Weatherford 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>. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Overview (Class 4A Preseason Ranking: #6)</span></strong> After making it to the 2019 state championship game, the <strong>Weatherford Eagles</strong> had plenty of momentum coming into the 2020 season. In fact, they were one of the main contenders in Class 4A from start to finish. Along with Wagoner, the Eagles were the top dogs in the class and it would take something big to keep one of them from raising gold. Well, for Weatherford, that something big happened when they were stunned by a young Cushing team in the second round of the playoffs. They led 30-21 going into the fourth quarter and Cushing scored a pair of touchdowns to win it 34-30. Wagoner would indeed go on to win the state championship in December. Wagoner and Weatherford were 1 and 2 for the entire season but they wouldn’t have met up in the title game. They would have played in the semifinals. Now, Weatherford comes into this season at #6 and Wagoner is in rebuild mode coming off their title. Class 4A is as wide open as it’s been in recent memory and the Eagles have a great shot to make it back to Wantland Stadium if they stay healthy and can navigate what will be a brutal schedule. The Eagles return seven starters on the offensive side of the ball and five starters on defense. They will have to replace All American [player_tooltip player_id="38500" first="Ethan" last="Downs"] but the Eagles bring back two players that combined for nearly 2,000 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns between them. They’ll want to run the ball behind a good offensive line and that experience returning in the backfield. Again, if they can navigate the district, the Eagles will once again be contenders in Class 4A this fall. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2020 Results (8-1 Record - Lost In 4A 2nd Round)</strong></span> <strong>Sept. 4 -</strong> Beat Kingfisher 50-49 <strong>Sept. 11 -</strong> Beat El Reno 41-14 <strong>Sept. 18 -</strong> Beat Woodward 38-21 <strong>Sept. 25 -</strong> Game VS Chickasha Cancelled <strong>Oct. 2 -</strong> Beat Elgin 47-7 <strong>Oct. 9 -</strong> Beat Newcastle 23-17 <strong>Oct. 15 -</strong> Game VS Elk City Cancelled <strong>Oct. 23 -</strong> Beat Clinton 14-0 <strong>Oct. 30 -</strong> Beat Bethany 28-14 <strong>Nov. 6 -</strong> Beat Cache 52-21 <strong>1st Round -</strong> Bye Week <strong>2nd Round -</strong> Lost To Cushing 34-30 <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></span> <strong>Malachi Johnson - 2022 Running Back</strong> We mentioned the two players who combined for nearly 2,000 yards a year ago, here’s the first in senior Malachi Johnson. He finished with over 800 yards while his counter part [player_tooltip player_id="38717" first="Sam" last="Hoffman"] went for over 1,000 yards. However, Johnson didn’t have as many carries but when you throw on the film, you have to think that we’ll see a little more production from Johnson this fall because he is electric with the ball in his hands. Combining with Hoffman in the backfield, this rushing duo is going to be incredibly tough to slow down in 2021 and we wouldn’t be surprised if both went over 1,000 yards this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38717" first="Sam" last="Hoffman"] - 2022 Running Back/Linebacker</strong> The other half of that rushing duo is indeed [player_tooltip player_id="38717" first="Sam" last="Hoffman"] and he might be the most important piece to Weatherford’s success this season. In addition to running for over 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns, Hoffman was also a standout on the defensive side of the ball and had over 50 tackles and even came down with a few interceptions. On offense and defense, Hoffman was an absolute star on a team that featured an All American who now is at Oklahoma. If Hoffman can pick up where he left off last season, he and Johnson will be one of the top rushing duos in the state, regardless of class. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>More Names</strong></span> <strong><span style="font-size: 1rem;">[player_tooltip player_id="61143" first="Ryan" last="Shields"] - 2022 Linebacker </span>Aidan Klepczyk - 2022 Offensive/Defensive Lineman</strong> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Notable</strong></span> This will be a growing theme when we do previews on teams in this district. But it’s absolutely brutal and arguably the toughest district in the state, regardless of class. Now, taking out the two 6A divisions, the only class, 5A-A, that has four teams ranked in our preseason top ten is this one in Class 4A. Clinton, Weatherford, Newcastle and Bethany are not only in the top ten, but they’re all in the top eight. Clinton is #4 with Weatherford, Newcastle and Bethany behind them at #6, #7 and #8 respectively. The Eagles will absolutely have their work cut out for them when it comes to district play. In fact, not only does this district have four top ten teams, they also have a few teams outside of the top ten that could be dangerous as well with Cache, Chickasha and Elk City. Whoever ends up winning this district will already feel like they’ve gone through a playoff run as they enter the playoffs. Finishing in spots 2-4 won’t as bad as it would be in other districts. Also throw in the fact that Weatherford’s non-district schedule is tough, the Eagles might have one of the tougher overall schedules in the state. Either way, whoever wins this district will have earned it and be ready to take on the rest of Class 4A in the playoffs. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2021 Schedule/Games To Watch</strong></span> <strong>Sept. 3 - Kingfisher</strong> - We could have picked several district games for the Eagles but we can't help but make mention of this non-district contest and season opener. Weatherford will host Kingfisher in week one to kick off their season. The Yellowjackets are going to be talented once again and they gave Weatherford a run for their money in 2020. It was a shootout with the Eagles escaping with a 50-49 victory. That would kick off their season and they wouldn't lose a game until the playoffs. This game kicks off what might be the toughest schedule in Class 4A and it might be one of the tougher ones in the state overall. Sept. 10 - AT El Reno Sept. 17 - Woodward Sept. 24 - Chickasha Oct. 1 - Elgin Oct. 7 - AT Newcastle Oct. 14 - AT Elk City <strong>Oct. 22 - Clinton</strong> - We mentioned we could have highlighted several of these district games but we'll just stick to one and go with the Clinton game in week eight. The Eagles have to worry about the other district contests, especially against the other ranked teams but this one might decide the district championship. It will certainly have big playoff implications as a win here could make the difference between winning the district or possibly finishing fourth or even on the outside looking in. This will be a match-up featuring the last two 4A runner up's and both teams are hungry to get back to Wantland for the gold ball. Oct. 29 - AT Bethany Nov. 5 - AT Cache <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Championship History</strong></span> <em><strong>3 State Championships</strong></em> 1999 - Beat Fort Gibson 46-0 1992 - Beat Clinton 21-6 1991 - Beat Oologah 27-17