Crescent Tigers 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 Crescent Tigers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Crescent Tigers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #10</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #9</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crescent Tigers round out the preseason rankings in Class A as the number ten-ranked team and they are looking for another 10-win season and even more this fall. At this time last year, Crescent was looking to bounce back in a major way. They would go 3-7 in 2021, including a winless district record and they missed out on the playoffs. That bounce back would happen as they would go 10-2 and would make it all the way to the Class A quarterfinals. Crescent would begin the season with a 7-0 record but they were definitely challenged along the way. Several of those games were incredibly close and competitive. The only loss in the regular season came in week nine when they tripped up against Minco. Despite losing to Minco, Crescent was helped out as the Bulldogs would lose to Christian Heritage and Hinton. That allowed the Tigers to capture the district championship. They beat Dibble in the first round and then knocked off Mooreland for the second time in 2022 to advance to the quarterfinals, where they fell to Gore in a rout. But the Tigers are determined to build off that 10-win season this fall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers bring back the majority of their starters on both sides of the ball. Eight starters are back on offense and another eight starters are back on defense. The 2023 football season is one that Crescent has been building towards for a while now. They suffered through the 3-7 season in 2021, bounced back in a big way with a district title and ten wins in 2022, now they are looking to contend for the state title in Class A. This upcoming senior class is incredibly experienced and that's where the majority of their production is as we head into this season. We like the production they bring back on the offensive side of the ball. The running game should be very special. Crescent will look to get out to a strong start once again this season. The district looks to be improved with all four of the playoff teams from last season looking for much more this fall. Crescent will have a bigger bullseye on them as the defending district champion. That's always an interesting storyline as a team that has been chasing a title is now defending that crown. Because of the off-balanced numbers in Class A and specifically in this district, Crescent will only play five district games. And they only have nine games total during the regular season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (10-2 Record - Lost In Class A Quarterfinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Mooreland 7-0<br>Sept. 2 - Beat Crooked Oak 46-8<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Morrison 18-7<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Watonga 48-15<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Christian Heritage 26-13<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Hinton 23-21<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Western Heights 42-8<br>Oct. 28 - Lost To Minco 42-32<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Cashion 28-21<br>1st Round - Beat Dibble 46-14<br>2nd Round - Beat Mooreland 19-18<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To Gore 69-13</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>Gabe South - Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Terry Rice - Offensive/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":["917795"],"_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 first Crescent player to watch is 2024 big man [player_tooltip player_id='917795' first='Stone' last='Fisher'] along the offensive and defensive line. We mentioned earlier in the preview that we like what the Tigers bring back in terms of production in the running game. A big part of that is the offensive line that will be opening those holes for Crescent playmakers. Fisher is one of the more experienced players returning for the Tigers and we anticipate him being a critical part of their success this season. Fisher was one of the first players that got brought up by Crescent coaches in terms of guys that will play important roles for the Tigers this season. As important as he is on offense, he'll also provide an impact and overall depth to the defensive side of the ball along the defensive line.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["917796"],"_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":"Speaking of that strong rushing attack, 2024 running back [player_tooltip player_id='917796' first='Tanner' last='Rice'] is going to be one of the better playmakers in Class A this season. And when you look at Class A, you see a class that is full of productive players, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Rice was a big play guy for the Tiger offense last season. Whether he was lining up as a traditional running back, split out at wide receiver or taking direct snaps as a wildcat quarterback, Rice put up big numbers for the Crescent offense last season. We're excited to see what kind of production he has this fall for the Tigers. Crescent is looking to defend that district crown and compete in Class A as a whole and Rice will be a big part of the game plan, week after week throughout the season.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64bc10061d362"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bosten Cox - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Chism Watson - 2024 Tight End/Defensive End<br>CJ Wilson - 2024 Defensive Back<br>Cooper Cronister - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1346467' first='Isaiah' last='Lovett'] - 2025 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Kade Varner - 2024 Quarterback/Defensive Back<br>Tylan Neugent - 2024 Offensive 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>Aug. 25 - AT Mooreland</strong><br>- Crescent opens up the 2023 season against a Mooreland team in week zero. These two got very acquainted with one another last season as they met twice in 2022. They opened up the season against one another, where Crescent prevailed with a 7-0 victory. They would then end Mooreland's season in the second round of the playoffs with a 19-18 victory. Needless to say, we expect this season opener to be challenging and close, just like last year. The biggest question we have about this match-up is whether or not it will be the only time these two see each other in 2023. <br>Sept. 1 - Crooked Oak<br>Sept. 8 - AT Morrison<br>Sept. 22 - AT Watonga<br>Sept. 29 - Christian Heritage<br>Oct. 13 - Hinton<br>Oct. 20 - Western Heights<br><strong>Oct. 27 - AT Minco</strong><br>- In the last two decades, the Crescent-Minco series has been even but lately it's been completely one-sided. From 2004-2010, Crescent would go 5-0 against the Bulldogs. But ever since the 2011 season, Minco holds a 6-1 advantage and they've won the last five in the series. That includes last year's 42-32 victory over the Tigers. This week nine clash will be a big one in terms of the district standings. Fortunately for Crescent, despite the loss to Minco last fall, they still won the district crown. This year, they'll want leave no doubt in the district and get a win here.<br>Nov. 3 - Cashion</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another notable game every season is their annual rivalry game with Cashion. The Highway 74 rivalry clash will take place in the final week of the regular season and Crescent is looking for their second consecutive win over their rivals and that hasn't been done in a long time. In fact, in the last 15 meetings, Crescent has a total of two wins in the series, and that includes last year's 28-21 win in week ten. The only other win came back in 2017 when Crescent would make it all the way to the state championship game. The Tigers had lost four in a row prior to winning in 2022. Cashion dominated the series from 2018-2021 with the closest game being a 32-point victory in 2021. Crescent looks to compete for the district title again and then they want to compete in Class A. Another storyline will be turning things around in the rivalry with Cashion.&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>1 State Championship</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1990 - Beat Okeene 40-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->