Eufaula 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 Eufaula Ironheads. After a run to the 2A semifinals, Eufaula expects to be one of the top teams in 2A once again this fall.   Eufaula Ironheads   Eufaula came up one game shy of making it to the Class 2A state championship game last season. They lost to eventual state champion Marlow and they come into the 2022 season hungry to not only make it back to the Class 2A final four, but take that next step and play for a gold ball. Eufaula lost their season opener in a close one to Vian but wouldn't lose again until December. The Ironheads would rattle off 12 straight wins, including a dominant run in their district. They would also knock out the two-time champs from Metro Christian in a second round knock out that got plenty of attention around the state. The following week, Khelil Deere had a performance of a lifetime when he dominated their quarterfinal victory over Oklahoma Christian School. But Deere is one of several key pieces that Eufaula will have to replace as they go into the 2022 season.   Eufaula brings back just four starters on offense but that does include their star quarterback who will be a three-year starter. Finding someone to replace Deere has to be priority number one as we go into the season as the Ironheads lose a lot of production in that department. He also played a big role on defense and the Ironheads will have plenty of new faces on that side of the ball. They bring back just four starters on defense as well. So all in all, Eufaula will have quite a few new faces on both sides of the ball but this is a program that expects to not only contend for their district championship, but they expect to be one of the top teams in Class 2A. As it's been over the last five years, we expect Class 2A to be one of the more competitive classes in the state and it would be foolish to overlook the Ironheads going into the 2022 season.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   2021 Results (12-2 Record - Lost In Class 2A Semifinals)   Sept. 3 - Lost To Vian 34-27 Sept. 9 - Beat Owasso JV 30-14 Sept. 17 - Beat Checotah 49-6 Sept. 24 - Beat Hartshorne 49-12 Oct. 1 - Beat Hugo 14-7 Oct. 8 - Beat Atoka 49-0 Oct. 14 - Beat Wilburton 55-0 Oct. 22 - Beat Idabel 49-28 Oct. 29 - Beat Valliant 49-0 Nov. 5 - Beat Antlers 42-8 1st Round - Beat Keys 42-14 2nd Round - Beat Metro Christian 56-21 Quarterfinal - Beat Oklahoma Christian School 31-14 Semifinal - Lost To Marlow 28-16   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   Key Losses To Graduation   Johnny Burton Khelil Deere Matt Clover Slade Williams Ty Dodd Tyler Lee   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   Players To Watch   [player_tooltip player_id='98172' first='Luke' last='Adcock'] - 2023 Quarterback A 2023 quarterback that has completely flown under the radar in Oklahoma is Eufaula's [player_tooltip player_id='98172' first='Luke' last='Adcock']. Maybe it's because he's more of a baseball prospect but we think he belongs in the conversation of top 2023 quarterbacks in Oklahoma. Adcock is a very physical quarterback with a cannon attached to his shoulder. He'll have to find some new playmakers at receiver after losing a player like Deere but we have faith that Adcock will still be one of the top quarterbacks in Class 2A this fall. Whether it's passing it all over the field or tucking it and running, Adcock is going to be a problem for opposing defenses this fall and more colleges should look at this 2023 talent.   [player_tooltip player_id='394042' first='Ontario' last='Ellen'] - 2023 Defensive Lineman On the defensive side of the ball, Eufaula is going to need more new names to show up as they look to replace seven starters from last season's semifinal team. One of the familiar faces on that defense and on the line of scrimmage is 2023 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='394042' first='Ontario' last='Ellen']. This is a defensive prospect that might be undersized for his position at the next level but he's a very dominating presence at the high school level. The Eufaula coaches are very excited about his potential and for him to take more of a leadership role with the defensive side of the ball this fall. Eufaula will need their defense to come along to contend again in Class 2A.   More Names To Know   Brett Pippenger - 2023 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='926239' first='Draven' last='Gragg'] - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Dresden Chiles - 2025 Defensive Back Kaden Bumgarner - 2023 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='926241' first='Kaden' last='Rice'] - 2025 Defensive Back   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   2022 Schedule/Games To Circle   Sept. 2 - Vian - One of the season's biggest games for Eufaula comes in the first week of the season when they host Vian. This was the one blemish on Eufaula's regular season record and they played a very competitive game that ended with Vian winning 34-27. The Wolverines are year in and year out one of the top teams in Class 2A. So if Eufaula plans on contending in Class 2A, this is the perfect situation for what we call a "measuring stick" game. This game has no impact on the playoff seeding and district standings but it will tell us exactly where Eufaula is in the big picture of the Class 2A championship race after facing off with one of the best teams in the state. Sept. 9 - AT Tahlequah Sequoyah Sept. 16 - AT Checotah Sept. 23 - AT Spiro Sept. 30 - Heavener Oct. 7 - AT Wilburton Oct. 13 - Antlers Oct. 21 - Valliant Oct. 28 - AT Hugo Nov. 4 - Idabel - The final game of the regular season could very well decide the district championship as Eufaula plays host to Idabel. We believe that going into the season, these two teams are the top two teams in the district and they'll square off in week ten. Idabel has one of the top young running backs in the state and this will be a high-powered rushing attack going against Eufaula's passing attack with their star quarterback. Plenty can happen in between week four and week ten that could cause some changes but we think that when these two teams face off in week ten, you'll be seeing the top two teams in the district and the winner will get the district crown.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   Notable   Eufaula has been one of the more consistent teams over the last decade. They've made eight consecutive playoff appearances and they should make it nine years in a row this fall. And in six of those eight playoff appearances, they've won at least one game. That includes last year's run where they came up just shy of playing for a state championship. Eufaula was one of many teams in Class 3A that got dropped down to Class 2A when 3A went to just 32 teams. That's the year that Class 2A became one of the more competitive classes and it should be competitive once again this fall. We like for the Ironheads to continue their playoff streak in 2022 but the big question will be how many games they can win this time around.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" />   Championship History   0 State Championships

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