Claremore Zebras 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 Claremore Zebras.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Claremore Zebras</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>Class 5A is going to be incredibly deep this season and another good example of that is Claremore as they head into the 2023 football season. At this time last year, the Zebras were coming into the year looking to compete in their new district and make it back to the playoffs. They accomplished that and pulled off some impressive wins along the way. They lost their opener to Bartlesville but then won three straight games and were taking some momentum into district play. The Zebras won the games they needed to win to finish fourth in the district and punch their ticket into the playoffs. They finished the regular season with a 5-5 record but were very competitive against fellow playoff teams Bishop Kelley and Collinsville and played them close, including a week ten clash with Collinsville. The Zebras would then face off with Coweta in the first round and were once again very competitive and lost a 53-41 shootout to the Tigers and their season ended with a 5-6 record. But this team was more talented than the record indicated and that was evident with how they played against some of the toughest teams on their schedule. And as we turn the page to the 2023 season, they are hungry for much more this fall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bringing back the majority of their starters is an easy way to get on the radar and when you combine that experience with the way they played last season, you have a team that can absolutely be a dark horse to make a ton of noise in Class 5A this season. We think this district is going to be one of the more competitive districts in Class 5A because some of the top teams in the district a year ago got hit hard by graduation. The Zebras bring back almost all of their offensive production with eight starters back and the majority of their skill players. This is an offense that should be pretty dangerous this season. The defensive side of the ball also brings back eight starters so this is definitely a team that could end up being a dark horse in Class 5A. They expect to contend for the district crown and if they're able to finish in one of the top couple spots in Class 5A, that will set them up with a much more manageable path in the playoffs and Class 5A is absolutely loaded. The Zebras will look to set themselves up for success in November with what they do in September and October.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (5-6 Record - Lost In Class 5A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 2 - Lost To Bartlesville 20-9<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Oologah 35-33<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Hilldale 27-10<br>Sept. 22 - Beat Nathan Hale 35-14<br>Sept. 30 - Lost To Grove 63-28<br>Oct. 7 - Lost To Pryor 28-14<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Edison 28-14<br>Oct. 21 - Lost To Bishop Kelley 36-33<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Will Rogers 14-7<br>Nov. 4 - Lost To Collinsville 28-21<br>1st Round - Lost To Coweta 53-41</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Key Loss To Graduation</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seth Bell - Defensive Lineman</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":["321855"],"_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":"As much as we like all the skill players that Claremore brings back, the Zebras bring back a really talented offensive line and it's anchored by 2024 lineman [player_tooltip player_id='321855' first='Ben' last='Jordan'], who is one of the more experienced players returning at the position in Class 5A. Jordan is incredibly strong and the lifting numbers are off the chart with him. He had a really good offseason and continues to get better and better every time we see him. He's going to anchor an offensive line that paves the road for a very productive offense. We think that Jordan should be able to get a few opportunities to play at the next level with another strong season. It's very clear to us that he's one of the top offensive linemen in Class 5A and the future is bright for him moving forward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["322948"],"_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":"The Zebras bring back 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='322948' first='Braxton' last='Etheridge'] at the quarterback position and if he can make another jump like what we saw from him last season, he's going to be in the conversation for one of the better quarterbacks in Class 5A. Last year, Etheridge threw for over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns and he's looking to take that production to the next level. Etheridge definitely has the potential to up that production when you look at who he has around him in the skill department. Etheridge is a really good looking athlete and we think that the arrow is pointing up for him moving forward. As the Zebras look to contend in their district, having that experience and talent returning with Etheridge is going to put the Zebras in a really good position to do just that.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["584313"],"_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":"Etheridge is also going to benefit from having his top target back in 2024 standout [player_tooltip player_id='584313' first='Gage' last='Deckard'] at the wide receiver position. Deckard put up some big numbers last season with nearly 50 catches for over 700 yards and six touchdowns. Deckard is a really good looking athlete at 6'1 and when you combine that production with some of the track times that he's put up this spring and you have a very underrated playmaker in Class 5A. But that's been the overwhelming theme of this preview. We really like the talent that the Zebras bring back this season and we think that Deckard should be able to put up some really good numbers and with that, Claremore should win quite a few games this season as they look to contend in Class 5A.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64c277c2c61c4"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eli Rodgers - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Jesse Cagle - 2024 Linebacker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1351094' first='Josh' last='Feliciano'] - 2025 Defensive Lineman<br>Micah Teel - 2024 Running Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1093621' first='Tyson' last='Grimett'] - 2025 Linebacker</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 Bartlesville</strong><br>- The 2023 football season in week one as Claremore hits the road to face Bartlesville in their season opener. The Zebras will face off with Bartlesville for the sixth consecutive year in the season opener. The Bruins have been able to get the best of the Zebras during this recent series. Claremore's lone win against Bartlesville in the last five years came back in 2019. The Zebras lost a competitive game against the Bruins last season and this match-up should feature two really good offenses as both teams bring back a wealth of experience on that side of the ball. <br>Sept. 8 - Oologah<br>Sept. 15 - AT Hilldale<br>Sept. 22 - Nathan Hale<br>Sept. 29 - AT Grove<br>Oct. 6 - Pryor<br>Oct. 13 - Edison<br><strong>Oct. 20 - AT Bishop Kelley</strong><br>- We mentioned this at the top, this district is going to be incredibly competitive and the battle for the four playoff spots, let alone the district crown, is going to be a fun one to watch. Claremore's week eight game against Bishop Kelley appears to be one of the more important district clashes this season. The Comets are the district favorites on paper but as we say all the time in these previews, the game is not played on paper and by the time week eight rolls around, a lot will change. The Comets won a 36-33 shootout last season and we think this year's meeting will be very competitive as well. <br>Oct. 27 - AT Will Rogers<br>Nov. 3 - Collinsville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Claremore has been one of the more consistent programs in Class 5A over the last 20 years but this is a program that is hungry for more success as we enter the 2023 football season. The Zebras have been a pretty consistent playoff team but they are looking for a deeper run once they make it back there. It's been a little over 35 years since the Zebras have played in the semifinals. The majority of the playoff appearances since have ended with a first round exit. They have a few playoff wins every now and then but haven't been able to get over the quarterfinal hump. But as we mentioned, we think the competition should be pretty strong in this district and the Zebras should be right there when you're talking about playoff teams and potential district championship contenders. Claremore is looking to take that next step this 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>0 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->