Northwestern Oklahoma Area Football Players to Watch List – Presented by Rib Crib

Lantz Mathers – Alva

Lantz is the leader of the offense and defense. He is a four-year starter for the Goldbugs and is the returning leading tackler and rusher.  

Aidyn Gonzalez – Boise City

Gonzalez will start at quarterback for the Wildcats. He is only a sophomore but is a smart kid with great speed. Aidyn is a competitor and will do a great job leading the team.  

Alberto Alvirez – Cherokee

Alvirez is a hard working kid. He is well liked by everyone he knows and he is respected by his opponents. He is one of those guys in the trenches that deserves some credit for his play and for his leadership on the team.  

Micah McVay – Chisholm

Micah plays on the offensive and defensive lines for the Longhorns. Offensive lineman rarely receive any recognition, but Micah continues to work hard and be an outstanding lineman.

Ford Smith – Covington-Douglas

Ford is a talented quarterback with a big arm and great speed. So far in his high school career, he has thrown for 5,856 yards and rushed for 1,912 yards. Strong leader that comes up big in the biggest games.  

Blake Fuksa – Enid

He is a great teammate and a solid football player. He also carries a high GPA in the classroom.

Jax Bernard & Boden Miller – Fairview

Jax is a four-year starter at quarterback. He has been the leader of the offense for the past three years. He has great command of our offense and does a great job of using all of his weapons. Boden is a linebacker that has been a three year starter. Boden is a technician at linebacker and he does a great job on the inside. He is a very good run stopper as well as pass defender. Boden has a very high football IQ. 

Jackson Weibling – Garber

Cord works extremely hard on and off the field and was the freshman state champion powerlifter for his weight class. He will play a huge role going forward and coaches are expecting big things from him.

Conner Stelzer – Guymon

Conner is a phenomenal student-athlete. He represents not only the football team but the entire school in a very honorable way. He has been part of community service projects outside of school on multiple occasions. He has been a three-year starter for the Tigers, a three-year team captain, and is a four-sport athlete.  

Gunner Carthel – Hennessey

Gunner works his tail off every day. He’s dependable, does the right things, and leads by example. 

Justin Palacios – Hooker

Last season, Justin ended with 1,748 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. He also added 186 receiving yards with two touchdowns. He brings speed, strength, vision, and work ethic to the team. 

McQuinn Baker – Kremlin-Hillsdale

McQuinn has a lot of heart and will out work the guy across from him using his speed, agility, and aggressiveness.  

Felix Teal – Laverne

Felix is an incredibly explosive athlete. He was a running back on the 2021 state championship team and the quarterback on the 2022 championship team. He was injured after four games in 2023 but should have an incredible season in 2024. He is also incredibly dynamic in the return game and will anchor the secondary at the safety position.  

Austin Kalblinger – Medford

Austin has been a huge contributor for the Cardinals as a tight end and defensive end for the last three years. He is a huge target to get the ball to at 6’4” and 215 pounds.  

Kaden Overton – Mooreland

Kaden is an outstanding young man. He is a three-sport athlete that every coach loves to work with.  

Liam Berry – Oklahoma Bible Academy

Berry saw limited time at quarterback last season, but looks to lead the offense at the position this season. 

Kyle Moody – Pioneer-Pleasant Vale

Moody loves the game of football and that shows when he is on the field. He has worked hard to get where he is.

Titus Westrope – Pond Creek-Hunter

Titus is a solid player. He is 6’4” and is a great stalk blocker and receiver. He is always working to continue to get better. 

Noah Schmidt – Ringwood

Noah is a hard working coachable player. He is a leader on his team and he is the definition of a student athlete.  

Karson Shepard – Timberlake

Karson is hard working and very coachable. He is a three year starter at center and linebacker and a great kid.

Jhett Huffman – Turpin

Huffman was All-District at running back last season with 1,003 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. He is an outstanding athlete and will be a key player for Turpin. 

Wyatt Johnson – Tyrone

Wyatt was a defensive end that made the reluctant switch to nose guard. He thrived in that role earning the C-1 District Defensive Player of the Year award. He could make the switch back to defensive end this year but wherever he plays, he will be a big time defensive player this season. 

Wade Manke – Watonga

Wade is a hard worker that does all the little and big things the right way without complaining about the outcome. Instead he will find a way to change the outcome for the better of the team. He is a team player and commits his effort and energy towards the team’s success. 

Malachi Givens – Waukomis

Malachi does not care what position he is at, he always plays hard. He moved around a lot last year because of injury and best fit. He never complained. He just goes out there and does what he is asked to do. He has outstanding attendance in the weight room and practice and works hard every day. Became a member of the 1,000 pound club this past year.

Landon Seiger – Waynoka

He has been a problem in our district for the last few years. Landon is a very smart player on both sides of the ball. He won District MVP in 2023.  

Ace Long – Woodward

Long is a solid running back and he is a dangerous player anytime the ball is in his hands.