Newcastle Racers 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 Newcastle Racers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Newcastle Racers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #6<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #9</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Newcastle improved their record in 2022 with a young and talented team. After going 5-6 in 2021, they would finish the 2022 season with a 7-4 park and they would lose a close one to Elk City in the Class 4A first round. Unfortunately for the Racers, they found themselves in arguably the toughest district in Class 4A last season. With district foes Bethany, Blanchard and Tuttle all in the top ten rankings throughout the season, that gave the Racers an uphill climb and they would go 0-3 against those three teams. But two of those losses were by a combined eight points. Newcastle was certainly not your typical four seed that you see when you're a district champion and Elk City got all they wanted from the talented Racers. And now, as we look ahead to the 2023 football season, the Racers are ready to take that next step. The district is going to be a tough slate once again but Newcastle brings back the talent to contend with those other three programs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Racers come into the 2023 season in the Class 4A preseason rankings for the third consecutive season. And this year, they've reloaded for a deep run in the playoffs. They'll be searching for their fourth consecutive playoff appearance but their first deep postseason run in two decades. The Racers are going to be highlighted by nine starters returning on the offensive side of the ball. Newcastle will have an extremely talented rushing attack. From the quarterback and two running backs that return from last year's team, this Racer team has a chance to really be one of the top scoring offenses in Class 4A. Then you turn around and look at a Newcastle defense that brings back eight starters on that side of the ball. So while the offense certainly has a chance to light up scoreboards, the defense also has the potential to shut down opponents this season. Newcastle's schedule this fall is going to be one of the tougher schedules in Class 4A. Between a challenging non-district slate and a district that's going to be up there once again in competition, Newcastle will be battle-tested by the time November rolls around.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (7-4 Record - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Cleveland 38-0<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Plainview 30-13<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Woodward 34-12<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Tecumseh 35-7<br>Sept. 30 - Lost To Blanchard 19-0<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Bridge Creek 68-0<br>Oct. 14 - Beat Harrah 57-6<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Classen SAS 51-12<br>Oct. 28 - Lost To Tuttle 27-20<br>Nov. 3 - Lost To Bethany 32-31 (OT)<br>1st Round - Lost To Elk City 28-21</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>Kayden Phillips - Defensive Back<br>Randy Nix - Tight End</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":["898158"],"_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":"Newcastle 2024 running back [player_tooltip player_id='898158' first='Carson' last='Bolser'] was the team's leading rusher last season. He would finish with well over 900 yards on the season and nine touchdowns on the ground. Bolser first made an impact as a sophomore in 2021 and his production went up significantly last season as a junior. Bolser only had four more carries than his sophomore season and his yardage and touchdowns still went up dramatically. As we mentioned earlier, the strength of the Newcastle offense is going to come in the backfield. With Bolser and some of the other talented players in the Newcastle backfield, this team has a chance to put up some major points. After seeing his production go up last season, we're interested to see if Bolser can eclipse 1,000 yards this fall.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["154215"],"_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":"2024 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='154215' first='Jackson' last='Bergt'] has been a name that we've known about since the end of his freshman season. Bergt attended our very first camp back in the summer of 2021 and he's shown steady improvement ever since. Last season, we were really impressed with his ability to dominate the ground game. The Racers didn't ask Bergt to do too much in the passing game last season because he had quite the impact on the ground game. As a passer, the Newcastle quarterback would throw for nearly 1,500 yards but he also added well over 600 yards on the ground. The backfield duo of Bergt and Bolser is going to be one of the better 1-2 punches in Class 4A. They were outstanding last season and will be a big reason why the Racers have success in 2023.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["898159"],"_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 earlier that the Newcastle defense has nearly all of their starters back for this season. And arguably the strength of this Racer defense is going to come from the secondary. They have some serious talent coming back at the defensive back position and 2025 defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='898159' first='Jackson' last='Schanuel'] leads the group. He led the Racers last season with six interceptions on the year. Schanuel has some impressive size at 6'4 and he's also going to give the Racers a big pass-catching target on offense and he can even help out in special teams as a returner. But we're excited to see what he can do this season on the defensive side of the ball. He was an absolute ball hawk and the Racers forced quite a few turnovers. Only time will tell if they can do it again.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["449184"],"_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":"Newcastle 2026 standout [player_tooltip player_id='449184' first='TJ' last='Bradford'] really impressed us when we were able to catch Newcastle at the Mustang team camp last month. We knew Bradford as a running back and he was still a standout at that position but he was also impressive as a cornerback and did a good job of locking down wide receivers and helping in run support. Bradford is a very hard-running back that is going to be tough to bring down in 1 on 1 situations. He enjoyed a breakout season last year as just a freshman and earned significant playing time very early on in that freshman season. We brought up earlier how talented this Newcastle backfield and specifically the running game could be this season and here's another example of why. Bradford, combined with the other two in the backfield should put up a lot of yards and points.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a8ec76ae1f6"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aden Shumard - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1365396' first='Hunter' last='Barry'] - 2025 Tight End/Defensive End<br>Maddox Birdsong - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Shane Lovejoy - 2024 Linebacker<br>Taj Smith - 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Toby Batchelder - 2024 Kicker<br>Trey Burchett - 2025 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><strong>Aug. 25 - Weatherford<br></strong>- Newcastle will open up their 2023 schedule with a match-up that will be arguably the most anticipated in Class 4A during week zero. They host Weatherford, who also is going to debut in the Class 4A top ten. These two teams used to be district foes but last year's redistricting shake up put the Eagles and Racers in different districts. Newcastle beat Weatherford 43-7 in their last meeting in 2021. They met in eight consecutive seasons and the Eagles had the overall edge with a 5-3 record during that time frame. We'll know a lot about both teams following this opener.<br>Sept. 8 - Plainview<br>Sept. 15 - AT Woodward<br>Sept. 22 - Tecumseh<br><strong>Sept. 29 - Blanchard<br></strong>- After a challenging non-district schedule, Newcastle's district slate will really get cranked up in week five. It's the halfway point of the regular season and at this point, we're going to have a really good idea of what kind of challenger Newcastle is when you talk about the Class 4A playoff picture. They'll host Blanchard in a clash between two teams that are ranked in the Class 4A preseason poll. The Racers are looking to turn things around in this district match-up after getting shut out 19-0 to the Lions last season. A win here is going to put Newcastle in a position to truly contend for the district crown.&nbsp;<br>Oct. 6 - AT Bridge Creek<br>Oct. 12 - AT Harrah<br>Oct. 20 - Classen SAS<br><strong>Oct. 27 - AT Tuttle<br></strong>- In week nine, Newcastle will get arguably their toughest test of the 2023 football season. The Racers will hit the road and go a few miles west to take on district rival Tuttle. These two teams are very familiar with one another and if they haven't been in the same district, they'll end up playing each other in non-district play. Unfortunately for the Racers, this has been a completely one-sided match-up historically. The Tigers have won ten consecutive games in this match-up and Newcastle's 45-13 win back in 2014 was their only win in the last 20 meetings. Last year's match-up was a close one and the district title could be decided here.&nbsp;<br>Nov. 3 - AT Bethany</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As mentioned earlier, Newcastle found themselves in arguably the toughest district in Class 4A last season. Throughout the majority of the season four teams from 4A-2 all found themselves in the top ten rankings at the same time. The Racers would finish the regular season with a 7-3 record and weren't your typical four seed going into the playoffs. They had the narrow loss to district champion Elk City in the first round but are ready for a much deeper playoff run this fall. Newcastle is going to be searching for their fourth consecutive playoff appearance this season. But ever since head coach Jeff Brickman took over the Newcastle program a few seasons ago, the expectations have continued to rise as the Racers continue to make playoff appearances and find themselves in the top ten for Class 4A. Now, they're ready to take that next step in a class that has been dominated by just a handful of teams. Newcastle wants to crash the party and it will begin with their gauntlet run throughout the district.&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>1 State Championship</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1992 – Beat Marlow 21-11</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->