Idabel Warriors 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 Idabel Warriors</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Idabel Warriors</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #4<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Idabel Warriors come into this season with high expectations when you consider what they have returning on both sides of the ball and how they finished the 2022 campaign. The Warriors had some nagging injuries to key players last season and despite that, they went 7-3 in the regular season and they were playing for the district championship in week ten. The Warriors started out the year 1-2 after a tough non-district slate and then they immediately turned things around. They were dominant in district play until they ran into rival Eufaula in week ten with the district championship on the line. Eufaula got a close 24-21 win and that meant Idabel had to settle for the two seed going into the playoffs. The Warriors would beat Warner in the first round with ease. The following week we got a chance to see Idabel in person during the second round, where they beat Beggs 24-12 on the road in an impressive win. The following week, the season came to an end in a quarterfinal loss to eventual state champion Washington.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming into the 2023 football season, the Warriors are a top five team in the preseason rankings and it's pretty easy to see why when you look at some of the firepower they have coming back. Nine starters return on the offensive side of the ball, including every skill position player and some of the top playmakers in their respective classes. And the offense isn't alone with those returning starters as seven players return on the defensive side of the ball. We could see Idabel coming out of the gates strong this fall and they'll need to against a tough non-district schedule once again. But then when you look at the district, the Warriors could very well be the top team in the district and they are without a doubt the top ranked team in their district heading into this season. And there's no doubt that the Warriors are hungry to capture that elusive district championship. Class 2A is going to be a gauntlet when the playoffs roll around so getting the correct seed for bracket purposes will be something interesting to watch this season.&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 Kingston 26-7<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Broken Bow 21-20<br>Sept. 16 - Lost To Ashdown, AR. 33-24<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Hugo 35-7<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Valliant 54-6<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Heavener 56-14<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Spiro 54-8<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Antlers 60-14<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Wilburton 43-14<br>Nov. 4 - Lost To Eufaula 24-21<br>1st Round - Beat Warner 42-7<br>2nd Round - Beat Beggs 24-12<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To Washington 47-6</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>Caden Coursey - Offensive Lineman<br>Case Pratt - Linebacker/Kicker</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":["467406"],"_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":"2026 standout [player_tooltip player_id='467406' first='Mackylan' last='Dixon'] was one of the more productive freshmen in the state last year and definitely when you just talk about Class 2A. Dixon would finish with nearly 450 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He also finished with just over 400 yards and five touchdowns receiving. Dixon put up some pretty strong numbers for a freshman and he's going to look for more this fall. Dixon gave the Warriors another weapon on offense that would provide versatility and gave the Warriors a threat in multiple areas of the offense. While their star running back dealt with nagging injuries, Dixon was one of the players that stepped up and produced at a high level. We think that he's a 2026 prospect on the rise in a major way.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["479389"],"_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":"Similar to Dixon, Idabel's 2025 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='479389' first='Matrail' last='Lopez'] is another version of an offensive weapon that provides a lot of versatility to the Warriors offense. Lopez finished his sophomore season with nearly 500 yards and seven touchdowns receiving on only 28 receptions. He ended up being one of the top receivers in the Idabel offense and he's looking to expand those numbers this fall. But just like Dixon, Lopez also provided a spark to the running game. He finished last year with over 400 yards and eight touchdowns and only had 34 carries on the season. Every time he got the ball in his hands, he was a threat to take it the distance. The Warriors have several 2025 prospects that we really like and Lopez is near the top of that list.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["211234"],"_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":"We mentioned how Idabel's star running back dealt with nagging injuries throughout the 2022 season. Despite that, 2025 running back [player_tooltip player_id='211234' first='Ravian' last='Larry'] finished with over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. It was the second straight season where Larry finished with at least 1,000 yards and had double digit touchdowns on the season. We think that Larry is one of the best running backs in the state's 2025 class and if he has a full season of health in front of him, he could not only reach 1,000 yards on the ground but it's not out of the realm of possibility for him to go for 1,500 or even 2,000 yards on the ground. He's enjoyed a breakout season as a freshman, injury-plagued year as a sophomore and is hoping his junior season leads to a deep run in the playoffs.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["896350"],"_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":"The only 2024 prospect on this breakdown is quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='896350' first='Waylon' last='Phillips'] as he's looking to take advantage of the Warriors returning a wealth of talent at the skill positions. Phillips was a true dual-threat quarterback for the Warriors last season and has the numbers to back that up. The Idabel signal caller threw for more than 1,800 yards and 22 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions. He also added nearly 600 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. As you can see, Phillips is going to have plenty of firepower around him and he should be able to put up even better numbers this fall. It won't surprise us at all if Phillips ends up being one of the top producing quarterbacks in Class 2A this season as the Warriors look to contend for the gold ball.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a779ba0afe9"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>AJ Smith - 2024 Linebacker<br>Joe Gibson - 2024 Wide Receiver<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1171160' first='Kade' last='Pratt'] - 2027 Linebacker<br>Lamarian Carter - 2024 Wide Receiver<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1337279' first='Markee' last='Townsend'] - 2025 Defensive Lineman<br>Quincy Johnson - 2024 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>Sept. 1 - Kingston<br><strong>Sept. 8 - Broken Bow</strong><br>- Before Idabel starts worrying about their district and contending in Class 2A, the Warriors will play host to their southeastern Oklahoma rival Broken Bow. The Savages handed Idabel one of their losses last season in a close 21-20 outcome but this has been a series that has been completely one-sided. Broken Bow has dominated the Warriors for well over two decades and the Savages are once again going to be one of the teams to watch in Class 4A. The Warriors can make quite the statement in week two if they get a win and end their lengthy losing streak.&nbsp;<br>Sept. 15 - AT Ashdown, AR.<br>Sept. 22 - AT Hugo<br>Sept. 29 - AT Valliant<br>Oct. 6 - Heavener<br>Oct. 13 - AT Spiro<br>Oct. 19 - Antlers<br>Oct. 27 - AT Wilburton<br><strong>Nov. 3 - Eufaula<br></strong>- Coming into this season, at least on paper, it feels like Idabel is a massive favorite to capture the district championship. Now, they'll get plenty of competition but perhaps the toughest district opponent will be waiting for them in week ten as they'll host Eufaula in the regular season finale. This match-up decided the district championship last season and the Ironheads got the best of the Warriors with a 24-21 win. Not only will the Warriors be hungry to get their shot at a district championship, they want to turn things around against Eufaula after losing the last four meetings.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we mentioned earlier in the preview, Idabel has a very bright future ahead of them not only this season but in the next few years with some very talented players in the 2025 and 2026 classes. We think that the Warriors have the potential to be one of the top teams in their respective class in 2024 but the biggest question will be which class that is. Prior to the 2022 football season, Idabel was the fifth largest school in Class 2A and they aren't very far removed from being in Class 3A in the last decade. So moving back up could be a possibility when the new ADM numbers come out in August. Another possibility is that they stay in Class 2A for the 2024-2025 seasons but Class 2A is about to look a whole lot different. Starting in 2024, Class 2A, in addition to Classes A and B, will be divided up into two divisions, similar to how Class 6A has two separate divisions. The top 32 teams in terms of enrollment will be in the higher division and if the Warriors aren't bumped up to Class 3A, they seem like a lock for the larger division of the new Class 2A.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Championship History</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>0 State Championships</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->