Blanchard Lions 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 Class 4A contender Blanchard.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Blanchard Lions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #3<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking:&nbsp;#5</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blanchard Lions are once again in the mix when you talk about the Class 4A contenders as we head into the 2023 football season. Last season, the Lions came into the season in the top ten but would drop out after starting the season with back to back losses to 5A's Noble and Piedmont. The Lions would rattle off six consecutive wins, including a massive road win over Tuttle to take command of the district race. A late season loss to Bethany would drop the Lions to the second seed out of the district. The season would come to an end once again in the quarterfinal round after losing to Cushing. In three out of their last four playoff appearances, Blanchard got tripped up in the quarterfinals. Last year, the Lions came into the year as a relatively inexperienced team but this year, the script has completely flipped. As we look ahead to this season, the Lions bring back the majority of their starters on both sides of the ball and look to take the next step.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eight starters are back on the offensive side of the ball and that is going to give the Lions an offensive unit that is one of the best in Class 4A this season. The passing game is going to be one of the best units in the state with some of the firepower they bring back. They will need to find someone to replace their leading receiver from a year ago but the depth chart is not lacking talent at the wide receiver position. Then you turn around and look at the defense and the Lions bring back another seven starters on that side of the ball. And this is a defense that is very versatile and has the ability to move around and make plays. The obvious hurdle that Blanchard is going to have to overcome as we head into the 2023 season is their district. Last year, 4A-2 was one of the tougher districts in the state, regardless of class. Nothing is changing as we head into this fall. The big dogs in the district last season were Bethany, Newcastle, Tuttle and the Lions. Those four are the favorites for playoff positioning once again but as we saw last season, anything can happen in Class 4A.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (8-4 Record - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 2 - Lost To Noble 34-27<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Piedmont 28-13<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Shawnee 40-13<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Harrah 53-7<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Newcastle 19-0<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Tuttle 30-28<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Classen SAS 42-20<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Bridge Creek 47-0<br>Oct. 28 - Lost To Bethany 21-12<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Tecumseh 48-18<br>1st Round - Beat Weatherford 14-12<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To Cushing 42-7</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>Bryson Frazier - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Jaxon Laminack - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</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":["268307"],"_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":"Fresh off a breakout season last year as a sophomore, 2025 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='268307' first='Brayson' last='Carter'] is ready to take the next step as one of the top wide receivers in Class 4A this fall. Carter first made an impact as a freshman but last year was a true breakout moment as he became a consistent part of the Blanchard passing attack. And as we head into the 2023 season, the passing attack is definitely the strength of this Blanchard offense. Carter is a speedster that knows how to get open and then once he gets the ball in the open field, he has the chance to take it the distance every time. Carter ended up being Blanchard's second leading receiver last season and he should be even more productive this fall.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["215203"],"_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":"2024 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='363852' first='Carson' last='Cooksey'] is starting to see his recruitment take off after a busy spring and early part of summer. Cooksey is going into his third season as the starting quarterback for the Lions and he's looking to lead one of the top offenses in Class 4A this season. Cooksey put up some strong numbers last season but he's going to want to cut back on the turnovers. He threw for nearly 2,700 yards and 26 touchdowns last season and as he returns for his third year as QB1, he will benefit from having two of his top wide receivers back. This has been a common theme of the preview but we think that Cooksey is going to lead a Blanchard passing attack that is one of the best in Class 4A this fall and that will help them contend for the title.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["268313"],"_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":"2024 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='268313' first='Reagan' last='Palmer'] is yet another weapon for Cooksey to get the ball this fall. Last season, Palmer was a big play threat as he finished with just 22 receptions on the season but had nearly 550 yards and tied Carter with six touchdowns on the year. The wide receiver duo of Palmer and Carter, in addition to Cooksey returning with the majority of offensive linemen is a big reason why this offense has the chance to be special. Palmer is a prospect that we've watched for a little over a year now and we've gotten very familiar with his game. He's a reliable receiver and as he showed last year, he has the ability to break a game wide open with his ability to turn a short route into a big play. He did it time and time again last fall.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["383303"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"2024 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='383303' first='Tyler' last='Hughes'] was one of many prospects that we uncovered while doing our “Friday Film Review” series this offseason. We didn't know much about Hughes before watching the film but we were really impressed with his play near the line of scrimmage. Hughes ended up being one of the team's leading tacklers last season and he'll definitely bring that experience into this season. We mentioned earlier how the Lions will probably have a strong offensive unit that ends up being one of the higher scoring units in Class 4A. But the defense will be up there as well. Having a player like Hughes returning, who was just a magnet to the ball last season will give them a real boost as they try to contend for the state title.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a490a92594d"} /--> <!-- 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='1683955' first='Brayden' last='Heffernan'] - 2026 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1304611' first='Cole' last='Watkins'] - 2026 Tight End/Linebacker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1100200' first='Coric' last='Pierce'] - 2025 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1034356' first='Hudsen' last='Periman'] - 2025 Tight End<br>[player_tooltip player_id='670657' first='Isaiah' last='Drake'] - 2026 Defensive Lineman<br>Luke Young - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1068995' first='Ross' last='Johnston'] - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Trey Spencer - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman</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><strong>Sept. 1 - Noble<br></strong>- Blanchard will once again open up their football season against Noble in early September. The Lions will host the Bears in week one and it's the fourth straight year that they've faced off with Noble in non-district play. It also kicks off a three week stretch where the Lions will prepare for a tough district slate with three consecutive opponents from Class 5A. The Bears beat the Lions in a narrow 34-27 decision last season and the Lions are looking to turn things around in this series. The Bears have beaten Blanchard in each of the last three seasons but the Lions will come into this meeting with far more experience.<br>Sept. 8 - AT Piedmont<br>Sept. 15 - Shawnee<br>Sept. 22 - Harrah<br>Sept. 29 - AT Newcastle<br><strong>Oct. 6 - Tuttle<br></strong>- This was one of the best games in Class 4A during the regular season last season. Blanchard stunned Tuttle on the road with no time remaining as Cooksey would find Laminack in the corner of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. The Lions will host Tuttle in week six and these two teams are the top two teams in this district as we head into the season. Despite beating the Tigers, Tuttle still walked away with the district championship after a three-way tie in the district standings. If Blanchard can get back to back wins over Newcastle and Tuttle, they should be in the driver's seat for the district crown.&nbsp;<br>Oct. 12 - AT Classen SAS<br>Oct. 20 - Bridge Creek<br><strong>Oct. 27 - Bethany<br></strong>- The only thing that kept Blanchard from claiming the district championship last season was a week nine slip up against Bethany. That forced a three-way tie and on points, the Tigers were able to get the district title. Blanchard will host Bethany in week nine once again and if they are in a position where they can lock up the district championship, they won't want to let another opportunity slip through their grasp. These two teams have been district foes since 2014 and Bethany boasts a 5-3 record during that stretch. But these teams are very familiar with one another and the stakes should be high in this late season match-up.&nbsp;<br>Nov. 3 - AT Tecumseh</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 4A has been dominated by a few teams over the last five years. Clinton, Poteau, Tuttle and Wagoner have all been the cream of the crop during that time but there are quite a few teams that have been knocking on the door of that group and you have to include the Lions in that conversation. After a rare season in 2019 where they missed out on the playoffs, the Lions have made three straight playoff appearances and would go all the way to the semifinals in 2020 and then would have quarterfinal exits in the last two seasons. The Lions seem to be primed for a breakout season but can they go all the way and knock off those perennial powers from the top of Class 4A? We've seen teams like Cushing and Weatherford and even district foe Bethany make a run to the title game in the last five years, but have had to settle for silver. Blanchard will attempt to change that this fall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Championship History</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>2 State Championships</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2012 - Beat Kingfisher 28-21<br>1979 - Beat Hartshorne 37-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->