Jenks Trojans 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 Jenks Trojans.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Jenks Trojans&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #3<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking:&nbsp;#3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022 Jenks football season was one of ups and downs for sure. First off, the Trojans had one of their worst years in terms of injury luck in recent memory. They lost several starters for the year and others dealt with nagging injuries throughout the year. Despite the bad luck in that regard, they still found a way to win ten games, get one of the biggest wins of the regular season and came up one game shy of another trip to Edmond. The season began with close wins over Edmond Santa Fe and Owasso. They would then travel to face rival Union and while the game was close in the first quarter, the Trojans couldn't keep up and would fall 38-3. The Trojans would lose again in district play with a rare loss at home to a west side team when Norman North beat them 31-21. But the Trojans got their swagger back in week nine when they came back and beat Broken Arrow in overtime. That led to the stunning win over Bixby in week ten that snapped Bixby's 58-game winning streak. Despite the win over Bixby, the Trojans were third in their district going into the playoffs. The Trojans would see Bixby again in the semifinals but the Spartans prevailed with a 28-14 win before capturing another state championship. The Trojans are ready for a year that isn't so injury-plagued and if that happens, they have a chance to be special.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jenks comes into the 2023 football season as a top five team once again and are right at the top when you talk about state championship contenders in Class 6A-1. The offensive side of the ball returns six starters and while the Trojans do have a quarterback battle going on, whoever wins that job is going to have plenty of skill players around him to make his job easier early on in the season. The defense brings back five starters from last season. But the one silver lining from last year's injury-plagued season is that the Trojans now have a lot of young players that have experience that they otherwise wouldn't have gotten if Jenks was healthy last fall. The Trojans will be tested once again early on in the season with two of their non-district games coming against other top five teams in the class. Then the Trojans will go into district play expecting to contend for the district championship before going after a gold ball. When they lost to Bixby in the semifinals, that snapped a streak of four consecutive years making it to the state championship game and they were back to back state champs in 2020 and 2021. This is a Jenks team that is incredibly hungry to not only make it back to Edmond in December but they want to lift up what would be their 19th state championship, tying Ada for the state record.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (10-3 Record - Lost In Class 6A-1 Semifinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Edmond Santa Fe 13-10<br>Sept. 2 - Beat Owasso 14-7<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Union 38-3<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Enid 55-28<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Westmoore 28-22<br>Oct. 7 - Lost To Norman North 31-21<br>Oct. 14 - Beat Moore 49-41<br>Oct. 20 - Beat Southmoore 90-9<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Broken Arrow 35-34 (OT)<br>Nov. 3 - Beat Bixby 38-35<br>1st Round - Beat Edmond North 68-14<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Mustang 34-31<br>Semifinals - Lost To Bixby 28-14</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>Cooper Crissup - Linebacker<br>Ike Owens - Quarterback<br>Jack Standlee - Defensive Lineman<br>Jaiden Carroll - Running Back<br>Jalyn Stanford - Running Back/Defensive Back<br>Landon Zaldivar - Offensive Lineman<br>Milton White - Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Ty Walls - Wide Receiver</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":["482965"],"_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 mentioned earlier, when we watched the Trojans in the spring, they had a couple quarterbacks battling it out for the QB1 position. Whoever wins that job is indeed going to have some weapons around him and in the passing game in particular, we really like 2024 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='482965' first='Ayden' last='Christiansen']. The big rangy wide receiver had a strong junior season and he was the number two receiver behind Ty Walls in the Jenks offense. With Walls graduating, we anticipate Christiansen to be the top playmaker at wide receiver. He gives the Trojans length on the outside and a big target in the passing game. When you combine him with some of their other weapons, we really like the versatility that this offense has within their passing game.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["294445"],"_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 first of two defensive players that we're looking forward to seeing back on the field is 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='294445' first='Cash' last='Jacobsen'] along the defensive line. The Trojans were absolutely torched with injuries in 2022 and they are hopeful for a new slate in 2023. At this time last year, we thought that Jacobsen was primed for a breakout year along the defensive front for the Trojans. But he could never get any momentum in that regard. But coming into this season, he has that momentum going and as long as he stays healthy, he's going to be a game-wrecker up front. Jacobsen really impressed us when we watched the Trojans back in the spring and he will absolutely terrorize some opposing offensive linemen. The Trojans lost a bit up front so Jacobsen is going to give them an immediate boost.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["191607"],"_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":"At this time last year, there were a lot of conversations about move-ins and player movement in general. One of the underrated moves was 2025 standout [player_tooltip player_id='191607' first='Hudson' last='Ball'] moving to Oklahoma from Arkansas and he immediately gave the Trojans a boost along the defensive line. While he was in Arkansas, Ball was known more as a running back but he moved over to defense and his recruiting stock has definitely gone up since making that move. He is an outstanding athlete and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do for the Trojans this fall. Ball, combined with Jacobsen up front, give the Trojans a young but talented defensive front that should cause a lot of problems for opponents this fall. With another good season, Ball should see his recruitment take off.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["110751"],"_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":"We mentioned with Jacobsen how the Trojans had two defensive players we're fired up to see back on the field. 2024 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='110751' first='Jett' last='Calmus'] is the other. After suffering a leg injury very early on in the 2022 season, Calmus had to sit it out and he has to be fired up to get back on the field for the Trojans this fall. The last name Calmus and Jenks football feel synonymous at this point and we're looking forward to seeing a healthy [player_tooltip player_id='110751' first='Jett' last='Calmus'] this season. The Trojans lost a few key pieces in their front seven and specifically at linebacker. We anticipate Calmus to step into a bigger role and be one of Jenks' leading tacklers this season. If he has a good fall, the opportunities to play at the next level will follow as college coaches are waiting for Calmus to explode.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["402378"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"As mentioned earlier, player movement was another big topic this offseason and one of the biggest moves was 2026 running back and cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='402378' first='KD' last='Jones'] going from Broken Arrow to Jenks. Now, for those not familiar with the young standout, he's the son of former Jenks star Kejuan Jones. So this definitely feels somewhat like a homecoming of sorts. Jones was a breakout star last season as he ran away with our Freshman Of The Year award and he's now the top ranked prospect in Oklahoma's 2026 class. He is going to give the Trojans a lot of versatility on the offensive side as a running back and a receiver out of the backfield. And Jenks is also excited about his potential at the cornerback position as he showcased all of those skills this spring.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a22eaa14008"} /--> <!-- 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='597530' first='Conner' last='Thompson'] - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1096345' first='Eliott' last='Atiya'] - 2024 Kicker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='611315' first='Ilias' last='Cooper'] - 2024 Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='854775' first='Khy' last='Beaty'] - 2024 Athlete<br>[player_tooltip player_id='598834' first='Owen' last='Jones'] - 2025 Quarterback<br>[player_tooltip player_id='478124' first='Semaj' last='Stanford'] - 2027 Athlete<br>[player_tooltip player_id='115729' first='Simian' last='Gilkey'] - 2024 Quarterback</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 - Edmond Santa Fe<br>Sept. 1 - AT Owasso<br><strong>Sept. 8 - Union<br></strong>- The annual rivalry game takes place in week two as Jenks will host Union at Allan Trimble Stadium. This is always one of the marquee games early on in the season and the Trojans will definitely be itching to get a little payback after last year's 38-3 loss to the Redhawks. When you look at the preseason rankings, Jenks is looking up at Union but it's honestly a coin flip between the two rivals. Both teams expect to be in the state championship picture and despite it being just week two, this game is going to feel like a playoff atmosphere and if we're lucky, it'll lead to another instant classic.&nbsp;<br>Sept. 22 - AT Enid<br>Sept. 29 - Westmoore<br>Oct. 5 - AT Norman North<br>Oct. 13 - Moore<br>Oct. 20 - AT Southmoore<br><strong>Oct. 27 - AT Broken Arrow<br></strong>- The Trojans will go on the road to face Broken Arrow in week nine and this will no doubt be a game to circle with a few former Tigers joining the Trojans this offseason. And then you'll see a big district match-up where a home playoff game or bye week should be on the line. Last season, this match-up turned into an instant classic. Broken Arrow jumped out 14-0 and then 28-14 going into the final quarter and the Trojans made a comeback each time. Then, in overtime, they blocked an extra point to knock off the Tigers with a 35-34 victory in the extra period.<br><strong>Nov. 3 - Bixby<br></strong>- Arguably the biggest game of the season takes place in week ten as the Trojans will host defending state champion Bixby. The Spartans ended the Jenks season last year in the semifinals but the Trojans also ended Bixby's lengthy winning streak in the regular season meeting. Coming into this season, Bixby and Jenks are the top two teams in this district and it's easy to predict that this will be a head to head district championship match-up in week ten. The Trojans will hope to lock up the district title here because despite beating Bixby last year, they finished third in the district.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It isn't easy following a coaching legend but Jenks head coach Keith Riggs has made it look easy. After legendary head coach Allan Trimble retired in 2018, Riggs took over this Jenks juggernaut of a program. All he's done since then has led the Trojans to two state championships and two more championship appearances. In fact, in his first four seasons, the Trojans found themselves playing for the state championship. Last year, the Trojans fell short of the championship game for the first time since 2017. Now, going into year six, Riggs has a 55-12 record and the Trojans are once again in the mix for the Class 6A-1 championship. It is very impressive to say the least that this Trojan football program hasn't missed a step after their legendary coach retired. Riggs has kept this thing moving and the Trojans expect to make it back to Edmond in December.&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>18 State Championships</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2021 - Beat Union 30-15<br>2020 - Beat Edmond Santa Fe 41-14<br>2015 - Beat Broken Arrow 35-14<br>2014 - Beat Union 21-14<br>2013 - Beat Union 38-22<br>2012 - Beat Norman North 55-20<br>2007 - Beat Union 42-24<br>2006 - Beat Enid 28-7<br>2003 - Beat Edmond Santa Fe 17-10<br>2001 - Beat Putnam City North 38-28<br>2000 - Beat Union 31-12<br>1999 - Beat Union 14-7<br>1998 - Beat Union 41-28<br>1997 - Beat Yukon 56-8<br>1996 - Beat Midwest City 28-17<br>1993 - Beat Edmond 21-14<br>1982 - Beat Midwest City 10-7<br>1979 - Beat Ada 16-15</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->