Wagoner 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 Wagoner Bulldogs. The 4A powerhouse has reloaded and are ready for another run in 2022. Wagoner Bulldogs (4A Preseason Ranking: #2) It should come as no surprise but the Wagoner Bulldogs are once again in the mix in Class 4A and come into this season as one of the top teams in the class. Wagoner is #2 in our 4A preseason rankings after another playoff appearance last year and the majority of their starters returning. We knew going into last season that the Bulldogs were going to have to rebuild after a dominating 2020 season that ended in a state championship. Wagoner was one of the most dominant teams during the 2020 season but they had to replace nearly everyone on both sides of the ball. You could count their returning starters on both sides of the ball on one hand. Now fast forward to this year and those young players from last year are now experienced and ready to make another run at the state title. The Bulldogs are boosted by returning almost everyone from last year’s team on the offensive side of the ball. Eight starters return on offense and the majority of their skill players return. Although, because they have more depth on offense, they might get creative with what they do with the quarterback position moving forward. Stay tuned to the Wagoner offense for that this season. Then you flip it and the defense brings back seven players on that side of the ball and look like a strong unit once again. Wagoner had one of the best defenses in the state in 2020 and they’ll be working to get back to that level on the defensive side of the ball this fall. <hr /> 2021 Results (9-3 Record - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals) Sept. 3 - Lost To Coweta 37-13 Sept. 10 - Beat Tahlequah 21-7 Sept. 17 - Beat Sperry 42-14 Sept. 24 - Beat Cleveland 55-14 Oct. 1 - Lost To Bristow 3-0 Oct. 8 - Beat Catoosa 56-0 Oct. 14 - Beat Miami 55-16 Oct. 22 - Beat Oologah 52-0 Oct. 29 - Beat Grove 22-20 Nov. 5 - Beat Skiatook 34-14 1st Round - Beat Hilldale 37-35 Quarterfinal - Lost To Tuttle 28-0 <hr /> Key Losses To Graduation Fred Watson - Defensive Lineman Gabe Goodnight - Linebacker Jamaal Riggs - Offensive Lineman Logan Sterling - Defensive Back Marquez Barnett - Running Back <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="294262" first="Alex" last="Shieldnight"] - 2025 Linebacker Every now and then, Wagoner has a player that is going to end up being an absolute star on the high school level and it’s always been pretty apparent early on. And unfortunately for the rest of Class 4A, the Bulldogs might have found their next star with 2025 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="294262" first="Alex" last="Shieldnight"]. We got a chance to see Shieldnight earlier this offseason at team camp, as well as watching him on film from last fall and we’re convinced that he’s one of the top linebackers in the state for that 2025 class. In fact, we already have him rated as a top ten overall prospect in the class and colleges are starting to take notice as well. [player_tooltip player_id="231450" first="Gabe" last="Rodriguez"] - 2023 Quarterback/Defensive Back In Wagoner head coach Dale Condict’s opinion, [player_tooltip player_id="231450" first="Gabe" last="Rodriguez"] is their best player coming into this season and it’s easy to see why when you consider everything he does for the Bulldogs. Rodriguez, the younger brother of former Wagoner and OSU star Malcolm Rodriguez, started for Wagoner at quarterback and safety last season. On offense, he ran for over 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also threw for over 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns but there was no doubt that running was his strength. On defense, Rodriguez was one of Wagoner’s leading tacklers with over 100 tackles on the season. [player_tooltip player_id="268445" first="Witt" last="Edwards"] - 2024 Wide Receiver When we covered the Wagoner-Grove game last season, one of the prospects that stood out while standing on the field prior to the game was Wagoner’s 2024 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="268445" first="Witt" last="Edwards"]. It’s hard to miss him as he physically looked the part already as a sophomore. Edwards then participated in one of our Showcase camps back in January and made some of the best catches among the wide receiver group. This is going to be a very unique prospect to watch over the next few seasons. He’s an outstanding wide receiver target but he will also be playing defensive back and at 6’6, that’ll be something to watch. More Names To Know Braylan Roberson - 2023 Running Back Dax Griffin - 2025 Offensive Lineman Kale Charboneau - 2025 Linebacker Shaun Atkins - 2024 Defensive Back <hr /> 2022 Schedule/Games To Circle Sept. 2 - Coweta - It’s the annual rivalry clash between Wagoner and Coweta as they battle in the Highway 51 rivalry game. This has been a rivalry game that has been one sided over the last decade. Prior to last season, Wagoner had won nine consecutive meetings between the two programs that share Highway 51. Coweta then blasted the Bulldogs last year in the season opener, winning 37-13. Once again, both teams are in the top five of their respective classes. Coweta will also be coming off another top five clash with 5A powerhouse Carl Albert. Wagoner will definitely be ready for the Tigers to come to town as they look for a little revenge. Sept. 9 - Tahlequah Sept. 16 - AT Grove - This is no longer a district game with Grove getting bumped up to Class 5A, but it should be one of the more anticipated rematches of week three this season. It’s a rematch of last year’s most bizarre ending in a football game I’ve ever seen. Grove intentionally lost 22-20 to Wagoner by taking a safety on the final play of the game. With losing only by two points, the Ridgerunners almost all but guaranteed that they would capture the district championship. It goes without saying but after that ending, both teams will be looking forward to this rematch and both teams will be playing hard for all 48 minutes. Sept. 23 - AT Skiatook Sept. 30 - Oologah Oct. 7 - AT Cushing - As it stands right now, Cushing and Wagoner are the top two ranked teams in the Class 4A rankings as we head into the season. If the two teams are still there by the time week six rolls around, we’ll get a 1 VS 2 match-up and the district championship could very well be on the line. Wagoner will be traveling to face a Cushing team that brings back nearly all 22 starters and have their sights set on winning the 4A championship. Before they can do that, they have to get by the Bulldogs, who have been one of the most dominant teams in Class 4A over the last decade. Regardless of rankings, this will be one of the best games in 4A this year. Oct. 13 - Cleveland Oct. 21 - AT McLain Oct. 28 - Catoosa Nov. 4 - AT Miami <hr /> Notable You can make the argument that Wagoner has been one of the top teams over the last decade in high school football across the state. The Bulldogs captured five state championships from 2011-2020. And prior to the 2021 season, they had a streak of 11 consecutive seasons with at least 10 victories. The last time the Bulldogs fell short of double digit victories was in 2009. Over a decade of dominance and it doesn’t appear to be over. Wagoner is one of the top ranked teams in the 4A preseason rankings and bring back the majority of their starters from last season. This is a team that is used to contending for state championships and we expect them to be in the mix in November once again. <hr /> Championship History 5 State Championships 2020 – Beat Clinton 42-13 2016 – Beat Oologah 28-13 2015 – Beat Oologah 15-14 2014 – Beat Oologah 45-21 2011 – Beat Clinton 23-0