A Night Made for Stogner

DALLAS - At an unseasonably 44-degrees at kickoff it was a game made for the tight end position. And early on Plano Prestonwood saw things the same hitting up their Rivals100 tight end Austin Stogner for a 9-yard touchdown pass. For much of the rest of the night Stogner was featured in his ability to run block for the Lions in their 22-6 win over Bishop Dunne.

In what was SoonerScoop.com's first chance to really watch Stogner in person he wasn't someone who fell short of expectations, or truly short in any way at his listed 6-foot-7, 230-pounds.

The big pass-catcher had a solid night with three receptions for 31-yards but Prestonwood largely used him as a blocker, where his size and length saw him seal block, lead block, and show there was more to his game than just his natural ability as a receiver.

Stogner, who missed a good portion of the early season with an injury, looked to still be getting back up to speed a bit but for a player still shaking off the rust a bit there is ample reason to see why the Sooners chose to push hard for his commitment, along with dozens of other programs.

Stogner was always going to have a hard-fought night in front of him facing Dunne's potential five-star 2019 safety Brian Williams. In spite of this Stogner worked well in the ground game and was used in a lot of different ways in helping Dunne accumulate nearly 200-yards rushing.

He is a player with tremendous length which aids him not only in receiving but in getting out on defenders and winning at the point of attack. As he continues to fill out, something that always takes longer on a huge frame like his, Stogner figures to only further his game in all facets; allowing him the time to both get stronger against physical coverage as well as finish blocks with more authority.

*As mentioned, Dunne featured Williams, one of the country's most gifted safeties. It wasn't the game he had hoped for but Williams had an interception in the first half and did a nice job with returns. He also, almost exclusively, was responsible for Stogner and did a nice job against one of the nation's more highly-ranked tight ends. Williams has the frame to be physical against the run in the college game but the speed and short area explosion to work fine when he has to be locked up in man coverage.

*Another Dunne star is Marquez Beason, the talented athlete who featured at quarterback and receiver for the Falcons. Though he had a tough night getting much going against a stingy, and well-versed, Prestonwood defense he still showed glimpses of the dangerous open field ability he possesses.

*Though Stogner was who we came to see for Prestonwood it was hard not to take notice of a pair of his Lions teammates, junior Virdel Edwards and Jeremiah Lewis. Edwards is a long cornerback who has surprising fluidity in his lower body and could turn into a high-level recruit in short time. Lewis is a big-time playmaker on both sides of the ball as a deep threat at wide receiver and a shut down defensive back on the other side of the ball.

*A name that will be familiar to Oklahoma fans is Dunne defensive tackle Calvin Avery. The big man did an amazing job creating pressure and continued to show the effort and motor that made him a Rivals250 member in the class of 2018.