Chandler 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 the Chandler Lions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Chandler Lions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: UR</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: UR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chandler Lions are once again going to be in the mix in Class 2A as they've not only been a perennial playoff team over the last few seasons but they stick around for a round or two when they get there. Last season, the Lions had their deepest playoff run since they were competing for state championships nearly 20 years ago. The Lions would go 9-4 on the season and make it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Victory Christian. The season got off to a great start with a blowout win over Stroud, who became a serious contender in Class A and then an overtime win over a Bristow team that was a 3A playoff squad. The non-district slate ended with a tough loss to Poteau but the Lions were without their best player on offense. Chandler would lose two more games in back to back weeks to Crossings Christian and then to Jones. That would take the Lions out of the district title race and make their playoff road a little more complicated. Despite that, they still found a way to make it to the quarterfinals before falling to Victory Christian. When you look at the 2023 Lions, the biggest question is a simple one. How do they replace the production from star running back Casmen Hill?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The easy and quick answer is you don't. Hill was one of the best running backs in the state last season and the Lions are going to look quite different on the offensive side of the ball now that he has graduated. That's a lot of production to replace but they do bring back one of the top quarterbacks this season in Class 2A and the majority of their starters on the offensive side of the ball in general. Six starters return for the Lions and the strength will start with that quarterback position. On defense, the Lions bring back four starters on that side and the strength will begin with the line of scrimmage. The Lions have some good looking players up front and that's what we think will help them early on as some of those new starters get worked into the lineup. Chandler will once again be challenged by a very difficult non-district schedule. All three opponents are preseason top ten teams in different classes. 4A's #2 Poteau, 3A's #10 Bristow and A's #8 Stroud. You take those games and combine them with the fact that the Lions are in the same district as #3 Jones and you have a tough slate. Those young players will have to grow up fast if they want to make it back to the playoffs and go on another run.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (9-4 Record - Lost In Class 2A Quarterfinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 2 - Beat Stroud 57-9<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Bristow 23-16 (OT)<br>Sept. 16 - Lost To Poteau 30-21<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Kellyville 40-19<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Meeker 47-28<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Bethel 48-15<br>Oct. 13 - Lost To Crossings Christian 16-6<br>Oct. 21 - Lost To Jones 34-7<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Star Spencer 48-0<br>Nov. 3 - Beat Luther 20-0<br>1st Round - Beat Hennessey 48-16<br>2nd Round - Beat Frederick 56-21<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To Victory Christian 46-35</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>Casmen Hill - Running Back<br>Jeremy Galbraith - Tight End/Linebacker<br>Stefaun Mackey - 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":["360243"],"_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":"Chandler 2024 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='360243' first='Alec' last='Jackson'] is going to be one of the top signal callers in Class 2A this season. Jackson has the ability to torch defenses with his arm and then turn around and beat them with his legs. He's a fantastic athlete and that was apparent this past basketball season when he was jumping out of the gym on a number of occasions. We got a great chance to see Jackson in person this offseason while he was playing 7v7 with Sooner 7 and he has an absolute cannon for an arm. The Lions have certainly been a run-first offense with a star like Hill at the running back position. Now, Jackson has the opportunity to shine and make this offense his own. We think he will be in the conversation for top dual-threat quarterback in the state this fall.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["268342"],"_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":"We mentioned earlier how the Lions had an offensive and defensive lineman that we think is going to lead the way, specifically on the defensive side of the ball for the Lions. 2024 big man [player_tooltip player_id='268342' first='Chaden' last='Sullivan'] is an absolute one-man wrecking crew and that was evident when we got a chance to see him in person this past spring at a team camp. Sullivan was one of the top defensive linemen in attendance and that put him in a group along with the top overall prospect in the state's 2024 class. Sullivan also doubles as an offensive lineman and will help anchor an offensive line that is used to plowing ahead to open up running lanes. Now, the offense is going to be a little more balanced and Sullivan experience will certainly help that transition.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64c5cd6aaa011"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coniah Ritchie - 2026 Tight End/Linebacker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1345922' first='Cruz' last='Jackson'] - 2025 Athlete<br>James Fine - 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Landon Miller - 2026 Kicker<br>Stran Messer - 2024 Linebacker<br>Travien Tillis - 2027 Tight End/Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='595699' first='Ty' last='Garver'] - 2025 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><strong>Sept. 1 - AT Stroud</strong><br>- We mentioned earlier how tough this non-district schedule is going to be and it starts in week one as the Lions will take a short drive over to Stroud for their season opener. They absolutely dominated this contest last season, winning 57-9 in the season opener a year ago. But this is a very talented Stroud team that returns the majority of their starters. Those starters remember what happened last season and they will be ready to get a little payback when the Lions visit. Chandler will look to get off to a good start in a non-district slate that will absolutely test them. <br>Sept. 8 - Bristow<br>Sept. 15 - AT Poteau<br>Sept. 22 - Kellyville<br>Sept. 29 - AT Meeker<br>Oct. 6 - Bethel<br>Oct. 12 - AT Crossings Christian<br><strong>Oct. 20 - Jones</strong><br>- Here in the preseason, all we can do is project and that's what we're doing here as we say that Jones is the preseason favorite in this district. The Longhorns bring back nearly all 22 starters from last season's semifinal team and they are a top five team in the preseason rankings this year. So needless to say, when you're talking about the top games this season on Chandler's schedule, there is no bigger district contest than the week eight showdown at home with Jones. The Longhorns got the best of the Lions last year and this match-up also features two of the better quarterbacks in Class 2A. <br>Oct. 27 - AT Star Spencer<br>Nov. 3 - Luther</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The start of this decade has been very good to the Chandler Lions as they've been a perennial playoff team and they are advancing once they get there. From 2010-2019, the Lions made just four playoff appearances during that stretch and they were 0-4 in those playoff contests. Ever since 2020, the Lions have not only been a playoff team every year, they've won at least one playoff game in each appearance. In 2020, they would make it to the third round before falling to Marlow. 2021 saw them advance again but the season would come to an end for the second straight year after a defeat to Marlow, who went on to capture the 2A title. Last year, the Lions would advance to the quarterfinal round before losing a shootout with Victory Christian. This season, the Lions are a team that should make it back to the playoffs and if the last few years are any indication, they'll win a game or two when they get there.&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>2005 - Beat Davis 40-7<br>1984 - Beat Chelsea 30-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->