Woodland 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 Woodland Cougars. They come into this season as a top five team in Class A, looking to make a deep run in 2022. Woodland Cougars (A Preseason Ranking: #4) In 2021, the Woodland Cougars overcame one of the tougher districts to win ten games and advance all the way to the quarterfinal round. They would fall to eventual champion Cashion, more on that later on in the preview, but it was clear that this was a Woodland team that could compete going into the 2022 football season. With seven starters back on offense and another seven starters back on defense, we expect the Cougars to be one of the better teams in Class A. That’s why they come in at #4 in the preseason rankings. Class A has been a very competitive class for the last decade and the Cougars are looking to show that they belong among the best in the state. The Cougars will have one of the better rushing attacks in the state, and that’s not just in Class A. They have multiple 1,000 yard rushers returning and this is a very experienced offensive attack that could put up a lot of points and just because their strength is running the ball, that doesn’t mean they can’t throw it when they need to. The defense bringing back the majority of their starters will also help them, especially when they get into district play. It was a tough district last season and despite the redistricting shake up, it’s a tough district once again this season. If the Cougars can avoid slipping up in district play, they’ll contend for the district title and that will set them up with a much easier path when the playoffs roll around. <hr /> 2021 Results (10-3 Record - Lost In Class A Quarterfinals) Sept. 3 - Beat Oklahoma Union 12-7 Sept. 10 - Beat Newkirk 40-0 Sept. 17 - Lost To Mooreland 30-28 Sept. 24 - Beat Caney Valley 38-14 Oct. 1 - Beat Pawnee 28-8 Oct. 8 - Lost To Morrison 43-6 Oct. 14 - Beat Chouteau 52-13 Oct. 22 - Beat Hominy 30-20 Oct. 29 - Beat Chelsea 30-28 Nov. 4 - Beat Oklahoma Christian Academy 44-13 1st Round - Beat Quapaw 52-18 2nd Round - Beat Gore 20-19 Quarterfinal - Lost To Cashion 41-22 <hr /> Key Losses To Graduation Gunnar Gates Jacob Brackett Jamie Jordan Lucian McKinney <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="189937" first="Aidan" last="Rhodes"] - 2023 Quarterback/Defensive Back One of the more explosive dual-threat quarterbacks in the state is Woodland’s 2023 QB and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="189937" first="Aidan" last="Rhodes"]. The senior had an outstanding season last year and put up some respectable numbers in terms of passing and rushing. He threw for nearly 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns and also added over 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. Rhodes will attempt to add to his production this season and do even more in terms of throwing and running the ball. He’s the ultimate threat in the backfield and we think that he’s an underrated prospect when it comes to the state’s 2023 class. [player_tooltip player_id="189939" first="Jackson" last="Rhodes"] - 2024 Linebacker The second Rhodes prospect on Woodland is a 2024 linebacker in [player_tooltip player_id="189939" first="Jackson" last="Rhodes"]. He’s already on our radar for the 2024 class at the linebacker position and it’s pretty easy to see why when you look at his play on the field. We also got a chance to see Woodland in action at a team camp and seeing him in person as well as the film and the production definitely helps with the evaluation of him as a prospect. Rhodes finished with well over 100 tackles and several sacks as a junior. He also helped out the offense and had a rushing touchdown and five receiving touchdowns. He uses his physical play to help on offense. [player_tooltip player_id="380449" first="Nathan" last="Bouchard"] - 2023 Running Back/Linebacker Woodland’s [player_tooltip player_id="380449" first="Nathan" last="Bouchard"], a 2023 running back and linebacker also joined [player_tooltip player_id="189937" first="Aidan" last="Rhodes"] in the 1,000 rushing yards club last season. He finished with 1,059 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. But he also was a standout on the defensive side of the ball with 120 tackles and 10 tackles for loss from his linebacker position. Bouchard and Rhodes on offense is going to be a dangerous backfield duo in Class A. And Bouchard and the younger Rhodes on defense is another dangerous duo at the linebacker position. While the first two might get a lot of attention over the next year, Bouchard is a critical piece to this team’s success. More Names To Know Abel Reyes - 2024 Linebacker Amos Mashburn - 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Chase Bowman - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Dray Long - 2025 Athlete [player_tooltip player_id="375625" first="Trey" last="Bennett"] - 2025 Quarterback/Defensive Back <hr /> 2022 Schedule/Games To Circle Sept. 2 - AT Commerce Sept. 9 - Newkirk Sept. 16 - Pawhuska - Woodland will face off with Pawhuska in week three in the final non-district game of the season. Both teams have state championship aspirations but are now not threats to one another as they’re in different classes after Pawhuska has moved up to Class 2A. This is going to be another marquee quarterback match-up as Rhodes and Woodland will face [player_tooltip player_id="157511" first="Todd" last="Drummond"] of Pawhuska, who recently committed to play college ball at South Dakota. Both offenses have the potential to score a lot of points so this could end up being a shootout. Sept. 23 - AT Chelsea Sept. 30 - Chouteau Oct. 7 - AT Pawnee Oct. 13 - Oklahoma Union Oct. 21 - AT Morrison - This match-up is definitely one that Woodland will have their eye on when district play begins. They faced off with Morrison a year ago and it did not go well. They got beaten down by the tune of 43-6 and they’ll be looking to get a little revenge in addition to putting themselves in a better position for playoff seeding and the district championship. The district that Woodland is in could be one of the more competitive districts, not just in Class A, but in the state. They face three of the four toughest teams on the road and that will certainly provide a challenge this season. Oct. 28 - Hominy - The other ranked team in Woodland’s district is Hominy and they’ll square off the week after traveling to Morrison. This two-week stretch will more than likely the district championship. Although other district games like Pawnee and Tonkawa, both road games, will also be tough tasks. Just like the Pawhuska game, this is another strong quarterback match-up as Hominy will counter Rhodes with one of the breakout stars from last season. Jaxon Woods had an outstanding season last year and is looking to improve on it this season. Nov. 4 - AT Tonkawa <hr /> Notable Woodland has high expectations heading into the 2022 season. They are ranked in the top five of the preseason rankings and want to contend for a state championship. The two-time defending champions from Cashion have been a thorn in the side of the Cougars over the last several years. The last three trips to the playoffs have been ended by the Wildcats. They’ve lost to Cashion in the quarterfinal round in the last two seasons as the Wildcats would go on to win state championships. In 2017, they lost to Cashion in the first round. Cashion is reloading this year after being hit by graduation but it would be silly to overlook the Wildcats this season. If the Cougars and Wildcats face off again in the postseason, Woodland will attempt to get over the hurdle. <hr /> Championship History 1 State Championship 2010 - Beat Stratford 6-0