Checotah Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 Checotah Wildcats. After a 3-8 record in 2021, the Wildcats expect to be back in the mix this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size"><strong>Checotah Wildcats</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the Checotah Wildcats turn the page and start the 2022 season, they are determined to not have the start that plagued them in 2021. A tough non-district schedule, combined with a tough district led to the Wildcats beginning the 2021 campaign with an 0-6 record and 1-7 after week eight. The Wildcats would win their final games and would finish fourth in the district with a 3-7 record. That meant a rematch with Holland Hall in the first round of the playoffs and Checotah was blanked by the eventual state champions and exited the playoffs with a 3-8 mark. Checotah goes into this season and they're determined to get off to a much better start. And when you look at this team, it depends on if you view the glass half empty or half full. Half empty, this team started 1-7 and barely made the playoffs. Half full, this team would rally to win three of their last four regular season games to punch their ticket to the playoffs. The Wildcats should have a better start to their season with a new non-district schedule this fall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another hurdle that Checotah will have to overcome is the experience factor. They return just two starters on the offensive side of the ball. There will be plenty of new faces on offense but we do like some of their pieces that they do bring back, including a potential superstar at the wide receiver position. On defense, the Wildcats bring back four starters on that side of the ball. Checotah will need those young players to come along quickly because while the non-district schedule is not as daunting, the district remains incredibly tough and the battle for the four playoff spots will be tough this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2021 Results (3-8 Record - Lost In Class 3A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 27 - Lost To Metro Christian 41-21<br>Sept. 3 - Lost To Hugo 32-26 (OT)<br>Sept. 10 - Lost To Hilldale 45-0<br>Sept. 17 - Lost To Eufaula 49-6<br>Oct. 1 - Lost To Stigler 41-0<br>Oct. 8 - Lost To Seminole 39-35<br>Oct. 14 - Beat Westville 50-34<br>Oct. 22 - Lost To Lincoln Christian 55-12<br>Oct. 29 - Beat Tahlequah Sequoyah 54-28<br>Nov. 5 - Beat Locust Grove 60-32<br>1st Round - Lost To Holland Hall 62-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Key Losses To Graduation</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dontierre Fisher<br>Omarrion Warrior<br>Trenton Dan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='353415' first='Elijah' last='Thomas'] - 2025 Wide Receiver<br></strong>We mentioned a young superstar potentially emerging at the wide receiver position and that's Checotah's 2025 wideout [player_tooltip player_id='353415' first='Elijah' last='Thomas']. We were told last summer that Thomas had the potential to be a breakout star for the Wildcats last season and it was just his freshman year. That's exactly how it played out as Thomas was incredibly explosive and showed that he could end up being one of the better wide receivers in the state's 2025 class. We're very interested to see how his recruitment continues to take off as more schools start to pursue him. He already has been offered by P5 schools and that should just be the start for this playmaker. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='157513' first='Levi' last='Lawson'] - 2023 Offensive Lineman<br></strong>Checotah's other offensive starter that will be returning is 2023 offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='157513' first='Levi' last='Lawson']. This is an absolute mauler of an offensive lineman and Lawson has been a big part of Checotah's success running the football. He'll be an anchor for an offensive line that has several new faces and a completely new backfield as well. Lawson will be incredibly important for those younger players that don't have near as much experience as he does. Lawson is part of a 2023 class in-state that is absolutely loaded with offensive linemen but he definitely has the talent to play at the next level. Another strong season should help his recruitment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jonah Marshall - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kreed Hall - 2023 Running Back/Linebacker</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 Schedule/Games To Circle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - East Central<br>Sept. 2 - Claremore Sequoyah<br>Sept. 9 - AT Haskell<br>Sept. 16 - Eufaula<br>Sept. 23 - AT Muldrow<br><strong>Sept. 30 - Seminole<br></strong>- This is the second district game of the year but it's going to be so important in terms of making it all the way to the playoffs again this fall. The Wildcats will host Seminole in a battle of teams that expect to make it to the playoffs. Seminole is one of three teams from this district that are ranked in our preseason rankings and they have some serious skill players returning from last year's playoff team. These two teams played a great game last year that ended with Seminole escaping with a 39-35 victory. A win keeps Checotah's playoff hopes alive while a loss will put the Wildcats in a "must win" situation for the last four weeks of the season.<br>Oct. 7 - AT Lincoln Christian<br>Oct. 13 - Locust Grove<br><strong>Oct. 21 - AT Berryhill<br></strong>- The other marquee district game comes in week eight when Checotah hits the road to face off with Berryhill. We could have highlighted the Lincoln Christian game in week six but the Bulldogs are the heavy favorites in this district as the #1 team in the preseason 3A rankings. This week eight clash with Berryhill could help the Wildcats with playoff positioning. If Checotah is unbeaten or has just one district loss going into this game with Berryhill, they can all but lock up a chance to host a playoff game. That's been the tough part during the last few years. They've made the playoffs but have had to play a district champ in the first round. They can potentially avoid that with a win here. <br>Nov. 4 - Stigler</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats are looking to punch their ticket to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season but one thing they're looking to do is avoid Holland Hall in the postseason. The Dutch eliminated Checotah in each of the last two seasons and they pitched shutouts in both years. They won 52-0 in 2020 followed by last year's 62-0 victory. The Dutch would go on to win the state championship in each season. While the Dutch are not the favorites going into this season, they're still going to be one of the top teams in Class 3A. If they meet up again in the postseason, the Dutch might be the favorites, but the Wildcats will be ready for another playoff meeting with the champs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Championship History</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>0 State Championships</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->