Fairview Yellowjackets 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 reigning A state champion Fairview Yellowjackets.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Fairview Yellowjackets&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #3<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class A's defending champion Fairview plans on remaining at the top of Class A this season and it's going to take a lot to knock them off that mountaintop this fall. The Yellowjackets have been one of the top teams in Class A over the last two seasons. And it's really quite remarkable when you compare where Fairview was prior to the 2021 season. They went 2-8 in 2019 and then followed that up with a 3-8 campaign in 2020. The bounced back immediately in 2021 with a 10-0 regular season before getting tripped up early in the playoffs and finishing 11-1. Last season, they were absolutely perfect from the start of the year and they finished it off with a gold ball in a classic against Gore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairview came into last season with high expectations off that 11-1 season and nearly all 22 starters returning for another run in Class A. They were one of the favorites in the class coming into the season and they were hands down the top team in their district and they played like it throughout the regular season. The Yellowjackets were not tested in the regular season as the closest game was a 30-6 win over Mooreland in week seven. Things would obviously get tighter in the playoffs and they had to survive a scare from Stroud in the quarterfinals and then knocked off top-ranked Gore in the title game. Gore and Fairview had been #1 and #2 all season and it was Fairview that walked out of UCO with the gold ball.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite losing some very experienced players on both sides of the ball, the expectations remain the same as we head into this season. Seven starters return for the Yellowjackets and it all starts with the signal caller under center. Then you turn around and see that six starters are back on defense and those are several reasons why the Yellowjackets come into this season as one of the favorites to capture another gold ball. We like some of the firepower that Fairview returns this fall but they will have to see a few new faces emerge to replace those playmakers from last fall. And we also think that the Yellowjackets are going to get more resistance in the regular season this time around. The district around them is improved and they won't be able to just roll week in and week out. But when November and December roll around, we expect them to be in the mix.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (15-0 Record - Class A State Champion)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Hobart 49-2<br>Sept. 2 - Beat Chisholm 68-15<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Alva 60-28<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Hooker 55-12<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Thomas 70-12<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Sayre 63-14<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Mooreland 30-6<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Texhoma 41-6<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Burns Flat 47-6<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Merritt 40-19<br>1st Round - Beat Snyder 60-0<br>2nd Round - Beat Christian Heritage 46-14<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Stroud 27-21<br>Semifinals - Beat Colcord 38-22<br>Championship - Beat Gore 32-28</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>Austin Houk - Tight End/Linebacker<br>Blake Perez - Running Back/Linebacker<br>Kaden Pettus - 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":["889079"],"_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":"Fairview's offense will benefit from having the majority of their firepower back but they will have a new full time starter at the running back position. 2025 running back [player_tooltip player_id='889079' first='Grant' last='Church'] will step into the role following the graduation of Blake Perez in May. Church won't be new to the position as he got into plenty of games last season backing up Perez and there was plenty of “mop up duty” for Church and some of the Fairview back ups. He accounted for over 400 yards and seven touchdowns last season. We anticipate that production to absolutely explode this fall as he becomes the new backfield mate with quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='379243' first='Jax' last='Bernard']. That was a dangerous backfield last fall and we don't see that changing.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["379243"],"_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 state's 2025 quarterback class is clearly a special one as we've seen several prospects within this class that have started since they were freshmen and won big games. One of the guys in that conversation is Fariview's [player_tooltip player_id='379243' first='Jax' last='Bernard']. He had a really good season as a freshman but he took his game to another level last fall. While leading the Yellowjackets to a state championship, Bernard would complete 70 percent of his passes and total over 3,000 yards and 39 touchdowns. He also added nearly 10 touchdowns on the ground. He led a high-powered Fairview offense and the majority of his receivers are returning. There's no reason to think his numbers won't continue to climb this fall.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["379237"],"_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":"It was at this time last year that we mentioned 2024 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='379237' first='Reed' last='Martens'] as an early candidate for breakout star in Class A. He missed almost all of his sophomore season in 2021 and was incredibly hungry heading into the 2022 season. He became Bernard's top target in the passing game and became one of the top wide receivers in Class A last season. As we head into the 2023 season, with the Bernard-Martens connection returning for another run, we expect Martens to be one of the top wide receivers in the state from a statistical perspective. Martens caught nearly 70 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and would finish off the year with 15 touchdowns and he's just scratching the surface on what he can be.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["889075"],"_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='889075' first='Tegan' last='Gilchrist'] is the leading tackler returning from last season's state championship team. The senior would rack up well over 100 tackles last season as Fairview made their run to the gold ball. And with the Yellowjackets returning the majority of their starters on defense, Gilchrist should be the leader of a relatively experienced group as they look to defend their crown. As explosive as the offense was last season, the defense was just as dominant and was a big reason why Fairview was never tested until the playoffs. Gilchrist will head into this fall looking to keep Fairview at the top of the list in terms of Class A defensive units.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-649fab14e44af"} /--> <!-- 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='1107564' first='Boden' last='Miller'] - 2025 Offensive Lineman/Linebacker<br>Braiden Forbes - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1107551' first='Brant' last='Strader'] - 2024 Wide Receiver<br>Eli Winans - 2025 Tight End/Linebacker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1107549' first='Isaiah' last='Burris'] - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Trace Bonharm - 2025 Tight End/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>Aug. 25 - AT Hobart<br>Sept. 1 - Chisholm<br>Sept. 8 - AT Alva<br><strong>Sept. 22 - AT Hooker<br></strong>- After a week off, Fairview opens up district play against Hooker on the road in what could be the de facto district championship. As it stands right now, the Yellowjackets and the Bulldogs are the top two teams in the district, heading into the 2023 season. So despite this being just the first week of district play, the outcome here will have a huge impact on the playoff seeding in November. Hooker brings back some serious young talent this fall and appears to be ready to make another run in Class A.&nbsp;<br>Sept. 29 - Thomas<br>Oct. 6 - Sayre<br><strong>Oct. 12 - AT Mooreland<br></strong>- Mooreland gave Fairview their closest game during the regular season last year and going on the road on a short week in week seven will be no easy task for the Yellowjackets. Mooreland was able to limit Fairview's explosive offense to just 30 points last fall and that was an offense that scored at least 40 in the rest of their nine regular season games. If Fairview can get road wins over Hooker and Mooreland, they should be in a good spot to run away with the district crown for the third consecutive season.&nbsp;<br>Oct. 20 - Texhoma<br>Oct. 27 - Burns Flat<br>Nov. 3 - Merritt</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairview knocking off Gore 32-28 in the state championship game was a special moment. Not only for the program but for a father and son. Head coach Robert Bernard also happens to be the dad of starting quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='379243' first='Jax' last='Bernard']. We've seen a few of those combos win state championships over the last few years. Most recently and notably with Lincoln Christian. The two could be seen embracing on the turf at UCO seconds after the clock striked zero and that's a memory that will last just as long as the gold ball that's in the trophy case. The father-son/coach-player dynamic has always been one that has intrigued us and the storylines honestly write themselves. Just a junior, Bernard has two more years of high school ball while playing for his dad and as we mentioned earlier, he's going to have a chance to put up some absolutely monster numbers 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>3 State Championships</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2022 - Beat Gore 32-28<br>1999 - Beat Nowata 39-14<br>1946 - Beat Poteau 14-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->