McAlester Buffaloes 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 McAlester Buffaloes.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>McAlester Buffaloes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #7</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #4</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The McAlester Buffaloes come into another season as a top ten team in the Class 5A preseason rankings but the 2023 Buffaloes are going to look quite different from the last two teams that made trips to Edmond. The 2021 and 2022 Buffaloes were led by superstar Erik McCarty, who is now a freshman at Oklahoma. McCarty led them to back to back state championship game appearances and was the 2021 PRZ-Oklahoma Player Of The Year. But we got a glimpse of what life without McCarty would look like late in the season as McAlester had to play without their superstar in the last few games. They still found a way to make it to Edmond and the expectations aren't going to change coming into 2023. McAlester went 11-3 last season and despite finishing third in the district, the Buffaloes made it all the way to Edmond. They would beat Collinsville in the first round in a 2021 state title game rematch. They would then beat Piedmont in a shootout before stunning Bishop McGuinness in the semifinals. The Buffaloes have had to settle for silver in their last two seasons but despite McCarty graduating, we still expect McAlester to be in the mix.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McAlester is going to have to replace some key contributors from last season's team but they are not lacking in the talent department. Six starters are back on the offensive side of the ball, including their starting quarterback and the majority of their offensive line. They'll have a new name at running back but after watching the Buffaloes in the spring, we have a feeling that they have found a new playmaker to take the bulk of the carries moving forward. In addition to the six starters on offense, they also bring back eight starters on that defensive unit that is ready to return to the “Black Death Defense” that we saw during the 2021 football season. The Buffaloes will be strong on that side of the ball and they'll need it considering the district that McAlester finds themselves in. District 5A-3 was incredibly competitive last season and we think that it will play out that way again this fall. And some of the offenses that McAlester will be facing have some big time players and some of the better quarterbacks in the state's 2024 class. So the Buffaloes will be challenged once again but as they proved last season, they just have to make it to the playoffs and anything can happen. But before they worry about a state championship, they want to get back on top of the district.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (11-3 Record - Class 5A Runner Up)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Broken Bow 34-24<br>Sept. 3 - Beat Scottlandsville, LA. 35-20<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Ada 34-0<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Memorial 52-0<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Del City 34-33 (OT)<br>Oct. 6 - Lost To Coweta 49-0<br>Oct. 13 - Beat East Central 68-7<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Durant 52-20<br>Oct. 28 - Lost To Sapulpa 28-27<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Glenpool 44-6<br>1st Round - Beat Collinsville 27-14<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Piedmont 60-42<br>Semifinals - Beat Bishop McGuinness 39-29<br>Championship - Lost To Carl Albert 49-7</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>Blaze Baugh - Running Back<br>Chaz Bradley - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Erik McCarty - Athlete<br>Garrett Shumway - Defensive Lineman<br>Kasen Whitley - Offensive 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":["460524"],"_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":"2024 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='460524' first='Caden' last='Lesnau'] was a name that we had circled coming into last season as he was arguably one of their best wide receivers during the 2021 season. But in 2022, Lesnau moved over to quarterback and made the transition look easy. He would throw for more than 2,000 yards and also was a threat in the running game as he tucked the ball and took off quite a bit in 2022. Lesnau is going to have a little more on his plate this season as the Buffaloes look to replace Baugh and McCarty at the running back positions. We're looking forward to seeing what kind of production he can put up this season in the passing game and the running game. He has a strong offensive line in front of him and he'll be incredibly important to their long term success.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["858875"],"_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":"One of the biggest questions surrounding McAlester coming into this season is how they replace the production from the running game this fall. We think they have their answer and it's a good one as 2026 running back [player_tooltip player_id='858875' first='Jordan' last='Clark'] was really impressive in the spring when we got a chance to see the Buffaloes in person. One thing we're looking forward to seeing is when Clark takes direct snaps and just powers ahead. He had a lot of success doing that at the team camp we attended and it's clear that he has good vision. It won't be all that surprising if Clark puts up some big numbers and provides a spark for the McAlester offense this fall. Clark is definitely a player that is on our shortlist to be a breakout star in Class 5A this season.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["154211"],"_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 feels like we've been talking and writing about McAlester 2024 big man [player_tooltip player_id='154211' first='Malachi' last='Wrice'] for three years now. And that's because we have as he came on to the scene early on in his high school career. Wrice was an instant impact player as a freshman and he's only continued to get better and provide McAlester with a very versatile player that can do a lot of things incredibly well. Wrice is also a standout on the basketball floor but it's pretty obvious at this point that his ceiling as a prospect is higher on the football field when the pads come on. Wrice has gotten quite a bit of interest from schools, including the D1 level. It feels like he's more valuable on defense right now but we can't overlook what he provides the Buffaloes on the offensive side.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["529848"],"_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":"McAlester 2025 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='529848' first='Will' last='Spears'] is going to lead a McAlester defense that is ready to return to what we saw from that unit in 2021. That defense was absolutely dominant and was led by a stout linebacker that led the team in tackles. That's the recipe for success for the Buffaloes and Spears could certainly fill that role for McAlester this season. Spears led McAlester in tackles last season with nearly 100 on the year and it's hard not to anticipate that he's going to take that to another level this season. He's leading a defensive unit that is incredibly talented and experienced and while some of the new faces on offense come along, Spears and the defense is going to be able to carry this team early on in the season.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ad9ec2082b0"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bobby Hearod - 2027 Quarterback/Defensive Back<br>Bradon Smith - 2027 Athlete<br>[player_tooltip player_id='858878' first='Cleveland' last='Williamson'] - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Deveion Bickham - 2027 Athlete<br>Eli Chatman - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='268331' first='Zac' last='Rogers'] - 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>Aug. 25 - AT Broken Bow<br>Sept. 1 - Prescott, AR.<br>Sept. 8 - AT Ada<br>Sept. 22 - AT Memorial<br><strong>Sept. 29 - Del City</strong><br>- Just based on how this game ended last season, this match-up should be one of the top district games in Class 5A this season. Last year, the Buffaloes went on the road and stunned Del City in overtime to win. They would score right before the end of regulation to force the extra period and then win it in OT. Now, fast forward to this year and not only is it a rematch of last year's instant classic, but it's a pivotal district clash. Del City is ranked #2 in the Class 5A preseason rankings and are arguably the favorites to win the district crown. This is a big game in week five.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 6 - Coweta</strong><br>- We mentioned earlier how 5A-3 was going to be a gauntlet this season. One week after squaring off with #2 Del City, the Buffaloes will host a Coweta team that has become arguably their top rival over the last few seasons. These two teams have been incredibly competitive over the last few years and the Buffaloes will definitely have this one circled after the way last season's match-up ended. The Buffaloes were blown out at Coweta as they lost 49-0 to the Tigers. They certainly remember how they felt in week six of last year and will want to get a big win here.<br>Oct. 12 - AT East Central<br>Oct. 19 - Durant<br><strong>Oct. 27 - Sapulpa</strong><br>- While the 5A-3 district is going to provide a massive challenge for the Buffaloes, they will benefit from having their three toughest opponents all coming to their home turf. In week nine, McAlester will host Sapulpa and this is another rematch of a stunning loss from last season. McAlester fell to the Chieftains in week nine last year and that would drop them to the three seed and set up a rematch with Collinsville in the first round. And just like Del City, Sapulpa comes into this season as a top five team and will have some serious firepower on offense that will challenge the Buffaloes.&nbsp;<br>Nov. 3 - AT Glenpool</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McAlester finds themselves in arguably the toughest district in Class 5A this season. With three teams ranked in the preseason top ten, two more just on the outside of the rankings, district play is going to be a battle each and every week. The Buffaloes are looking to continue their stretch of playoff success but in order to do that, they will attempt to set themselves up for the easiest path when November comes around. And as mentioned earlier, that district schedule is going to provide quite a few challenges. But there is no doubt that head coach <a href="mailto:fmazey@gmail.com">Forrest Mazey</a> has turned this Buffalo football program back into a consistent contender. With back to back championship game appearances and a semifinal appearance back in 2020, the Buffaloes have learned how to win big and they want to finish the job this season.&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>2 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1988 – Beat Altus 13-3<br>1968 – Beat Stillwater 42-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->