Bristow Team Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   It's the month of July and that means it's preview time! Throughout the month of July, we are publishing 100 team previews to get you ready for the 2022 season. This is something that began last year and has become even bigger and better this year. We're looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state. From defending champs, to top contenders and dark horses, we'll have complete coverage every single day with new teams from Class 6A down to A. In this post, we take a look at the Bristow Pirates. With the Pirates moving down to Class 3A, they're looking to continue their winning ways this season.   Bristow Pirates   The Bristow Pirates wrapped up their recent run in Class 4A with a 9-3 record and another playoff appearance. They've made seven straight trips to the playoffs, including every year during this four year run in Class 4A. The Pirates went 9-3 in 2021 and were once again contenders within their district and made it to the Class 4A quarterfinals. They nearly ran the table within their district after beating Wagoner 3-0 in week five and then falling to Grove, 34-28 the following week. They ended in a three-way tie at the end of the year and Grove walked away with the district crown. Bristow would beat Broken Bow in the playoffs for the second straight year before running into eventual state champion Clinton in the quarterfinals. Bristow now turns their focus to Class 3A as they move back down to 3A football for at least the next two seasons.   Unfortunately for the Pirates, they will be rebuilding in 2022, during their first year in Class 3A. Only three starters return on the offensive side of the ball and another two starters return on defense. For the offense, it's clear that they'll once again rely on the running game behind their flexbone attack. Even though they only have three starters returning, the new starters will know what's asked of them as the flexbone offense is all about options and precision. They'll need to be on top of their game coming into the season. For the defense, they return just two starters and it will be a work in progress. They face quite a few teams this year with offenses that can be explosive. They'll be tested right out of the gate. But Bristow is hoping that they can improve throughout the season and by the end of the year, they're hoping to extend their playoff streak, despite playing in one of the toughest districts in Class 3A.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   2021 Results (9-3 Record - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals)   Sept. 3 - Lost To Cushing 35-26 Sept. 10 - Beat Chandler 36-26 Sept. 17 - Beat Mannford 49-7 Sept. 24 - Beat Miami 42-7 Oct. 1 - Beat Wagoner 3-0 Oct. 8 - Lost To Grove 34-28 Oct. 14 - Beat Cleveland 43-0 Oct. 22 - Beat Skiatook 54-14 Oct. 29 - Beat Catoosa 49-13 Nov. 5 - Beat Oologah 26-21 1st Round - Beat Broken Bow 55-6 Quarterfinal - Lost To Clinton 30-7   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   Key Losses To Graduation   Alex Winter - Tight End/Defensive Lineman Angus Ponder - Linebacker Cache Henson - Running Back/Linebacker Cord Dobrinski - Running Back/Linebacker Sutton Titsworth - Quarterback/Defensive Back   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   Players To Watch   [player_tooltip player_id='392830' first='Caleb' last='Alexander'] - 2024 Running Back/Defensive Back The first of two standout running backs to watch out for is 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='392830' first='Caleb' last='Alexander']. As mentioned before, Bristow is not going to be shy about what they want to do on the offensive side of the ball. They're going to run the football and then they're going to run the ball some more. Alexander has the chance to be a breakout player for the Pirates this fall. Bristow will feature several standouts when it comes to putting up rushing numbers and we like Alexander to be a breakout star within this offense. But he also flips to the defensive side of the ball and is going to be an important part of the Bristow defense. With so many new faces, finding consistency with the running game is going to be a big key, especially early on in the season.   [player_tooltip player_id='370223' first='Charles' last='Ware'] - 2023 Running Back I believe we first found out about Bristow's 2023 running back [player_tooltip player_id='370223' first='Charles' last='Ware'] earlier this year when we did our "Friday Film Review" series in March and April. The Bristow running back was incredibly impressive and he immediately joined the list of 2023 running backs in Oklahoma that have a chance to play at the next level. And Oklahoma's 2023 class is deep with next level running backs. We thought Ware's junior tape was outstanding and we think that he's going to blow up in a big way this fall. His production should go dramatically up this fall and if it does, more schools are going to take notice. And watching the film, he's not just a system back that needs the flexbone to be useful. He's a special talent who can make plays, regardless of the offense.   Key Losses To Graduation   Chris Rolland - 2026 Offensive/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='917724' first='Darien' last='Dansby'] - 2025 Running Back/Linebacker   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   2022 Schedule/Games To Circle   Sept. 2 - AT Cushing Sept. 9 - Chandler Sept. 16 - AT Mannford Sept. 23 - Inola Sept. 30 - AT Dewey Oct. 7 - AT Verdigris - The first of two brand new district opponents and opponents in general is Verdigris. The Cardinals come into this season as the #2 team in our 3A preseason rankings. They are the opposite of Bristow when it comes to returning starters. While Bristow only returns five starters total, Verdigris returns just about everyone from last year's 3A semifinal team. Bristow will be tested in the first game of the season against Cushing, but it's this week six game on the road against Verdigris that has us excited. If the Pirates are going to be an instant contender in Class 3A, this is where we find that out. The Pirates can keep their district title hopes alive with a win here on the road. A loss will leave little room for error the rest of the way. Oct. 13 - Jay Oct. 21 - AT Cascia Hall Oct. 28 - AT Holland Hall - Bristow definitely drew the short end of the stick in terms of the district lineup this year. Their three toughest district games are all going to be on the road. After Verdigris and Cascia Hall, the Pirates will travel back to Tulsa to face two-time defending champion Holland Hall. Bristow will not only have to hit the road in all three games, all three opponents feature teams within the Class 3A preseason rankings. However, Bristow will know exactly where they stand within the district and what their playoff hopes are as they go into this week nine clash and the playoff picture will be even clearer following the game. Bristow will hope that their young team will be full of experience and ready to go as they face the two-time defending champs. Nov. 4 - Central   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   Notable   Bristow seems to be one of the communities that is always on the border every year when the new ADM numbers come out. They're either one of the smallest schools in Class 4A or one of the largest schools in Class 3A. As mentioned earlier, for at least the next two seasons, Bristow will be one of the larger schools in Class 3A after the redistricting shuffle. The going back and forth between 4A and 3A is nothing new to Bristow as they've been doing that for the last ten years. They moved up to 4A in 2014 and 2015 and moved back down to 3A in 2016 and 2017. They've spent the last four seasons in Class 4A and now find themselves back in Class 3A. It's not the easiest thing when it comes to building consistency but for Bristow, it hasn't mattered what class they've been in. They've been a perennial playoff team for the majority of the last decade.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   Championship History   3 State Championships   1985 - Beat Vinita 22-7 1976 - Beat Vinita 13-10 1975 - Beat Clinton 20-7

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