Stephens continues to excel for John Marshall
Bryce Stephens doesn't need to beat his teammates in every sprint or conditioning drill.
He could choose to take it easy every now and then.
That's not his style. John Marshall's wide receiver and free safety prefers to go full speed each time.
“I just want them to see and help them and lead by example,” Stephens said. “Get ready f or the next level.”
Stephens, a j unior, i s already prepared for football at the next level. He is one of the state's most versatile players and routinely fills the stat sheet with his production on both sides of the ball.
Stephens' latest noteworthy performance was in a 26-14 win at Mannford on Friday. He returned a missed field goal for a score, caught a touchdown pass, forced a fumble late
Player of the Week Fan Poll
Fans can vote in the Fans' Choice Player of the Week poll, which is live online at oklahoman.com/sports/ high-school. Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and the results will appear in Wednesday's Oklahoman. Here are the candidates:
Jaxon Canard, RB, Oklahoma Christian School
Korbin Cox, RB, Jones
Caden Harrell, RB/LB, Cashion
Gabe Johnson, WR,
Choctaw
Bryce Stephens, WR/DB,
John Marshall
Luke Tarman, QB, McGuinness
Peyton Wilson, QB, Luther
in the fourth quarter and had two intercept ions against the Pirates (2-6, 2-3 District 3A-1). He has been named Player of the Week by The Oklahoman's staff.
“Every opportunity that he had to change the momentum of the game, he did it,” John Marshall coach Aso Pogi said. “Kind of took things into his own hands.”
Stephens gained attention from several Division I programs after a breakout sophomore season.
The 6- foot, 165-pounder has received scholarship offers f rom TCU, Nebraska and Iowa State, among others.
Stephens is humble and relatively quiet, a stark contrast from the bold and flashy plays he makes on the football field.
He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds during a camp at Oklahoma State. Most opposing players never get close to catching him from behind in the open field.
“When he touches the ball, i t's probably going to end up going to the house,” Pogi said.
Stephens' brother, Tim, is also a standout player for John Marshall (7-1, 4-1). The senior cornerback will likely play at a small college next year. The Stephens brothers live with their grandmother and always bonded over football.
“I've been playing with him since I was a little ki d,” Bryce said. “He's always pushed me. I always pushed him.”
Pogi was the offensive coordinator at Mustang last season and had the same coaching j ob with John Marshall when Stephens was a freshman. Pogi,a former Oklahoma State and Central Oklahoma quarterback, initially believed Stephens was going to play his former position.
Although it was determined Stephens should be a wide receiver, he would likely excel at any skill position.
“He can make something out of pretty much nothing,” Pogi said. “It's pretty neat to watch.”