity to be improved. As they have a stingy junior trio of [player_tooltip player_id='3620417' first='Quintravion' last='Davis'], [player_tooltip player_id='2846440' first='Cooper' last='Stewart'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2194540' first='Deacon' last='Garza']. Stewart and Garza are newcomers to the Bears, and enjoyed strong Junes at summer leagues and team camps. While Davis is a quick and havoc minded defensive guard. He already started to make his mark last year with the Bears. Expect senior [player_tooltip player_id='2140740' first='Eli' last='Elmore']'s giving scoring and leadership, providing a full recipe for Noble to challenge for their first State Tournament appearance since 2013.     Breakout Prospect   [player_tooltip player_id='2957521' first='Tariq' last='Kabba'], Sophomore, Carl Albert   Kabba made the move from one tradition rich program at Millwood to Carl Albert. As a freshman, he was instant offense and energy off the bench for the 3A State Champs Falcons. Now he'll combine with a fellow sophomore standout ([player_tooltip player_id='2441152' first='Gibson' last='Johnson']) to potentially form one of the most promising young guard duos in the state.     District 2   Altus   Classen SAS   Duncan   Elgin   Guthrie   Lawton MacArthur   Midwest City   Newcastle     Shooting Comets   Based on recent results (Newcastle) and overall tradition (Midwest City), there are two obvious programs to track for the title in District 2. However, both programs are replacing a fair amount of production. Meaning the door could be open. Enter the the Classen SAS Comets. They actually split the season series last year with Newcastle and return quite a bit of production. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2854298' first='Daylan' last='Williamson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2137791' first='Josiah' last='Morales'] might be the most underrated shooters in the State. Both can catch fire and changes games in the matter of moments. While senior [player_tooltip player_id='2140782' first='Pierson' last='Vanlandingham'] mans the middle as a big time rebounder and post presence. It's been a minute since SAS made state (2021) and this team might be even better than that squad, which reached the semifinals of Class 4A.     Breakout Prospect   [player_tooltip player_id='2408270' first='Owen' last='Wright'], Junior, Newcastle   While senior guards are expected to keep the Racers in the State Tournament picture, the potential of Wright as an inside presence will help Newcastle reach their ceiling. He had a very productive 16U AAU summer. And impressively at 6 foot 8 he's more than just an inside presence. As he's has good touch in the midrange and even out to the three point line.     District 3   Bishop Kelley   Claremore   Collinsville   East Central   Pryor   Sapulpa   Tahlequah     Cardinals or Cardinals?   There's good odds that the winner of District 3 will be the Cardinals. But will it be the Cardinals of East Central or the Cardinals of Collinsville? East Central already returned an amazing trio with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2560570' first='David' last='Douglas'] along with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2140742' first='Gregory' last='Nash'] and DeAndre Rhodes Jr. Douglas and Nash were already one of the best backcourts in Oklahoma. In the past month, East Central has gone from district favorites to potential State Title favorites. As they added explosive [player_tooltip player_id='2140748' first='Jacques' last='Mitchell'], who recently committed to Mississippi State. Mitchell can flat out score the ball, and his addition gives EC possibly the most talented team in the state.   It will be a tall task to tangle with EC. Collinsville senior [player_tooltip player_id='2140725' first='Brevin' last='Walters'] has no back down to his game. As he enjoyed a huge summer and is a well rounded scorer, with improving passing. Collinsville has reached three straight 5A State Tournaments. With Walters at the helm, his band of Cardinals will be looking to throw a wrench into EC's plans.     Breakout Prospect   [player_tooltip player_id='2867423' first='Duke' last='Dobbins'], Sophomore, Tahlequah   Dobbins is a sharp shooter, averaging double figures as a freshman. While shooting is his calling card, he's more than just a spot up threat. Has a good frame for his age, allowing him to compete for rebounds. And some combo guard traits as a passer. If Dobbins can start to hit 20 points more consistenly, while continuing to impact winning beyond scoring, the Tigers will make some noise.     District 4   Coweta   Durant   Edison   Glenpool   McAlester   Memorial   Shawnee   Rogers     How high can the Buffalos fly?   It's been over two decades (2006) since McAlester made the State Tournament. They were a game away last year and return the bulk of their production. Including bonafide national recruit [player_tooltip player_id='2677145' first='Rodney' last='Washington']. Washington took off this spring and summer, but he's not the only 2028 game changer in Mac-Town. The first test to prove that the Buffalos can soar as high as a Washington dunk, will be taking a game or both from Tulsa Memorial. The 918 Chargers are their top rivals for the title and Memorial swept McAlester last year. Memorial is known for their defensive first culture. If Washington and company can crack Memorial, the sky is the limit.     Breakout Prospect   [player_tooltip player_id='3668284' first='Christian' last='Taylor'], Edison   The other expected top horse in the race for District 4 is Edison. They have one of the top sophomores in the state, but are replacing quite a bit of departed production. Enter rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='3668284' first='Christian' last='Taylor']. He has a promising strong frame, making him a tough and crafty finisher off the bounce. Taylor becoming a consistent double digit scorer would be crucial for the Eagles to soar at the top District 4.

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4 Storylines from the new 5A Districts

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