Class 4A Preview
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It’s August and we are now less than a month away from the 2022 football season! After a month in July where we were previewing individual teams, we’re taking a bigger picture look at the 2022 season. In this post, we take a look at Class 4A heading into the season. From our preseason rankings (which includes links to each team’s preview) to the All 4A Team and much more, we’ll get you ready for everything 4A heading into the season. Which games do you need to know about? What are some of the bigger storylines heading into the year? Get all of the answers right here with our in-depth 4A preview. And stay tuned throughout the week for more class previews.
Class 4A Preseason Rankings
1) CUSHING
2) WAGONER
3) POTEAU
4) TUTTLE
5) CLINTON
6) HILLDALE
7) BETHANY
8) BLANCHARD
9) NEWCASTLE
10) CATOOSA
All 4A Team
OFFENSE
QB –
Blaze Berlowitz
Blaze
Berlowitz
6'3" | 195 lbs | QB
Cushing | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Cushing
RB –
Eric Virgil
Eric
Virgil
5'10" | 175 lbs | RB
Hilldale | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Hilldale
RB –
Malek Murphy
Malek
Murphy
6'0" | RB
Chickasha | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Chickasha
RB –
Tyler Woodson
Tyler
Woodson
5'10" | 165 lbs | RB
Tuttle | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Tuttle
WR –
Elijah Green
Elijah
Green
6'2" | 180 lbs | WR
Classen SAS @ Ne | 2024
State
OK
– 2024 – Classen SAS
WR –
Witt Edwards
Witt
Edwards
6'6" | 200 lbs | WR
Wagoner | 2024
State
OK
– 2024 – Wagoner
OL –
Chad Craft
Chad
Craft
6'4" | OL
Newcastle | 2024
OK
– 2024 – Newcastle
OL –
Evan Keefe
Evan
Keefe
6'3" | 250 lbs | DL
Hilldale | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Hilldale
OL –
Joseph Rendina-Brown
Joseph
Rendina-Brown
6'5" | 285 lbs | OL
Cache | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Cache
OL –
Kenny Wermy
Kenny
Wermy
6'5" | 295 lbs | OL
Cache | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Cache
OL –
Trace Decker
Trace
Decker
6'4" | OL
Elk City | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Elk City
DEFENSE
DL
Gage Eastman
Gage
Eastman
6'2" | DL
Elk City | 2023
OK
– 2023 – Elk City
DL –
Gunner Wilson
Gunner
Wilson
6'0" | 220 lbs | ATH
Catoosa | 2025
OK
– 2025 – Catoosa
DL –
Noah McDoulett
Noah
McDoulett
6'5" | 215 lbs | DL
Tuttle | 2024
State
OK
– 2024 – Tuttle
LB –
Alex Shieldnight
Alex
Shieldnight
6'3" | 230 lbs | DL
Wagoner | 2025
State
OK
– 2025 – Wagoner
LB –
Jake Tucker
Jake
Tucker
6'1" | 210 lbs | LB
Tuttle | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Tuttle
LB –
Riley Matheson
Riley
Matheson
6'0" | 190 lbs | LB
Cushing | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Cushing
LB –
Trae Kibble
Trae
Kibble
6'0" | 195 lbs | ATH
Cache | 2025
OK
– 2025 – Cache
DB –
Ce’alm Kilpatrick II
Ce’alm
Kilpatrick II
6'0" | 160 lbs | DB
Sallisaw | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Sallisaw
DB –
Damontre Patterson
Damontre
Patterson
5'10" | 145 lbs | WR
Sulphur | 2024
State
OK
– 2024 – Ada
DB –
Davien Taylor
Davien
Taylor
6'0" | 175 lbs | DB
John Marshall | 2024
State
OK
– 2024 – John Marshall
DB –
Taelen Laird
Taelen
Laird
6'4" | WR
Woodward | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Woodward
KICKER/ATHLETES
K –
Cole Mahaney
Cole
Mahaney
5'10" | K
Fort Gibson | 2023
OK
– 2023 – Fort Gibson
ATH –
Camden Crooks
Camden
Crooks
6'0" | 190 lbs | WR
Cushing | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Cushing
ATH –
Dax Collins
Dax
Collins
6'2" | 180 lbs | ATH
Poteau | 2024
State
OK
– 2024 – Poteau
ATH –
Gabe Rodriguez
Gabe
Rodriguez
5'11" | ATH
Wagoner | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Wagoner
ATH –
Taylor Heim
Taylor
Heim
6'4" | 185 lbs | ATH
Bethany | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 – Bethany
Mark Your Calendars
September 16th – Guthrie AT Tuttle
There are several 4A vs 5A match-ups that should be pretty good throughout the non-district portion of the schedule. But we’re putting a spotlight on Tuttle hosting Guthrie in a battle between two top five teams that have strong rushing attacks and defenses. Tuttle in particular, plays one of the tougher non-district schedules in Class 4A and this week three clash will be the final tune up before district play opens up in week four. The Tigers have been one of the winningest 4A programs over the last five years and they haven’t lost many regular season games.
September 23rd – Tuttle AT Bethany
The very next week after a showdown with Guthrie, Tuttle will open up district play on the road against Bethany. We mentioned how tough Tuttle’s non-district schedule was but they’re in arguably the toughest district in Class 4A. They’re one of four teams from the district that are ranked in the preseason top ten. Bethany is the next highest ranked team behind Tuttle in this district. This is just the district opener but it will go a long way to deciding playoff seeding in November. Other showdowns with Blanchard and Newcastle await both teams.
September 30th – Clinton AT Elk City
In the other west side district, Clinton comes in as the big favorite to repeat as district champion. Not only are they the defending district champs, but they are reigning state champions. Elk City will definitely have this game circled on their schedule after facing off with Clinton twice last season. They were blown out in the regular season and then pushed Clinton in the semifinals but had their season come to an end in that semifinal clash. The winner here will more than likely be in the driver’s seat for the district crown.
October 7th – Hilldale AT Poteau
The first of two massive 4A showdowns in week six will feature Poteau hosting Hilldale. The Hornets have been knocking on the door of becoming a major contender in Class 4A but Poteau has been the hurdle that they have been unable to overcome. If the Hornets are going to contend for the gold ball, they first have to contend for the district crown. Poteau has been the king of this district and they’re still the favorites to win it coming into this year. This game could end up deciding who walks away with the district championship.
October 7th – Wagoner At Cushing
On the same night that Poteau hosts Hilldale, we’ll have another 4A showdown as Cushing hosts Wagoner. If the rankings are the same in week six, it will feature #1 Cushing and #2 Wagoner as these two teams are two of the favorites coming into the season. It will feature Cushing’s high-powered offense going against Wagoner and their stingy defense and rushing attack. The winner here will not only be the favorite for the district crown, but there’s a good chance they’ll be the favorite for the 4A state championship.
Notable Storylines
4A-2 The Gauntlet
Every year, certain districts end up being a little more top-heavy then the other districts and that’s the case with district 2 in Class 4A. They have four teams cracking our preseason top ten, including perennial power Tuttle leading the way at #4. After them, you have #7 Bethany, #8 Blanchard and #9 Newcastle. Outside of those four teams, you also have some programs on the rise like Harrah that could make things interesting this fall for the four teams in the top ten. But one thing is for sure when it comes to those four teams, they’re going to beat up on one another. The path during district play for teams in 4A-2 will be a little more challenging than the other districts in Class 4A. Tuttle comes in as the favorite in this district but they’ve also been tripped up a few times in district play over the last several years. Blanchard in particular has been a thorn in their side and the Lions are ready to take that next step this fall. The same can be said for Bethany and Newcastle as all four of these ranked teams have their sights set on contending for the gold ball.
Perennial Powers On Top Again
The last four state champions in Class 4A have been four of the best programs in the class during the last four seasons. Clinton (2021) Wagoner (2020) Poteau (2019) and Tuttle (2018) are routinely at the top of Class 4A and that’s the case again this fall. Despite Cushing be the #1 team in our preseason rankings, these four perennial powers are right behind them. In the last four years, these four teams have dominated Class 4A. Tuttle leads the pack with a 49-5 record over the last four seasons. They have made it to at least the semifinals in all four seasons. Poteau is 45-7 during that stretch, with their worst record being 9-3. Wagoner is 43-8 and they’re coming off a 9-3 campaign, which snapped a streak of 10-win seasons. Clinton is fourth with a 38-12 record. Ever since Clinton head coach John Higbee took over, he turned this Clinton back into a championship contender year after year. The Red Tornadoes are up there among the state’s all time best programs and they’re back to contending every single season.
Will An Underdog Emerge?
While Class 4A has been dominated by perennial powers over the last five years, we still saw an underdog emerge last season in the playoffs. Elk City was not in the preseason top ten at this time last year but they found a way to make it all the way to the semifinal round. In fact, they also made quite a bit of history when they punched their ticket to the semifinals to face off with district foe Clinton. Elk City hadn’t won a playoff game since 2006 and they hadn’t been in the semifinal round since 2004. Since winning in the first round game back in 2006, the Elks had lost five consecutive playoff games, until they went on the road and stunned Cushing and then did it again in the quarterfinals. They would travel over 300 miles from western Oklahoma to northeastern Oklahoma and knocked off the district champion Ridgerunners from Grove. Elk City is once again outside of the preseason top ten coming into this year, maybe they can repeat history, or maybe another team outside of the top ten will make an unexpected run in November.