Minco Bulldogs 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 Minco Bulldogs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Minco Bulldogs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #7</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #5</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Minco Bulldogs have been one of the more consistent Class A programs over the last decade but they aren't going to settle for just another playoff appearance. They want to truly contend and they certainly have the talent to do so as we look ahead to the 2023 football season. Last fall, Minco got out of the gates incredibly hot, with a 6-0 start, the Bulldogs were looking like a serious threat to capture the district crown. After a red-hot September, they hit two bumps in the road in October with back to back losses to Christian Heritage and then Hinton. That would drop the Bulldogs to third in the district and they would have to go on the road for the first round of the playoffs. In that first round, they ran into Wynnewood and one of the best players in the state and it showed. The Bulldogs thought they were moving on to the second round with a 20-6 lead in the final quarter. But Wynnewood would score 20 unanswered points, including the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds to stun the Bulldogs and end their season. But as we look ahead to the 2023 football season, not only does Minco have unfinished business, but they have the talent and depth to finish the job this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs return nearly all 22 starters for another run and that's a big reason why they are a top ten team in both our rankings and the coaches rankings heading into this season. Nine starters return on the offensive side of the ball, including a very talented dual-threat quarterback and the majority of his offensive line. This offense has the potential to be a pretty talented unit and having a strong defense backing them up will also help. Eight starters are back on the defensive side of the ball and on paper, the Bulldogs look like the team to beat in their district. But other district contenders like Christian Heritage and Crescent will certainly have something to say about that. The Bulldogs will look to get out to a hot start again early on in the season and keep that momentum going as they enter district play. The Bulldogs will also get to see how they stack up against some of the best in Class A during the scrimmage week in August. They'll see the Wynnewood team that bounced them out of the playoffs in the first round in August. We'll know more about the Bulldogs and where they are in the Class A race in late August before they kick off the season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (8-3 Record - Lost In Class A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Dibble 31-12<br>Sept. 2 - Beat Mooreland 14-6<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Apache 53-20<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Merritt 20-7<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Cashion 27-8<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Watonga 41-6<br>Oct. 7 - Lost To Christian Heritage 28-7<br>Oct. 21 - Lost To Hinton 19-18<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Crescent 42-32<br>Nov. 3 - Beat Casady 34-28<br>1st Round - Lost To Wynnewood 26-20</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>Gage Law<br>Hunter Mullanax</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":["901957"],"_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":"The Minco defense is going to be bolstered by the pass rush of 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='901957' first='Ashton' last='Taylor'] at the defensive end position. Taylor was incredibly productive last season as he racked up over 80 tackles on the year, along with 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a junior. But one of the more impressive numbers we saw was forced fumbles as Taylor caused five forced fumbles on the season. He would make separating the ball carrier from the ball appear normal each week. Taylor is a hard-hitting defensive lineman that can cause a lot of problems for opposing offensive lines. Taylor has also had a really good offseason showcasing his skills at various camps. We won't be surprised if he is one of the more disruptive defensive linemen in Class A this fall.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["901963"],"_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":"Minco's 2024 class is loaded with experienced and talented players but some of the younger classes aren't lacking talent either. Leading the 2025 group is wide receiver and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='901963' first='Carson' last='Littlejohn'] on both sides of the ball. At 6'3, Littlejohn gives Minco a very physical player that can make a lot happen when the ball is in his hands. After throwing on his film from his sophomore season, the very first play stands out in a big way as he broke at least five tackles while turning a short play into a big one for the Minco offense. Littlejohn can also bring that physicality and size to the defensive side of the ball, becoming a hard-hitting defensive back or even linebacker at times. Littlejohn has the potential to be an impact player on Minco's defense.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["901958"],"_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":"As we mentioned earlier, this Minco offense has the potential to be one of the better units in Class A this season. Having 2024 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='901958' first='Reed' last='McMurtrey'] returning as QB1 is a big reason behind that. Last season, McMurtrey was very productive as a dual-threat quarterback for the Bulldog offense. He would throw for more than 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns and also added more than 600 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He's definitely a quarterback we can see putting up better numbers this season in both departments and being even more of a dual-threat for defenses to contend with. Speaking of defense, McMurtrey was also a ball hawk on Minco's defense at the safety position. He took two interceptions back for touchdowns last season.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ada9c216f16"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aden Brummell - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Ben Burchfield - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Colten Mendez - 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='412934' first='Eli' last='Kirkes'] - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Jake Carruth - 2024 Running Back/Linebacker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1334931' first='Landon' last='McMahon'] - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</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 - Dibble<br>Sept. 1 - AT Mooreland<br>Sept. 8 - AT Apache<br>Sept. 15 - Merritt<br>Sept. 22 - AT Cashion<br>Sept. 29 - Watonga<br><strong>Oct. 6 - AT Christian Heritage</strong><br>- Minco will definitely have their week six clash at Christian Heritage circled as the Crusaders were the first team to hand Minco a loss in 2022. And it goes without saying, but this will be a big match-up in terms of the district championship race. If the Bulldogs want to truly contend for the district title, getting a win here is going to be important. These two teams were district foes in 2018 and 2019 before the Crusaders briefly moved up to Class 2A. The Bulldogs won both of those meetings but the Crusaders were able to knock off Minco 28-7 last season. <br>Oct. 19 - AT Hinton<br><strong>Oct. 27 - Crescent</strong><br>- On paper, these two teams appear to be the top two teams in this district heading into the season. So the district title could be on the line for Minco in week nine. This will also be the last district game for the Bulldogs to help their seeding. Minco and Crescent have found themselves as district foes quite a bit over the last two decades. The Bulldogs have had a lot of recent success in the series recently. Including their 42-32 win over Crescent last season, they've won the last five meetings in the series, with the winning streak starting back to 2013. <br>Nov. 3 - Casady</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Minco is in the middle of the most consistent playoff run in school history. They have made 13 consecutive playoff appearances, dating back to the 2010 season. It's the longest stretch of consecutive playoff appearances for the Bulldogs but they won't be satisfied with just extending that streak this fall. The Bulldogs are looking to take the next step and truly contend in Class A. While it's going to start in their district, they'll look to contend with the best of the best in Class A. During this run of consecutive playoff appearances, the Bulldogs haven't had too much success in the postseason. They've only reached the quarterfinal round on three occasions and are still looking to get over that hump and punch their ticket to the semifinals. Minco definitely has the talent and experience to contend with some of the best in Class A. Now they have to go out on the field and prove it when it matters most.&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>1970 - Beat Wetumka 28-0<br>1968 - Beat Sperry 35-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->