Poteau 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 Poteau Pirates. Poteau is ready to return to the state championship game and win another gold ball this fall. Poteau Pirates (4A Preseason Ranking: #3) One of the top teams in Class 4A over the last five years has been Poteau and this year is no different as they come in as the #3 team in our Class 4A preseason rankings. The Pirates won double digit games once again last season and made it all the way to the 4A semifinals before losing a close one to Tuttle. That loss came to another 4A team that has simply been dominant over the last five years and the Tigers got the edge this year but the Pirates are hoping to make another run this fall. With nearly every starter back on the defensive side of the ball and one of the best playmakers in the 2024 class returning, Poteau has to be considered one of the top teams in the class once again. While Poteau brings back nearly their entire defense, the offense will have plenty of new faces with only two starters returning on that side of the ball. Poteau is anticipating a good mix of young and talented players taking over on the offensive side of the ball but it will definitely take some time for them to get used to those positions. The defense will be leading the way for them as they return nine starters on that side of the ball. While the young offense comes along, the defense will be able to carry them early on in the season. This Poteau defense was pretty strong last year as a unit and with another year under their belt, they could be one of the better defensive units in 4A football this fall. It’s been a few years since Poteau won their first ever gold ball and they are hungry for another one. <hr /> 2021 Results (11-2 Record - Lost In Class 4A Semifinals) Aug. 27 - Beat Bishop Kelley 35-27 Sept. 3 - Lost To Shiloh Christian, AR. 27-21 Sept. 10 - Beat Alma, AR. 35-14 Sept. 24 - Beat Hilldale 46-16 Oct. 1 - Beat McLain 51-6 Oct. 8 - Beat Sallisaw 52-0 Oct. 14 - Beat Stilwell 40-6 Oct. 22 - Beat Muldrow 48-0 Oct. 29 - Beat Fort Gibson 49-21 Nov. 5 - Beat Broken Bow 59-16 1st Round - Beat Catoosa 56-14 Quarterfinal - Beat Blanchard 45-14 Semifinal - Lost To Tuttle 28-21 <hr /> Key Losses To Graduation Ben Brooks - Linebacker Dean Odom - Tight End/Linebacker Riley Dill - Offensive Lineman Todd Mattox - Running Back <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="215196" first="Dax" last="Collins"] - 2024 Athlete One of the breakout stars from last season was Poteau’s 2024 athlete [player_tooltip player_id="215196" first="Dax" last="Collins"]. Despite splitting carries with Todd Mattox at the running back position, Collins still finished with nearly 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. We’ve already made this prediction and comparison but we’ll make it again here. We believe that Collins will have the same impactful season that McAlester star [player_tooltip player_id="91049" first="Erik" last="McCarty"] had last season that ended with him being the Player Of The Year selection. Will Collins be this year’s Player Of The Year? Time will tell, but we think he has that kind of ability and with him taking a bigger role in the offense, you can go ahead and expect some fireworks. [player_tooltip player_id="379850" first="Kix" last="Fenton"] - 2023 Linebacker Poteau brings back just about everyone on defense going into this season but the one position group that got hit by graduation are the linebackers. However, they aren’t lacking any experience there as 2023 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="379850" first="Kix" last="Fenton"] returns for another run on this Poteau defense. Fenton will be part of a really good Poteau defense and he has the chance to have a really productive senior season. During his junior season, Fenton would finish the year with nearly 100 tackles. He’ll look to hit triple digits this fall and be one of the top linebackers in Class 4A throughout the season. Poteau is no stranger to strong linebackers over the last few years. [player_tooltip player_id="379851" first="Cho" last="Cho Ramirez"] - 2023 Defensive Lineman We believe that the Pirates are going to be incredibly strong on the defensive side of the ball and it can start up front with 2023 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="379851" first="Cho" last="Cho Ramirez"]. The defensive tackle is an absolute gap stuffer and will be a problem for opposing teams looking to establish the running game. And as we mentioned, the majority of teams on Poteau’s schedule are going to be run-first teams. Last year, Ramirez controlled the middle of the line of scrimmage and he finished with over 50 tackles on the season. More Names to Know Holden Mattox - 2024 Defensive Back Jackson Sommers - 2024 Defensive Back Luke Brooks - 2024 Defensive Lineman Will Restine - 2023 Offensive Lineman Wyatt Gamble - 2024 Defensive Back <hr /> 2022 Schedule/Games To Circle Aug. 26 - AT Bishop Kelley Sept. 9 - Metro Christian - Poteau will be playing another tough non-district schedule and their toughest non-district test might be coming in week two when Metro Christian travels to southeastern Oklahoma to face the Pirates. The majority of opponents on Poteau’s schedule will have strong rushing attacks but that won’t be the case when Metro Christian comes to town. The Patriots have one of the top quarterbacks in the state with 2023 QB [player_tooltip player_id="38790" first="Kirk" last="Francis"] and that passing attack will be a challenge to the Pirates. If Poteau is able to contain the Metro offense, their young offense will attempt to score enough to get out with a win in a potential shootout. Sept. 16 - AT Chandler Sept. 23 - Fort Gibson Sept. 30 - AT Madill Oct. 7 - Hilldale - The top two ranked teams in the district are Poteau and Hilldale and they’ll face off in week six and the district championship could very well be on the line. The Hornets have been knocking on the door of contending in Class 4A but the Pirates have been the thorn in their side. Hilldale will once again be in contention this fall but the big question is can they get over the Poteau hump? They haven’t been able to in their last four meetings and they haven’t been relatively close in the last three years. The Pirates are the favorites to win the district heading into the season but the Hornets will definitely provide a challenge in week six. Oct. 13 - AT Broken Bow Oct. 21 - Sallisaw Oct. 28 - AT Ada Nov. 4 - Stilwell <hr /> Notable Poteau is in the middle of one of their best runs in recent memory. They are 45-7 in the last four seasons and that’s good for the second most wins in Class 4A during that stretch. They only trail Tuttle, who has the most wins during that same time frame. It’s been Poteau, Tuttle and Wagoner among the best teams year after year in Class 4A and nothing should be changing this season. All three teams are in the preseason top five and have state championship aspirations. The Pirates captured the 2019 state championship and will be looking to do it again this fall under head coach Greg Werner. The Poteau head coach is one of a handful of active coaches in Oklahoma who have 200+ career victories. <hr /> Championship History 1 State Championship 2019 – Beat Weatherford 9-7