Clinton 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 Clinton Red Tornadoes, fresh off a state championship in Class 4A. Clinton Red Tornadoes (4A Preseason Ranking: #5) Clinton definitely came into last season with a sour taste in their mouth after getting beaten down by Wagoner in the 2020 state championship game. They used that loss as motivation throughout the 2021 season and when they made a return trip to Edmond, they didn’t take it for granted. They absolutely dominated Tuttle to capture their 17th state championship in school history. Fast forward to today and the defending champs are once again going to be in the mix, although it’s going to look a little different. For three years, quarterback and linebacker Caden Powell was a one-man wrecking crew and he showed that in the state championship game. With him graduating, the Red Tornadoes will need new faces to step up this fall and it starts with the quarterback position. And Powell isn’t the only player that needs to be replaced as Clinton returns just four starters on offense and another four starters on defense. They come into this season as the #5 team in the preseason rankings but the road to Edmond is going to be a lot more bumpy than what they experienced last season. But don’t write them off just yet. We still think that Clinton is the team to beat in their district but they are going to be battle tested when they go into district play. They play Kingfisher to open the year and then perennial powers Bishop McGuinness and Heritage Hall on the road. It’s not the easiest schedule so Clinton will know what kind of team they have after the first three games. <hr /> 2021 Results (13-1 Record - Class 4A State Champions) Sept. 4 - Beat Woodward 41-14 Sept. 10 - Lost To Heritage Hall 39-24 Sept. 17 - Beat Millwood (Forfeit) Sept. 24 - Beat Newcastle 28-14 Oct. 1 - Beat Chickasha 54-14 Oct. 8 - Beat Cache 51-7 Oct. 14 - Beat Elgin 47-6 Oct. 22 - Beat Weatherford 42-0 Oct. 29 - Beat Elk City 34-0 Nov. 5 - Beat Bethany 49-0 1st Round - Beat Harrah 41-14 Quarterfinal - Beat Bristow 30-7 Semifinal - Beat Elk City 17-7 Championship - Beat Tuttle 35-0 <hr /> Key Losses To Graduation Aaron Seabolt - Wide Receiver Ben Foster - Offensive/Defensive Lineman Caden Powell - Quarterback/Linebacker <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="375626" first="Garrison" last="Rhoades"] - 2024 Running Back Clinton’s offense makes no secret about what they want to do. They’re going to run the ball and then run the ball and when you think they’re going to pass, they’re going to run the ball again. But they lose a lot of their rushing production and will need new names to step up. One of those younger guys who appears ready to step into a bigger role with the offense is 2024 running back [player_tooltip player_id="375626" first="Garrison" last="Rhoades"]. Clinton usually uses multiple guys for their rushing numbers but look for Rhoades to get a solid work load on offense this fall. [player_tooltip player_id="375624" first="Javion" last="Hill"] - 2023 Athlete The coaches are very excited about the potential of 2023 standout [player_tooltip player_id="375624" first="Javion" last="Hill"]. Like many players on this team, Hill plays on both sides of the ball and makes an impact on offense and defense. This fall, Hill will become a three-year starter for the Red Tornadoes and his versatility will certainly help them as they work in new faces on the offensive side of the ball. Being a veteran leader will also help bring in some of those younger players who aren’t used to playing as much. As they go thru growing pains, Hill will be leaned on. [player_tooltip player_id="375625" first="Trey" last="Bennett"] - 2023 Linebacker While the loss of Caden Powell at quarterback is tremendous, losing him at linebacker might be an even bigger loss. Powell was one of the more productive linebackers in the state. Looking to fill that production will be 2023 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="375625" first="Trey" last="Bennett"]. The senior backer is used to playing in the Clinton defense after starting last year as a junior. He played next to Powell and should be ready to step into a bigger role within the defense. The coaches were also excited about the versatility that Bennett brings to the table on both sides of the ball. More Names To Know Caleb Edwards - 2023 Linebacker Jerimiah Barker - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Kyntavion Hill - 2024 Running Back/Defensive Back Parrish Blackwolf - 2024 Defensive Lineman Tanner Bartlett - 2024 Defensive Lineman <hr /> 2022 Schedule/Games To Circle Aug. 26 - Kingfisher Sept. 2 - AT Bishop McGuinness Sept. 9 - AT Heritage Hall -The final game of Clinton’s non-district gauntlet will come on the road against Heritage Hall. These two perennial powers have played each other in non-district play for a while now and the Chargers have had control of the series recently. Clinton’s only blemish on their record a year ago was a loss to Heritage Hall. The Red Tornadoes will definitely have that in mind as they look to turn the momentum of this series towards them. Heritage Hall will be the second straight top five team that Clinton has to play on the road. Not exactly an easy task but like we said at the top, they’ll know what kind of team they are after week two. Sept. 23 - AT John Marshall Sept. 30 - AT Elk City - After starting district play on the road in Oklahoma City against John Marshall, Clinton will renew their western Oklahoma rivalry with Elk City in week five. This will be the third time they’ve met in the span after a year. They faced off in district play last year and then Clinton would knock off Elk City in the semifinals to punch their ticket to the championship game. Elk City has a new head coach and might look a little different but they’ll definitely give the defending champs their best shot. This is also the halfway point of the season and Clinton will be glad to have this game in the rear view after spending all of September on the road. Oct. 7 - Weatherford Oct. 13 - Western Heights Oct. 21 - AT Chickasha Oct. 28 - Cache Nov. 4 - Woodward <hr /> Notable With their state championship victory last year, Clinton added their 17th gold ball to the trophy case. That breaks a tie with Carl Albert and puts them all alone in third place for most championships in state history. Only Ada (19) and Jenks (18) have more gold hardware in the hallways of their school. Clinton also appeared in their 27th state championship game in school history and only Jenks (28) has played for it all more times. Last year’s title win was their first since 2012 and for a program like Clinton, that was a drought. From 2000-2012, Clinton won seven championships in thirteen years. Talking with coaches and players after their dominating win over Tuttle, you could tell that the 2021 gold ball meant a little more because the drought was over. <hr /> Championship History 17 State Championships 2021 - Beat Tuttle 35-0 2012 – Beat Anadarko 21-14 2007 – Beat Kingfisher 21-16 2005 – Beat Wagoner 20-7 2004 – Beat Broken Bow 28-0 2003 – Beat Glenpool 28-7 2001 – Beat Sallisaw 41-23 2000 – Beat Sallisaw 41-6 1997 – Beat Elk City 31-13 1996 – Beat Weatherford 28-0 1984 – Beat Idabel 34-13 1982 – Beat Bristow 33-23 1978 – Beat Durant 12-0 1969 – Beat Muskogee Manual 55-6 1968 – Beat Wewoka 42-6 1967 – Beat Broken Bow 34-6 1965 – Beat Broken Bow 34-13