Norman 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 Norman Tigers. Norman will have one of the better rushing attacks in 6A-1 but is it enough to make it back to the postseason? Norman Tigers (6A-1 Preseason Ranking: #10) The 2021 Norman Tigers missed out on the playoffs for the first time in several seasons but they’re hoping that was a one-year deal and they’re back in the postseason this fall. Norman went 4-6 and would miss out on the postseason. The Tigers lost to Yukon in week four to open up district play and that would actually cost them a spot in the playoffs as the Millers would make it to the postseason and the Tigers would have to sit at home in November. The Tigers would also play some of the more exciting games we saw in Class 6A-1 last season. One game in particular that featured the Tigers and Mustang in week three battling in a 62-58 shootout victory for the Tigers. With Norman bringing some of their top playmakers back from that offensive explosion they had a season ago, they’re hoping that this year ends with another playoff appearance. Norman brings back plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball and it starts with their very dynamic quarterback. In fact, Norman might have one of the top rushing attacks in 6A-1 this season but they will need some new faces along the offensive line to step up in a big way to make that happen. Then you flip it to the defensive side of the ball and the linebackers have the chance to be the strength of this unit. If they play up to their potential, they should lead the Tiger defense and the offense will have far less pressure to execute in big ways by scoring 50+ points in games. But when it comes down to the 2022 season, the Tigers are once again in a very tough district and weeks four-ten are going to be absolute battles for playoff positioning. <hr /> 2021 Results (4-6 Record - Missed Playoffs) Sept. 2 - Lost To Norman North 41-24 Sept. 9 - Lost To Moore 41-30 Sept. 17 - Beat Mustang 62-58 Sept. 24 - Lost To Yukon 38-25 Oct. 1 - Beat Edmond Memorial 45-28 Oct. 8 - Lost To Jenks 49-21 Oct. 15 - Beat Westmoore 35-16 Oct. 22 - Beat Enid 22-19 Oct. 29 - Lost To Broken Arrow 28-13 Nov. 5 - Lost To Edmond Santa Fe 41-6 <hr /> Key Losses To Graduation Edric Lambert - Running Back Ethan Medina - Linebacker Seth Wishon - Linebacker Viliami Makahununiu - Offensive Lineman Xavier Mason - Defensive Lineman <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="386658" first="Devin" last="Alexander"] - 2024 Running Back We mentioned Norman’s offense having one of the better rushing attacks in 6A-1 this fall and it starts with 2024 running back [player_tooltip player_id="386658" first="Devin" last="Alexander"]. He’s not alone in the backfield as the Tigers will use two running backs throughout the fall, in addition to their quarterback, but Alexander was one of Norman’s leading rushers a season ago. He finished with nearly 850 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground and averaged nearly 6 yards per carry. We think that Alexander could be a 1,000 yard rusher this fall and if the offensive line comes together, Norman could have multiple guys with over 1,000 yards. [player_tooltip player_id="204031" first="Tias" last="McClarty"] - 2023 Quarterback Norman 2023 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="204031" first="Tias" last="McClarty"] is one of our favorite underrated athletes within the state’s upcoming senior class. He had an outstanding junior season as he threw for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns but he was at his best running the football. He finished with over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground. McClarty was definitely one of the top running quarterbacks in Oklahoma last season and has a chance to do it again this fall. He’ll add another special element to Norman’s rushing attack to go along with the firepower that they bring back at the running back position. More Names To Know Brody Boyd - 2023 Linebacker Dax Noles - 2024 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id="332286" first="Lance" last="Eubanks"] - 2024 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="311219" first="Xavier" last="Shackelford"] - 2023 Running Back <hr /> 2022 Schedule/Games To Circle Sept. 1 - Norman North -The annual rivalry game in Norman will kick off the season once again as Norman will take on crosstown foe Norman North on a Thursday night to kick off the season. This has been one of the more traditional rivalry games to open up the season and it’s almost always held on a Thursday night. The Tigers will be looking to get some revenge on their crosstown rival after losing to Norman North 41-24 last season. The 2020 rivalry game between these two teams was canceled due to Covid but we were able to make that game up as the two met in the first round of the playoffs but that ended with another Norman North victory. Sept. 8 - AT Moore Sept. 16 - AT Stillwater Sept. 23 - AT Edmond North Sept. 30 - Edmond Memorial Oct. 6 - Union -After opening up district play against back to back Edmond schools in North and Memorial, the Tigers will head into their week six home game with Union. If Norman is going to be a playoff team, it’s critical for the Tigers to be 2-0 in district play heading into this week. Any losses to either Edmond school will put them behind the eight ball for a playoff spot. And this week also begins a tough three-week stretch where the Tigers face three of the better teams in the district, including two top five teams in 6A-1. The Tigers will know exactly where they stand within the district after the showdown with the #1 team in the 6A-1 preseason rankings. Oct. 13 - AT Edmond Santa Fe Oct. 20 - Mustang Oct. 28 - Yukon Nov. 4 - AT Owasso <hr /> Championship History 2 State Championships 1992 – Beat Lawton Eisenhower 17-14 1964 – Beat Capitol Hill 12-6