EDMOND – When coaches agreed to halt blitzing in the 2026 Oklahoma Coaches Association's All-State Football Game in favor of a three-man rush, it put a damper on the final statistics for defenders like El Reno High School's Rustyn Cook.

“It was definitely different with their rules and stuff but it was fun out there. I was glad I got to be out there one more time before college,” said Cook.

And out there on the turf at the Chad Richison Stadium he was.

Though added to the squad off the alternate list in June, Cook was one of the most used players on the West squad. He alternated between outside and middle linebacker, blocked on punts and was on the line for all seven of his team's kickoffs in the 32-16 win over the East.

“They had me playing outside and inside linebacker. I just tried to get in as much as I could,” said Cook, who is now headed off to Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

While he didn't start the game, Cook ended up playing defense on 12 of the 14 possessions by the East. He made a quick impact on his third snap with a quarterback pressure leading to an incomplete pass.

He ended up playing a total of 60 snaps among the three areas. He closed with four tackles, three of those solo, to go along with an assist and the pressure. One of those solo stops was on a kickoff return from the backside that prevented a breakaway.

His most notable stop came with 3:13 to play in the game with his team leading 26-13 but the East facing a fourth-and-one from the West 44-yard line. East quarterback Isaiah Drake (Weleetka) took the snap and ran to his left and into Cook for a 2-yard drive-ending loss.

“I just saw him coming at me and I got outside the blocker and then just made the tackle. That was pretty cool. It's what I trained for all four years and it's cool to do it one last time,” said Cook.

He had one last statistic that all defenders like to get, a broken-up pass, but for Cook it will be a thorn in his side. On the next East possession, a trick-play pass from Ben Daniels (Collinsville) slipped through Cook's hands – who was playing on the outside in pass coverage.

There was nothing but open turf in front of Cook to the East's end zone.

“I turned around and it was right there and I just couldn't get a grasp on it,” said Cook.

The West's defense held the East to 96 total yards and six first downs. It was the opposite for the West offense, which rolled up 17 first downs and 357 total yards. Acyn Hanson (Jones) completed 12-of-21 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. The longest was 65 yards to tight end Hudson Able (Oklahoma Christian) on the play after Cook's fourth-down stop.