Bishop McGuinness Irish 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 Bishop McGuinness Irish.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Bishop McGuinness Irish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: UR</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #5</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On paper, it looks like 2023 could be a rebuilding year for Bishop McGuinness this season but don't let that fool you. The expectations haven't changed and the Irish expect to contend in their tough district and in Class 5A overall. That's what we saw from the Irish last season as they would win ten games again and they would punch their ticket to the playoffs for the 24th consecutive season. They have one of the longest active streaks in the state. The season began with dominant play in the first month. They beat up defending 4A champion Clinton in week one and then beat up on their rival Bishop Kelley in week two. Week six brought a close win on the road against Guthrie, where they kicked a game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock. Then they suffered their first loss of the season to Carl Albert the following week at home. The Irish would roll the rest of the regular season and finish second in the district. Playoff wins over El Reno and then Coweta on the road would get them back in the semifinals before they lost to McAlester.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Irish fell short of the ultimate goal and they look to play deep into November again this fall. But as we mentioned, the Irish look like they could be rebuilding as they lost quite a bit of production to graduation and the Irish were also hurt this offseason as some of their top returning players moved to other 5A contenders. For all the conversation about Oklahoma private schools getting players, McGuinness cannot be accused of that after the offseason they had. But the Irish aren't lacking talent as they come into this season. We got a chance to see the Irish this spring and they are reloading and some of those young playmakers are coming along nicely. The biggest question mark coming into this season is how the Irish will do against a brutal schedule. Between non-district and district play, the Irish are going to play four of the top eight ranked teams in our preseason 5A rankings. And that doesn't include an early match-up with perennial 4A power Clinton. So the Irish are going to be tested as they look to extend their playoff streak and contend in both their district and in Class 5A as a whole.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (10-2 Record - Lost In Class 5A Semifinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Putnam City 52-17<br>Sept. 2 - Beat Clinton 46-14<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Bishop Kelley 35-6<br>Sept. 22 - Beat Shawnee 63-13<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Lawton Eisenhower 49-15|<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Guthrie 30-27<br>Oct. 14 - Lost To Carl Albert 31-24<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Southeast 56-28<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Piedmont 34-17<br>1st Round - Beat El Reno 46-24<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Coweta 35-28<br>Semifinals - Lost To McAlester 39-29</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>Brandt Haag - Offensive Lineman<br>Kazeyn Bird - Linebacker<br>Mike Taffe - Running Back<br>Tyrell Bruner - Wide Receiver<br>Zane Shadid - 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":["922869"],"_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":"We mentioned a few of the returning McGuinness players moving away and that left the Irish with needing a new quarterback for this fall. 2025 QB [player_tooltip player_id='922869' first='Damon' last='Cochran'] appears to be that guy heading into this season. We got a chance to see Cochran in person back in the spring and he does a good job of getting the ball down field but also has plenty of athleticism so he can make things happen when the play breaks down. Cochran isn't known as much on the football field as he is the baseball diamond. He's already committed to play at the next level for baseball with Missouri. We're about to see what he can do on the football field this fall. He's going to have some talented players around him to help him make the transition to QB1 for the Irish.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["479388"],"_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 players that will help Cochran is fellow 2025 standout [player_tooltip player_id='479388' first='Zach' last='Tawwater'] as a tight end and overall athlete for the Irish. We know Tawwater more as a tight end and defensive lineman but watching the Irish this spring, the McGuinness coaches appeared to get creative with how they use Tawwater, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. He lined up at tight end, he even lined up in the backfield at running back. Tawwater is going to be an overall game changer for the Irish this fall and he certainly has the potential to be the top offensive weapon. And that's only considering his abilities on offense. He will also stand out for the Irish on defense at defensive end. He wrecked shop coming off the edge for the Irish last season.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64c0783faee2f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jack Foster - 2024 Linebacker<br>Jalen Stuart - 2024 Defensive Lineman<br>JP Spainer - 2024 Running Back<br>Nick House - 2025 Offensive Lineman<br>Peter Bilicki - 2024 Wide Receiver</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 - Putnam City<br>Sept. 1 - AT Clinton<br><strong>Sept. 8 - AT Bishop Kelley</strong><br>- Bishop McGuinness will wrap up their non-district schedule in week two by heading to Tulsa for their annual rivalry clash with Bishop Kelley. This is a series that has been dominated by the Irish in recent memory and they are looking to continue that dominance this fall. The Irish have won the last two regular season meetings by a combined score of 84-12. But while the Irish have been dominant recently, this is a series that features close games more times than not. From 2008-2018, these two played some of the closest games in series history. In 10 of the 14 meetings, the winning margin was seven points or less. <br>Sept. 21 - Shawnee<br>Sept. 28 - AT Lawton Eisenhower<br>Oct. 6 - Guthrie<br><strong>Oct. 13 - AT Carl Albert</strong><br>- One week after a district showdown with Guthrie, Bishop McGuinness goes on the road in week seven to face defending champion Carl Albert. The Irish and Titans have developed a fierce rivalry with the Titans over the last seven seasons and they'll write the next chapter this season. These two teams met in the state championship game four times in a six year stretch from 2016-2020. The Titans won all four of those meetings and they nearly met again for the gold ball last fall. Another element of the rivalry happened this offseason when one of the top returning players for McGuinness moved to Carl Albert. <br>Oct. 20 - Southeast<br>Oct. 27 - AT Piedmont</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Continuing the “games to circle” theme with another note about the Bishop McGuinness schedule for this fall. The Irish wrap up the regular season in week nine. With only six district opponents, the Irish have a rare bye week in week ten and they will look to take advantage of that and get some much needed rest before hopefully a deep run into the playoffs. There is no doubt that October is the toughest part of the Irish schedule this season as they play Guthrie (#3) Carl Albert (#1) and Piedmont (#6) in a four-week stretch with two of those games coming on the road. The Irish expect to be back in the playoffs for the 25th consecutive season this fall. But what happens in 2024? That's up for debate. There is a lot of talk swirling about the new rules for private schools in football and one major rumor is that Bishop McGuinness could be bumped up to 6A-2 as soon as the 2024 season.&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>2 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2007 - Beat Glenpool 14-9<br>2006 - Beat Grove 31-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->