Bartlesville Team Preview

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day as we release more individual team previews as we get closer to the start of the 2021 football season. In case you missed it, you can check out our Preseason Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/2021-preseason-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>RIGHT HERE</strong></a>. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Overview (Class 6A-D2 Preseason Ranking: #10)</b></span> Coming into a new season, expectations are continuing to rise for the Bartlesville Bruins. They’re coming off a season in which they went 3-8, but did snap their playoff drought and took some momentum away from that playoff appearance into the offseason. They bring back six starters on the offensive side of the ball with three starters coming back on defense. One of the things that stands out to us when we take a look at some of the guys that they bring back is it’s a great mix of experienced seniors and very talented underclassmen. That mix will provide the Bruins with a great boost this season in what could be a breakout year for the team. Last year, it was no doubt a struggle. They can take a few positives away from it and when you’re trying to build a program, you use those as bricks as you’re building it up. They gave Collinsville one of their closest games. They dominated district foes Muskogee and Putnam City West and had a pair of district losses that were by a combined ten points in games that could have gone another way. The Bruins come in at #10 in our preseason rankings and they will be an underdog in a district that features the top three teams in those rankings in #1 Bixby, #2 Choctaw and #3 Booker T Washington. However, we like the Bruins on paper and now they’re ready to prove it on the field. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2020 Results (3-8 Record - Lost In 6A-D2 1st Round)</strong></span> <strong>Sept. 4 -</strong> Beat Claremore 34-10 <strong>Sept. 11 -</strong> Lost To Sapulpa 48-21 <strong>Sept. 18 -</strong> Lost To Collinsville 34-30 <strong>Sept. 25 -</strong> Lost To Bixby 74-7 <strong>Oct. 2 -</strong> Lost To Booker T Washington 34-7 <strong>Oct. 9 -</strong> Beat Muskogee 52-24 <strong>Oct. 15 -</strong> Lost To Ponca City 10-7 <strong>Oct. 23 -</strong> Beat Putnam City West 52-8 <strong>Oct. 30 -</strong> Lost To Sand Springs 21-14 <strong>Nov. 6 -</strong> Lost To Choctaw 61-21 <strong>1st Round -</strong> Lost To Putnam City North 31-6 <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></span> <strong>Gage Keaton - 2022 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</strong> The Bruins will have a new quarterback and we’ll dive into him in a bit. The new QB1 will have the immediate benefit of having senior wide receiver Gage Keaton returning this fall. He was the team’s leading receiver last year and is arguably their biggest playmaker, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Keaton will also be an impact player on the defensive side of the ball at defensive back. With Keaton making plays on offense, that side of the ball has a chance to be really special and much improved from a season ago. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38682" first="Ridge" last="Brewington"] - 2022 Offensive Lineman</strong> While Gage Keaton is arguably Bartlesville’s top playmaker, it’s senior offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="38682" first="Ridge" last="Brewington"] that is Bartlesville’s top overall prospect. Brewington is one of the higher rated offensive linemen in this senior class and he’s already committed to Air Force. We got a chance to see him in person down in the Dallas area at a camp this spring and we liked what we saw. He’s certainly going to be more of an interior lineman at the next level but he moves quick and he has some power in his hands and will certainly help anchor this talented Bartlesville O-Line. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="115729" first="Simian" last="Gilkey"] - 2024 Quarterback</strong> That new quarterback we talked about could end up being 2024 QB [player_tooltip player_id="115729" first="Simian" last="Gilkey"]. About five years ago, we saw Simian’s older brother Scotty playing quarterback in the Tulsa area and he would go on to play at the next level. We got a chance to see Simian this spring, although it was in limited situations and at a 7v7 tournament. However, we came away very impressed with the arm strength and just the power that he throws with. If he can control that strength and find some touch with his passes, he could be poised for a breakout year. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>More Names</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="154219" first="Cooper" last="Wood"] - 2024 Tight End/Defensive End</strong> <strong>Hunter McClintock - 2022 Linebacker</strong> <strong>Maddox Perrier - 2023 Offensive Lineman</strong> <strong>Noah Loyd - 2023 Tight End</strong> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Notable</strong></span> In the first two years of 6A-D2, the Bruins made the playoffs in each season. They would even make the 2015 semifinals but came up short of making it to their first ever state championship game. However, after going all the way to the 2015 semifinals, the Bruins had missed out on the playoffs four straight seasons. They were able to snap that streak last year. However, this year, they want to earn their way into the postseason by finishing in the top four of their district. As we’ve mentioned in several of these previews, the Covid pandemic caused several changes in the football landscape and one was the inclusion of every team that wanted to play in the playoffs. Bartlesville opted in and lost to Putnam City North in the first round. Unless we have a repeat of last year, we’re going back to the usual playoff format with the top four teams in each district making it. The Bruins know they’re in one of the toughest districts in the state so they can’t afford a slip up. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2021 Schedule/Games To Watch</strong></span> Sept. 3 - AT Claremore Sept. 10 - Sapulpa <strong>Sept. 17 - Collinsville</strong> - Bartlesville wraps up their non-district play against one of the top teams in Class 5A in Collinsville. The Cardinals were a dominant team last season but the Bruins played them close in the regular season. The Bruins could use this game as a springboard if they were to pull off the upset at home. The next two games in district play are against two of the top three teams in the state. A win here will give the Bruins the momentum they need going into district play. It will also let the rest of the district know that this is a team that could surprise some people. Sept. 24 - Bixby Oct. 1 - AT Booker T Washington Oct. 8 - Muskogee Oct. 14 - AT Ponca City Oct. 22 - AT Putnam City West <strong>Oct. 29 - Sand Springs</strong> - We mentioned the top four teams making the playoffs and this might end up deciding the fourth spot. If the Bruins can pull off an upset over one of the top three teams, they’ll be in even better shape. But it will probably come down to this week nine match-up with Sand Springs and the Bruins will get the Sandites at home. They lost by a touchdown to Sand Springs a season ago but this will be a battle between two teams that we feel like are on the rise. And depending on the district standings, the playoffs will feel like they’ve came early with this being basically an elimination game. Nov. 5 - Choctaw <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Championship History</strong></span> <em><strong>0 State Championships</strong></em>