Norman North 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 Bixby Spartans. One of the best teams over the last decade is moving up to 6A-1 after dominating 6A-2 since it’s inception. Norman North Timberwolves (6A-1 Preseason Ranking: #8) Once again the Norman North Timberwolves are in the top ten in 6A-1 but they’re wanting to take the next step to competing year after year in this class and join the elite in 6A-1. Coming off a season in which Norman North went 7-4 and lost to eventual champion Jenks in the quarterfinals, the Timberwolves bring back half of their starters from last season and will face new challenges this fall. Part of those challenging changes is the redistricting shuffle. The district schedule will be made up almost entirely of new opponents. Only two district opponents (Moore and Southmoore) remain from last year’s schedule. The Timberwolves are in the district that feature Bixby, Broken Arrow and Jenks and that’s the obvious hurdle when you look at the district. But as we’ve seen over the last several seasons, the Timberwolves won’t back down from the challenge of facing one of those east side teams. Another challenge that awaits Norman North is retooling their defense from last season after bringing back just four starters. They lose some serious playmakers from last year’s defense but they also bring back enough to give them a head start on rebuilding that side of the ball. Then you look at the offense and the Timberwolves have the ability to be one of the top scoring teams in 6A-1. They bring back just about every skill player except the quarterback and they feel good about that position as we head into August. While the defense comes together, the offensive side of the ball will carry the Timberwolves early on in the season. Norman North won’t be satisfied with making another playoff appearance, they want to play deep into November and December. <hr /> 2021 Results (7-4 Record - Lost In Class 6A-1 Quarterfinals) Sept. 2 - Beat Norman 41-24 Sept. 10 - Beat Edmond Memorial 49-25 Sept. 17 - Beat Yukon 47-10 Sept. 24 - Lost To Mustang 49-48 Oct. 1 - Lost To Owasso 70-28 Oct. 7 - Beat Moore 29-6 Oct. 14 - Beat Putnam City 23-0 Oct. 22 - Lost To Union 30-14 Oct. 29 - Beat Edmond North 35-24 Nov. 5 - Beat Southmoore 53-0 Quarterfinal - Lost To Jenks 41-14 <hr /> Key Losses To Graduation Duncan Parham - Linebacker Gavin Frakes - Quarterback Hayden Hack - Wide Receiver Walker Peck - Offensive Lineman <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="157522" first="Chapman" last="McKown"] - 2023 Running Back Norman North 2023 running back [player_tooltip player_id="157522" first="Chapman" last="McKown"] was one of the biggest breakout stars from last year in Class 6A-1. He turned into a very versatile weapon within the Norman North offense and he’s back looking to have an even bigger senior season. As a junior, McKown ran for over 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns and was also a threat out of the backfield to catch the football. As Norman North looks to replace their quarterback from a year ago, McKown will have a heavier workload, especially early on in the season. But he’s had a great offseason and is definitely ready for the challenge and could be one of the top backs in 6A-1. [player_tooltip player_id="216585" first="Harrison" last="Utley"] - 2024 Offensive Lineman Helping McKown and the Norman North rushing attack coming into this season is the return of 2024 offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="216585" first="Harrison" last="Utley"]. The Norman North big man had one of the best offseasons in terms of 2024 offensive linemen and their recruitment. He took several visits across this part of the country and picked up several offers and his recruiting stock is starting to go up in a big way. Utley is a dominating big man that will not only be able to help the Norman North rushing attack, but he’ll be one of the top protectors for Norman North’s new quarterback and having a top ten prospect like Utley blocking for you certainly helps. [player_tooltip player_id="382965" first="Kamden" last="Sixkiller"] - 2023 Quarterback One of the biggest question marks for Norman North coming into this season is the quarterback position after they lose New Mexico State signee Gavin Frakes. The answer appears to be 2023 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="382965" first="Kamden" last="Sixkiller"]. The lanky quarterback has already impressed throughout the offseason during various 7v7 events. Now, as we always say, 7v7 events are a little different from what we’ll see on a Friday night in the fall but Sixkiller definitely looks the part back there. And the good thing for him is all the talent that returns around him. In addition to having McKown in the backfield with him, he returns the majority of their wide receivers. [player_tooltip player_id="38781" first="Parker" last="Andrews"] - 2023 Defensive Lineman One of the best parts of Norman North’s defense last season was watching 2022 linebacker Duncan Parham coming off one side while 2023 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="38781" first="Parker" last="Andrews"] came off the other. It terrorized quarterbacks and now Andrews will need some new running mates. He’ll also need to be able to succeed in becoming a wrecking ball along the line by himself. At the defensive end position, Andrews is a prototypical rush end and had a strong junior season after returning from an injury. Going into his senior season, he’s leading a Norman North defense that is pretty inexperienced. He’ll help some of those new faces get up to speed. More Names To Know [player_tooltip player_id="287386" first="Brayden" last="Dorney"] - 2023 Wide Receiver Bryce Christian - 2023 Offensive Lineman Cason Cabbiness - 2023 Wide Receiver Mason Pace - 2023 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id="129400" first="Zain" last="Prater"] - 2024 Wide Receiver <hr /> 2022 Schedule/Games To Circle Sept. 1 - AT Norman - It’s a renewal of the traditional rivalry in Norman with the Crosstown Clash as the Timberwolves will square off with the Tigers. This has become a week one tradition on a Thursday night where they get a lot of attention by being one of the few games played on a Thursday. After losing back to back meetings with the Tigers in 2018 and 2019, they have won the last two, including a meeting in the 2020 playoffs after the regular season meeting was cancelled due to covid. Both teams return plenty of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball and this game definitely has the potential to turn into an absolute shootout. Sept. 9 - Edmond Santa Fe Sept. 16 - AT Yukon Sept. 23 - Bixby - District play begins in week four and the Timberwolves will begin their gauntlet run where they’ll be in a fight every single week. They begin district play at home against a Bixby team that is moving up to 6A-1 after winning seven of eight state titles in 6A-2 and currently have a 49-game winning streak. The Timberwolves got no favors by the district scheduling as they face Bixby, Broken Arrow and Jenks in three consecutive weeks. The Timberwolves will be underdogs but they’ve shown over the last few years that they’re not afraid of the Tulsa-area schools and can pull off an upset from time to time. That will certainly help their playoff chances. Sept. 29 - Broken Arrow Oct. 7 - AT Jenks - Another new district foe for Norman North for at least the next two seasons is Jenks. After playing Bixby and Broken Arrow at home, the Timberwolves will travel east to take on the two-time defending champions in 6A-1. And despite this being a new district match-up, these two teams are very familiar with one another. Jenks eliminated Norman North in the quarterfinal round in each of the last two seasons. And neither match-up has been relatively close. The Timberwolves are wanting to become part of the elite in 6A-1 and part of that is beating teams like Bixby, Broken Arrow and Jenks. Norman North will be fired up for this one. Oct. 13 - AT Southmoore Oct. 21 - Moore Oct. 28 - AT Westmoore Nov. 4 - Enid <hr /> Championship History 0 State Championships