Ada Cougars OK 2023 Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's the month of July and that means it's preview time! Throughout the month of July and into August, we are publishing well over 100 in-depth team previews to get you completely ready for the 2023 football season. This is something that began in 2021 and has continued to get bigger every single year. We're looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state. From defending champions, to top contenders and plenty of dark horses, we'll have complete coverage every single day with new teams from Class 6A, all the way down to the addition of 8-man coverage this year with Class B and C. In this post, we take a look at the Ada Cougars.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Ada Cougars</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #8</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: T10</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Ada Cougars would return to the playoffs in 2022 after missing out in 2021. Ada would fall to eventual state champion Wagoner in the first round but the arrow is pointing up as we head into the 2023 football season. The Cougars would suffer through a rare losing season in 2021 as they went 3-7 but a redistricting shuffle would put them in a new district with all new opponents. After starting the season 3-1, the Cougars would suffer a close loss to Hilldale before rattling off three straight wins in dominant fashion. A loss to Poteau would put Ada on the ropes going into week ten against Broken Bow. They would avoid the four seed by beating the Savages on the road on the final day of the regular season. Despite that, they still fell in the first round but as we mentioned earlier, the arrow is pointing up with an experienced defense and talented young players on offense.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Six starters return on the offensive side of the ball but they are mostly up front on the line of scrimmage. The Cougars are going to have to replace just about every skill position on offense. And while they do have some talented young players to fill those roles, they are inexperienced young players. So we could end up seeing the offense go through some growing pains, especially early on in the season when the Cougars are playing a non-district schedule made up of only 5A competition. The Ada defense is going to be the strength of this year's team as they have eight starters back on that side of the ball. And they showed several times last season that they had a defensive unit that could shut opponents down. We're fired up to see their front seven specifically as they have some really talented and productive linebackers returning. They are going to be able to be incredibly disruptive and the Cougars can lean on the defense while the offense continues to find their groove.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (7-4 Record - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 2 - Beat Ardmore 35-18<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To McAlester 34-0<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Durant 42-16<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Sallisaw 48-0<br>Sept. 30 - Lost To Hilldale 24-16<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Madill 47-14<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Stilwell 55-0<br>Oct. 20 - Beat Fort Gibson 47-7<br>Oct. 28 - Lost To Poteau 27-0<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Broken Bow 21-7<br>1st Round - Lost To Wagoner 31-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Key Losses To Graduation</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Andrew Hughes - Wide Receiver<br>CJ Freeland - Quarterback<br>Kaden Gallagher - Linebacker</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["911940"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The biggest question mark around this Ada team is the offensive side of the ball and the new faces at the skill positions. They have to replace Freeland at quarterback but 2026 signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='911940' first='Brock' last='Boyles'] got quite a bit of playing time last season so he's not going to be brand new to the varsity level. Boyles is going to have some growing pains as new names have to emerge at the wide receiver position. The Cougars lose their top three wide receivers so that is a lot of production that they'll need to replace. We're interested to see how Boyles looks this season if he is indeed the quarterback for the Cougars. Because he's going to have a stout defense supporting him and a strong offensive line in front of him. The pieces could eventually come together.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["591882"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"One of those strong returning offensive linemen that is going to be protecting Boyles is a fellow 2026 prospect in [player_tooltip player_id='591882' first='Dawson' last='Matthews'] and he seems to have a very bright future ahead of him. We were first alerted to Matthews early on in the offseason. Matthews not only saw meaningful time as a freshman, he had a significant impact in certain match-ups against other prospects in the state's 2026 class that have already had their recruitment take off. Matthews is an excellent blocker and it seems like he has a very high ceiling. He's by no means a finished product but he has to go into his sophomore season with a wealth of confidence after stepping up to the varsity level last year and having a ton of success. We think that Matthews is only going to get better moving forward.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["628151"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"We mentioned earlier how the Ada defense was going to be the strength of this year's team, especially early on. And that the linebackers and front seven were going to be lights out. 2024 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='628151' first='Fisher' last='Marr'] is a big reason behind that. We broke down Marr's game this offseason in our “Friday Film Review” series and he was one of the more impressive linebackers in the 2024 class that we broke down. He was very productive last season and seemed to be the energizer bunny of the Ada defense. He's your prototypical inside or middle linebacker and has the ability to really impact an opponent's running game. Ada has a few linebackers that we really like and Marr is just one of them. We think that the Cougars are going to really shut some opponents down with this lights out defense.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64b71e72a12b7"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1326361' first='Caron' last='Richardson'] - 2026 Running Back/Linebacker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1044454' first='Cord' last='Coffee'] - 2024 Tight End/Defensive End<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1187307' first='Deante' last='Lindsay'] - 2025 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>George Maddox - 2024 Tight End/Linebacker<br>LaKieven Richardson - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2023 Schedule/Games To Circle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 25 - AT Durant<br>Sept. 1 - Ardmore<br><strong>Sept. 8 - McAlester</strong><br>- The final non-district test comes in week two when Ada plays host to a McAlester team that has been one of the top teams in Class 5A over the last three seasons. If the Cougars are truly one of the better teams in Class 4A, they can treat this game like a measuring stick game. They are going to get tough competition within their district and if they're fortunate enough to make the playoffs, but getting a win here will give them a ton of momentum as they head into district play.&nbsp;<br>Sept. 22 - Sallisaw<br>Sept. 29 - Hilldale<br>Oct. 6 - AT Madill<br>Oct. 12 - AT Stilwell<br>Oct. 19 - Fort Gibson<br><strong>Oct. 27 - AT Poteau</strong><br>- This district has been dominated by Poteau over the last few seasons and the Pirates are the favorites for the district crown once again this fall. So when Ada goes on the road to Poteau in week nine, if they have district championship aspirations, this is as close to a must-win game as it gets on the district schedule. Ada will be hungry to get another crack at the Pirates this fall after being shut out by Poteau last season in a 27-0 loss. Ada will attempt to slow down Poteau's rushing attack and put some points on the board.&nbsp;<br>Nov. 3 - Broken Bow</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For decades, Ada had one of the top football programs in Oklahoma. They were routinely competing for state championships and were in the conversation that we now see Bixby, Carl Albert, Jenks and others occupy. The Cougars hold the most championships in state history with 19 and they've held on to that record for quite some time. Their last state championship came in 1996 and they've only had a pair of appearances in the state championship game. The last coming in 2017 when they fell to Heritage Hall. Despite the Cougars moving districts and classes over the last few seasons, they've still found a way to have winning seasons and qualify for the playoffs. But this is a football-hungry community that is ready for the Cougars to return to the top of the mountain. When it comes to Class 4A, the class has been dominated by Clinton, Poteau, Tuttle and Wagoner. Ada is ready to join the party and go after championship number 20.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Championship History</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>19 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1996 - Beat McAlester 21-14<br>1995 - Beat Clinton 17-8<br>1994 - Beat Clinton 29-7<br>1993 - Beat Clinton 21-14<br>1991 - Beat Duncan 21-6<br>1988 - Beat Broken Bow 35-6<br>1986 - Beat Guymon 34-17<br>1980 - Beat Mustang 10-3<br>1974 - Beat Owasso<br>1970 - Beat Clinton 21-15<br>1965 - Beat Altus 18-14<br>1964 - Beat Star Spencer 33-6<br>1962 - Beat John Marshall 14-7<br>1959 - Beat Blackwell 26-0<br>1957 - Beat Harding 41-13<br>1956 - Beat Cushing 33-0<br>1955 - Beat Ardmore 18-12<br>1952 - Beat Midwest City 33-6<br>1951 - Beat Ponca City 20-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->