Victory Christian Practice Report
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The 2022 football season is finally upon us! While some teams have their final tune up scrimmages this week, it’s officially week zero and for a large amount of schools across the state, they open up their seasons this week. One of the top games in the Tulsa-area this week features Victory Christian hosting 3A’s #6 Cascia Hall. Victory started and ended last season against Cascia Hall as they lost the season opener and in the second round of the playoffs to a talented Cascia team. We caught up with first year head coach Brett Smith as he prepares for his first game in charge of his alma mater at Victory. Smith knows what the Conquerors face this week in a Cascia team that has moved up to Class 3A and are one of the top teams in that class already.
The Commandos will provide a big challenge right out of the gate for Victory on Friday night. They are led by a very strong rushing attack, featuring several different running backs and their classic “Blue Swarm” defense. Those same standouts at running back turn around and are standouts at the linebacker position. This is another typical Cascia team that is going to try to wear opponents down and their quarterback might be the X-factor. Cooper Lai Cooper Lai 6'1" | 180 lbs | DB Cascia Hall | 2023 State OK is one of the best athletes in the state’s 2023 class and he’s incredibly experienced as he goes into this season. Cascia Hall was able to knock off the Conquerors twice last season so Victory might have a little revenge on their mind as they open up the season against one of Class 3A’s top teams.
Victory Christian is going to once again challenge themselves in the non-district schedule and it starts Friday night with Cascia Hall. The Conquerors are not afraid of competing against other top teams. They started last season 1-2, including that season-opening loss to Cascia Hall, and would rally to capture the district championship. The 2022 version of the Conquerors have district title talent as well but they’re set up for the future with the majority of their top players being 2024 and 2025 prospects. We take a look now at five Victory prospects you need to know about going into week zero and beyond.
Jonas Stafford Jonas Stafford 6'0" | LB Victory Christian | 2024 OK – 2024 Linebacker
Our first player to watch for Victory Christian is the unsung hero of this defense. The Conqueror linebacker group has the chance to be pretty special and a big reason is 2024 backer Jonas Stafford Jonas Stafford 6'0" | LB Victory Christian | 2024 OK . One of many “program guys” for the Conquerors, Stafford won’t get some of the numbers and stats that the other linebackers get in this Victory defense but that’s not what his role is. Smith talked about Stafford being a linebacker that opens things up for other players to make plays and tackles throughout the season. Stafford is definitely a name to keep an eye on moving forward. Any team that has success, you have players like this that know their role and they play it incredibly well. And with that, winning games becomes easy.
Judah Byrams Judah Byrams 5'8" | RB Victory Christian | 2023 State OK – 2023 Running Back
One of the more underrated running backs in the Tulsa area is Victory Christian’s 2023 standout Judah Byrams Judah Byrams 5'8" | RB Victory Christian | 2023 State OK . He’s underrated for a few reasons. One, he missed significant time last season due to injury and split time in the backfield prior to the injury, and two, when he’s right, he’s one of the best in Class 2A. Byrams averaged over 10 yards per carry before the injury and he comes into this season looking to make up for lost time. Smith believes that Byrams has the potential to be a 2,000 yard rusher with his speed and strength. He’s only 5’6 but Byrams is still one of the fastest and strongest players on the team. If he can stay healthy, we expect Byrams to put up some serious numbers. Whether he can hit 2K yards, we’ll wait and see, but the potential is there.
Mason Staehle Mason Staehle 6'2" | QB Victory Christian | 2025 OK – 2025 Quarterback
The offseason was full of headlines about quarterbacks moving and transferring. One quarterback move that didn’t get a lot of pub this summer was 2025 quarterback Mason Staehle Mason Staehle 6'2" | QB Victory Christian | 2025 OK transferring from Bixby to Victory Christian. Staehle immediately grabbed the reigns of the quarterback position and hasn’t let go. He’s been incredibly impressive to the Victory coaches and he’s only been with the team for a few months. The leadership qualities that you want in a quarterback are there and he’s just entering his sophomore season. Smith talked about how Staehle definitely benefitted coming from a winning program like Bixby and he carries himself with confidence. All signs point to Staehle being yet another strong QB prospect in Oklahoma’s 2025 class.
Michael Doctor Michael Doctor 6'1" | ATH Victory Christian | 2024 State OK – 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
If you’re looking for a player that is primed for a breakout season this fall, we might have one here with Victory 2024 wide receiver and defensive back Michael Doctor Michael Doctor 6'1" | ATH Victory Christian | 2024 State OK . The 2024 standout has started for the Conquerors since his freshman season. He’s always been one of the best athletes on the team so he immediately earned a spot in the starting lineup as a corner during his freshman year. Now, in addition to corner, Doctor is expected to be one of Victory’s top targets in the passing game. He had an outstanding scrimmage last week and he’s already showing the ability to be a breakout player for the Conquerors on that side of the ball. We know what to expect from him on defense but his abilities on offense will be fun to watch this season.
Teyton Chandler Teyton Chandler 6'1" | 200 lbs | LB Victory Christian | 2024 State OK – 2024 Linebacker
We mentioned with Jonas Stafford Jonas Stafford 6'0" | LB Victory Christian | 2024 OK that the Conquerors have a really strong linebacker group and we continue that here with fellow 2024 linebacker Teyton Chandler Teyton Chandler 6'1" | 200 lbs | LB Victory Christian | 2024 State OK . Better known around the Victory program as “Tot”, Chandler is the younger brother of Triton Chandler, who was a three-year starter for the Conquerors at quarterback. The 2024 standout is going into his third season as a starter for Victory after starting since his freshman season. He is one of the top linebackers in the state’s 2024 class and is an absolute tackling machine. One thing that stands out about him is his athleticism. Not only is he a fantastic football player, but he’s a state qualifier in wrestling as well as track as a sprinter. He’s going to be an absolute monster for opposing offenses this fall.