Bethany Team Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! 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">RIGHT HERE</a>. Overview (Class 4A Preseason Ranking: #7) For some teams, the 2020 season was a down year because of Covid interruptions. For the Bethany Bronchos, 2020 didn’t have any Covid interruptions but it was a down year when you look at the three years prior. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Bronchos finished with a losing record at 5-6. It was somewhat expected that Bethany would take a step back this season after such a strong run and they had several key players that graduated. More on that later on in the preview. However, despite the losing record, we saw things that Bethany could certainly build on as they come into a new season and are right back in the top ten. They come into 2021 as the #7 team in our Class 4A preseason rankings. They bring back five starters on the offensive side of the ball but another eight starters return on defense. They’ll have a new quarterback under center but the coaches are very excited about his potential. The defense is obviously going to be stout with nearly everyone back and the special teams unit might be one of the better ones in Class 4A. Bethany should be in the mix throughout the 2021 season but the district will certainly be challenging. We’re on the record that it will be one of the toughest districts in the state with four teams all ranked in the top eight of our preseason rankings. However, Bethany is right in that group and just two wins over the other three teams could end up putting them in a position to capture the district championship. And of course, winning the district will set them up with a much easier path to make it to Wantland for the state championship. <hr /> 2020 Results (5-6 Record - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round) Aug. 28 - Lost To Jones 31-7 Sept. 4 - Lost To John Marshall 51-20 Sept. 11 - Beat Woodward 22-16 Sept. 25 - Lost To Cache 28-20 Oct. 2 - Beat Elk City 42-28 Oct. 9 - Beat Elgin 48-33 Oct. 15 - Lost To Newcastle 26-14 Oct. 23 - Beat Chickasha 40-12 Oct. 30 - Lost To Weatherford 28-14 Nov. 6 - Beat Clinton 23-19 1st Round - Lost To Cushing 41-17 <hr /> Players To Watch Jaden Gilliland - 2023 Running Back Whenever you're breaking in a new quarterback, it certainly helps to have an experienced running back in the backfield to lessen the workload. The return of running back Jaden Gilliland will help the Bethany offense and give them a steady presence in the running game. It will also help having his experience back there with new offensive linemen being worked into the lineup. Gilliland has ran for nearly 2,000 yards over the last two seasons and could go from that steady presence in the rushing attack to one of the better running backs in Class 4A. [player_tooltip player_id="101401" first="Jocelyn" last="Malaska"] - 2022 Athlete We have him listed as an athlete but Bethany senior [player_tooltip player_id="101401" first="Jocelyn" last="Malaska"] will go to the next level for his abilities as a shutdown corner. Already committed to Texas Tech, Malaska will also make an impact on the offensive side of the ball and in special teams. Malaska is one of the more dangerous kick returners in the state and if he gets into the open field, he’s gone. Malaska will also give Bethany’s new quarterback a game changer at the wide receiver position. But make no mistake, Malaska will be at his best when he’s shutting down an opposing passing offense. [player_tooltip player_id="157521" first="Taylor" last="Heim"] - 2023 Quarterback As mentioned earlier, Bethany will have a new quarterback under center this fall and we’re excited to see what he can do this fall. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="157521" first="Taylor" last="Heim"] takes over as QB1 for the Bronchos and he’ll clearly have some weapons around him. He might have some growing pains early on, especially in the non-district portion of the schedule, but we expect Heim to be one of the better quarterbacks in this district. The Bethany coaches are high on Heim and he certainly has the size and passes the eye test. We’ll see if he can have that breakout season and lead the Broncho offense. More Names [player_tooltip player_id="118821" first="Braylon" last="Ketchum"] - 2023 Defensive Back Dax Jaggers - 2022 Kicker <hr /> Notable One of the biggest questions we had about Bethany coming into the 2020 season would be how they would perform without star quarterback and safety Sammy Brandt. The Bethany standout had made such a big impact on offense and defense that the Bronchos were one of the top teams from 2017-2019. They would go a combined 33-6 during that stretch with 10 win seasons in each year. Last year, as mentioned earlier, they had their first losing season since 2012, where they went 4-6. The Bronchos still found their way into the playoffs but would end the season with that 5-6 record. The Bronchos are primed for a big bounce back year with the majority of their starters back. The schedule is going to be difficult. The district is one of the toughest in the state and they’ll need to make a big run to get back into double digits with wins this fall. However, they have the stars and experience to do just that if they can navigate their district and set themselves up for a lengthy playoff run. <hr /> 2021 Schedule/Games To Watch Aug. 27 - AT Jones - A great week zero match-up that will be one of the better games that week is Bethany traveling to Jones. You’ll have a couple stars on the field with Bethany’s Malaska and Jones 2022 quarterback and Iowa commit [player_tooltip player_id="38671" first="Carson" last="May"]. It’ll be fun to see who gets the best of that match-up. If May is able to make some passes on Malaska or if he and the Bethany defense slow down the high-powered Jones offense. Last year, the Longhorns won this opener and come into this year as one of the top teams in Class 2A. It’s going to give us a great early look at both teams coming in. Sept. 3 - John Marshall Sept. 10 - AT Woodward Sept. 24 - Cache Oct. 1 - Elk City Oct. 8 - AT Elgin Oct. 14 - Newcastle Oct. 22 - AT Chickasha Oct. 29 - Weatherford Nov. 5 - AT Clinton - The final game of the regular season could end up being the biggest. It’s been stated many times but this district features four ranked teams and Clinton is the highest ranked coming into this season after making a run to the title game a year ago. The Bronchos actually beat Clinton in week ten last season before falling to Cushing in the first round the following week. There’s no doubt that these two teams are playoff contenders so this game will go a long way to deciding seeding. If everything goes well for both teams, the district championship could be decided here as well. <hr /> Championship History 1 State Championship 2003 - Beat Davis 40-6