Marlow Outlaws 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 Marlow Outlaws.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Marlow Outlaws</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #5<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #10</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this time last year, the Marlow Outlaws were in an interesting position going into the 2022 football season. They were the Class 2A state champions but they were in Class 3A and were also rebuilding after losing a seriously talented senior class. The Outlaws still went 7-4 and found their way to the playoffs but there's no doubt that they are ready to get the 2023 football season underway with the majority of starters back after getting their feet wet in Class 3A last season. You combine that with the way the season ended and the Outlaws are going to be fired up to get going this year. The Outlaws lost their final two games of the season last fall, starting in week ten when they lost a head to head clash with Heritage Hall with the district championship on the line. The loss actually dropped them to the three seed and they would lose the following week in a 49-0 decision to Perkins-Tryon. Coming into this fall, the Outlaws have reloaded and are ready to find some success in Class 3A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15 starters return for the Outlaws with seven coming back on offense and ready to return to what we saw from them during that perfect 15-0 season in 2021. The defense also brings back eight starters so the Outlaws are deserving of being ranked in the top ten heading into the season but they will have several hurdles in front of them between now and finding that elusive playoff success in Class 3A. First and foremost, the district. It features defending state champion Heritage Hall, fellow playoff teams Lone Grove and Pauls Valley, as well as Plainview and Sulphur, who both had rare seasons of missing the playoffs but have reloaded as well to make plenty of noise in Class 3A. The non-district schedule will also test the Outlaws but the experience they bring back on both sides of the ball should allow for them to make a run back to the playoffs and perhaps a little further. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (7-4 Record - Lost In Class 3A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 2 - Beat Chickasha 45-14<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Comanche 62-0<br>Sept. 16 - Lost To Perkins-Tryon 34-21<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Pauls Valley 29-14<br>Sept. 30 - Lost To Lone Grove 41-21<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Dickson 47-0<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Douglass 48-0<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Sulphur 28-10<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Plainview 40-7<br>Nov. 3 - Lost To Heritage Hall 31-7<br>1st Round - Lost To Perkins-Tryon 49-0</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>Avrey Payne - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</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":["897728"],"_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":"One of the question marks surrounding Marlow heading into this season is how they will replace a playmaker like Avrey Payne at the wide receiver position. Look no further than 2024 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='897728' first='Barron' last='Gage'] and it's easy to pinpoint him after a breakout season a year ago. He would finish with nearly 750 yards and eight touchdowns on the season and he should be their leading receiver this fall. The Outlaws have a few different ways that they are going to beat defenses this fall but when it comes down to needing a big play, we think Gage will fit that role more times than not. At 6'2 and with some playmaking ability at the receiver position, he's the perfect guy to get the job done when the Outlaws need it.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["897727"],"_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":"Stop me if you've heard this before. There's a Gilbert playing quarterback for Marlow and he's a complete dual-threat weapon. 2024 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='897727' first='Cade' last='Gilbert'] did a great job of replacing Jace Gilbert last fall and he put up some very respectable numbers. He would throw for over 1,500 yards and run for nearly 700 yards and also saw plenty of playing time on the defensive side of the ball at safety. Gilbert is also a state champion wrestler and the toughness he brings to the football field is something that we really appreciate in his game. And the fact that Gilbert brings back a player like Gage at wide receiver, we think that could be a dangerous combination this fall. But when the play breaks down and Gilbert needs to go on the run, he can and extend drives.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["897729"],"_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":"While Gage and Gilbert will be one of the better QB/WR duos in Class 3A, the Outlaws are going to be able to rely on their defense to win them some games this season as well. 2024 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='897729' first='Jase' last='Hunt'] leads a very experienced defense back this season and will be one of the vocal leaders on a unit that brings back eight starters. Hunt is an absolute wrecking ball at the linebacker position and he's going to be fun to watch when you consider some of the teams they face and how the strength of those opponents are in the running game. Hunt is a tackling machine, he's incredibly strong and he's a linebacker that we're going to keep our eyes on this season because he's primed for big things this fall.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a873396ee53"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brock Smith - 2025 Defensive Lineman<br>Caden Lucas - 2024 Offensive Lineman<br>Cody Weber - 2024 Wide Receiver<br>Ely Gray - 2024 Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1716143' first='Hudson' last='Morgan'] - 2026 Linebacker<br>Joseus Flores - 2024 Offensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1337296' first='Korbin' last='Dittner'] - 2025 Linebacker<br>Lawson Knox - 2024 Defensive Back<br>Owen Long - 2024 Offensive Lineman<br>Payton Edie - 2024 Defensive 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>Sept. 1 - Chickasha<br>Sept. 8 - Comanche<br><strong>Sept. 15 - AT Perkins-Tryon</strong><br>- Before Marlow jumps into a tough district slate, they'll have one last tune up in non-district play and it'll be one of their toughest games this season. They will hit the road to face off with Perkins-Tryon for the third time in 12 months. They lost to the Demons 34-21 in week three last season but were then shut out in a 49-0 rout in the first round of the playoffs. There's no doubt that the Outlaws have had this game circled on the schedule since that loss in November. It doesn't count towards playoff seeding, but a win will give them a ton of momentum going into the games that do. <br>Sept. 22 - Pauls Valley<br>Sept. 29 - AT Lone Grove<br>Oct. 6 - Dickson<br>Oct. 12 - AT Douglass<br><strong>Oct. 20 - AT Sulphur</strong><br>- We mentioned earlier how teams like Sulphur and Plainview missed out on the playoffs last year but they have reloaded for a big 2023 campaign. The Outlaws will go on the road once again to face the Bulldogs in week eight and this is going to be a massive game for the playoff seedings. If the Outlaws find themselves with a perfect district record when they travel to Sulphur, they will keep their district title hopes alive. The competition is going to be serious for the four playoff spots so they can't afford to slip up at any point. The Outlaws beat the Bulldogs 28-10 in last season's meeting. <br>Oct. 27 - Plainview<br><strong>Nov. 3 - AT Heritage Hall</strong><br>- And capping off the games to circle is yet another match-up against a ranked team that happens away from home. The Outlaws will wrap up the regular season on the road against defending state champion Heritage Hall. We mentioned earlier that Marlow found themselves in a head to head clash with the Chargers for the district championship last season. And the 31-7 loss dropped them down to the three seed, which led to them getting bounced in the first round. There's no doubt that this match-up is going to have big playoff implications once again. The question is will it be for the district title?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading into the 2022 football season, the Outlaws found themselves in a unique position where they were a defending state champion but they were not going to be able to defend that state championship. After a perfect 2021 season that saw them go 15-0 and raise the gold ball in Class 2A, the Outlaws were bumped up to Class 3A in 2022 and were put into a district with the eventual champions in Class 3A in Heritage Hall. The Outlaws are one of many schools in Oklahoma that are on the edge, in terms of enrollment, with two different classes. They spent just two seasons in Class 2A and that was 2020 and 2021, lifting the gold ball in 2021 with a perfect season. Now, the Outlaws are back in Class 3A, where they spent the majority of the last few decades but they are hungry to find some playoff success. In their last ten trips to the playoffs, while in Class 3A, the Outlaws have an 0-10 record and have been bounced in the first round each time. Finishing as high as they can in district play will be critical to set themselves up for playoff success.&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>2021 - Beat Washington 17-13<br>1964 - Beat Bixby 25-12<br>1959 - Beat Hominy 32-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->