Woodland 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 A Preseason Ranking: #6) Coming into the 2020 season, not many people were talking about the Woodland Cougars as a team you had to watch out for in Class A. They weren’t near our preseason rankings for Class A and they were coming off a 2-8 season in 2019. The Cougars hadn’t won a playoff game since making it all the way to the 2011 state championship game. It’s been one and done ever since. The Cougars would quickly show that 2020 would not be like the past decade as they ended up going 12-2, losing to eventual champion Cashion in the quarterfinal round. Following their 34-30 victory in week one over Oklahoma Union, the Cougars were dominant. They slipped up in district play in a loss to Pawnee but bounced back the following week by beating Morrison in a shootout. The Cougars were led by senior [player_tooltip player_id="91574" first="Nate" last="Lockert"] at the quarterback position but he did just about everything for this Cougar team on offense, defense and special teams. That will be the biggest question mark as they head into the 2021 season. The Cougars do come in at #6 in our preseason rankings but they will have to find an answer for that question sooner rather than later because the schedule is a tough one. First, Woodland has three games against fellow preseason top ten teams with two of them coming in their district. Throw in the fact that their first four games are on the road and they won’t even play a home game until October 1st and it becomes a little tougher. And finally, fellow district foes Pawnee and Morrison are those two district opponents that are also ranked and the Cougars will see them in back to back weeks. That two-week stretch will certainly make or break the Woodland season and could be the difference between a district championship and finishing third or lower in the district. Nevertheless, the Cougars are a long way from their 2-8 season of 2019 and come into this year with lofty expectations. <hr /> 2020 Results (12-2 Record - Lost In Class A Quarterfinals) Sept. 4 - Beat Oklahoma Union 34-30 Sept. 11 - Beat Newkirk 50-0 Sept. 18 - Beat Mooreland 42-26 Sept. 25 - Beat Caney Valley 46-6 Oct. 2 - Lost To Pawnee 28-8 Oct. 9 - Beat Morrison 40-36 Oct. 15 - Beat Chouteau 51-0 Oct. 23 - Beat Hominy 28-22 Oct. 30 - Beat Chelsea 67-22 Nov. 5 - Beat Oklahoma Christian Academy 48-22 1st Round - Beat Fairland 60-0 2nd Round - Beat Commerce 40-14 3rd Round - Beat Gore 38-18 Quarterfinals - Lost To Cashion 41-22 <hr /> Players To Watch Aidan Rhodes - 2023 Quarterback So if the biggest question for Woodland coming into this year is who will be able to replace quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="91574" first="Nate" last="Lockert"], what will the answer be? We at least know who’s going to suit up and become QB1 for the Cougars. Can he have that same kind of success this fall? Only time will tell. Aidan Rhodes is stepping into the quarterback role for the Cougars and will be leading this Woodland offense. He certainly won’t be expected to replicate some of the numbers that Lockert put up last season. And he also has the benefit of seeing a little time at that position last season. Rhodes does have some big shoes to fill but he’ll be ready for the challenge. Jackson Rhodes - 2024 Linebacker We’ve mentioned Lockert a few times and he was without a doubt the best athlete on Woodland’s team but we might have found the next standout athlete in sophomore Jackson Rhodes. The young playmaker will make an impact on the offensive side of the ball but we have him listed as a linebacker for a reason. Last year, as a freshman, Rhodes was the team’s leading tackler with over 100 tackles on the season. Rhodes will be asked to do a little more on the offensive side of the ball this year but if he’s able to replicate what he did last year on defense, he’ll have a special season. We think Rhodes is a young talent to watch in Class A. More Names Mason Dysart - 2022 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Nathan Bouchard - 2023 Running Back <hr /> Notable We mentioned how Woodland would have to replace [player_tooltip player_id="91574" first="Nate" last="Lockert"] and that would be the biggest question for this Cougar team coming into the 2021 season. Also said was that it’s easier said than done. Here is a look at what the Cougars are replacing when it comes to Lockert going into this year. Lockert lined up at quarterback but he was the team’s leading rusher with nearly 2,000 yards and an eye-popping 37 touchdowns last year alone. Lockert was one of the top rushers in the state last year from the quarterback position. He only threw the ball 53 times on the year but you’re losing that element as well. Lockert passed for 7 touchdowns, ran for the 37 touchdowns and also caught a pair of touchdowns last year for the Cougar offense. He also returned kicks in special teams and had one punt return touchdown and he took two kickoffs back for six as well. On defense, he had 50 tackles and an interception as well. All in all, he accounted for nearly 50 touchdowns for the Woodland offense. He had a hand in everything on offense, defense and special teams. The only thing he didn’t do was sell popcorn or programs during halftime. You can’t replace a player like Lockert with just one guy so the Cougars will have to do it by committee. <hr /> 2021 Schedule/Games To Watch Sept. 3 - AT Oklahoma Union Sept. 10 - AT Newkirk Sept. 17 - AT Mooreland Sept. 24 - AT Caney Valley Oct. 1 - Pawnee - It was the only game Woodland lost in the regular season a year ago and it will certainly be one of the bigger games this season. The Cougars will have this date circled for a couple reasons. One would be to get another shot at a Pawnee team that beat them last year. But they'll also be happy to be home. As you can see and as mentioned earlier, Woodland's first four games are on the road and they won't have a home game until October. Playing in front of the home fans and leaving the busses in the barn will certainly give the Cougars a boost. And they'll take whatever they can get going into this match-up that could decide the district title. Oct. 8 - AT Morrison - We said that this two week stretch could make or break Woodland's season and we weren't kidding. After enjoying one game at home, the Cougars will have to go back on the road in week six to take on Morrison. That makes five road games in the first six weeks of the season. After losing to Pawnee last year, Woodland was able to bounce back and get a close win over Morrison. That set them up with a somewhat easier path when the playoffs rolled around. This district is certainly headlined by this three-headed monster of Woodland, Morrison and Pawnee. If the Cougars get back to back wins during this stretch, they'll be in the driver's seat. Oct. 14 - Chouteau Oct. 22 - AT Hominy Oct. 29 - Chelsea Nov. 4 - Oklahoma Christian Academy <hr /> Championship History 1 State Championship 2010 - Beat Stratford 6-0