Five stars: Dual-sport athletes to watch-week six
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A 2016 report from the National Federation of State High School Associations found that an average of 38 percent of recruits from the four teams that made the 2016 college football playoff had played basketball in high school. Below is a watchlist of some of the most outstanding multi-sport stars playing for their high school teams this week in Oklahoma High School football:
Michael Taffe | Bishop McGuinness ’23 |
6’0″ RB/ATH | Not committed | Rank: 🏈No. 3 RB 🏀NR |
vs. Carl Albert, Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.
If Taffe and the Irish keep playing like they have been lately, the Bishop McGuinness basketball team may be without his talents the first few games of the season.
As for Taffe, the junior back has been rolling this season. He has a thorough skill-set; he’s strong, quick, can power through tackles, has great acceleration, patience, vision for the field, and did we mention acceleration? The go-to ball-carrier can be your tank on fourth-and-goal, but he is just as likely to break off 60-yard runs during the mundane stretches of the game. Taffe has been known, even, to create something out of nothing, like he did against Bishop Kelley, when the first level collapsed and Taffe turned what appeared to be a 5-yard loss into a touchdown play.
For the McGuinness basketball team, Taffe stars as a defensive standout, often anticipating passes, snagging a steal, and accelerating down court to finish on the other end.
Chance Wilson | Rejoice Christian ’23 |
6’3″ QB | Not committed | Rank: 🏈No. 10 QB 🏀NR |
vs. Sequoyah Claremore, Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.
Wilson is an athlete, plain and simple.
The three-sport junior fronts the 4-1 Rejoice Christian Eagles as their full-time quarterback, where the Owasso-based parochial school benefits from Wilson’s elite feel for the game. He’s proved to be one of the best passers in Oklahoma small-school football so far this season.
Wilson delivers a sharp ball in great timing, with great understanding of how much air to put under it and when to place the ball. His acquaintance with his receivers and knowledge of the playbook is exceptional. Most of Wilson’s highlight plays to this point in the season came with Wilson dropping back, loading up, and facilitating a ball to a receiver who wasn’t open at the release but broke free from the secondary by the time it fell in his lap.
On the basketball court, however, Wilson makes his biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball. The wing, who happens to run a 49-second 400, gets to display his athletic reel once football season ends; Wilson anticipates the opposing sets well and cuts off the passing lane to create scoring on the other end of the floor, often hammering a two-handed dunk or drawing the foul in the full-court. Wilson also does a great job defending the rack.
This week, Wilson has a test against Sequoyah Claremore, a team that beat the Eagles one year ago in a 56-49 thriller.
Luke Hendrix | Washington ’22 (pictured above) |
6’4″ WR/ATH | Not committed | Rank: 🏈NR 🏀WL G |
vs. Community Christian School, Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.
Hendrix and the Warriors have had their slice of success this season, posting a perfect record through the half-way mark, and Hendrix has played no small role in that success.
The speedy senior is best utilized by Washington on deep plays, pacing just a gear above relatively every opposing defensive back on posts and fades for often routine connections. Hendrix has also been successful on crossing routes in which the 4.4-speed receiver can gain some acceleration and curl toward the sideline. A quick glance at his highlight reel will indicate that Hendrix, on some of those short routes, can embarrass opposing defenses with space.
It’s possible that Hendrix developed his sharp speed during the summer; when many of Hendrix’s teammates were going back to bed after morning lifts, Hendrix was putting in double-time on the hard-wood, spending most of his weeks on the basketball court with H&H Elite.
The wing playmaker can shoot the ball from 3-point range, but he’s far more than simply a shooter, as he displayed in a 23-point, 8-rebound performance against Lexington last season. Hendrix is quick, handles the ball well, defends the ball well, and can finish in the full-court through contact.
Mid-Season!
5-0
15 catches
631 yds
6 tds@calvinlowry @kasey_dunn @CoachChev6 @jconway900 @coachlukewells @CoachDreColeman @CoachHennes @CoachGreenOL @coachrice_4 @ChansiStuckey @KU_Ejones @Coachmessingham @CoachMeservy @WashingtonWarr5 – https://t.co/LjoMkzFMnF— Luke Hendrix (@LukeHendrix8) October 5, 2021
Avrey Payne | Marlow ’23 |
6’5″ WR | Not committed | Rank: 🏈NR 🏀NR |
at Coalgate, Friday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Payne, like Hendrix, spent his summer working on his athletic skill-set with H&H Elite, but Marlow’s basketball team won’t be able to enjoy his talents until the Outlaws’ football season ends — and that could be a while, as the undefeated Outlaws have beat opposing teams by an average of 37 points.
Also like Hendrix, Payne has played an integral role in his team’s success. The 6-foot-5-inch is utilized as a slot, exterior receiver, and punt returner for the Outlaws. He’s best in short-to-medium routes, where he can catch the ball and work out from there. Payne is a slippery ball-carrier with a vicious go-to spin. He also does well in isolation situations, such as he did on one play against Chickasha when the Outlaws brought loaded away from his side and isolated him on a hitch from the opposite hash. Payne was able to turn the catch into a big gain. Finally, Payne can be utilized in the jet sweep, as defenders often struggle to bring his tall frame to the floor.
When it comes time to strap on the sneakers, Payne shines even brighter for the Outlaws. He’s a keen sharpshooter, often floating to open spaces on the perimeter and knocking down quick shots out of the catch. Payne’s feel for the game contributes to his team in major ways, too, as he utilizes well timed hesitations to catch defenders off-balance or draw them towards him before firing off a swift pass to a teammate.