Piedmont Wildcats OK 2023 Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></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 Piedmont Wildcats.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Piedmont Wildcats</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #6<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this time last season, Piedmont was hungry to start the season after going 5-6 in 2021 and losing in the first round of the playoffs. A slow start really set the Wildcats back but they brought back the majority of their starters and felt good about 2022. The Wildcats got back to winning and would finish the year with a 7-5 mark and made it to the quarterfinal round. The two playoff games they participated in were two of the highest scoring playoff games in Class 5A last season. They beat district champion Midwest City in the first round with a 60-41 win and then lost to McAlester the following week 60-42 in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats lost to the top three teams in their district, Carl Albert, Bishop McGuinness and Guthrie and because of that, they fell to the four seed in that district when the playoffs came around. But like we said all season, district 5A-2 was arguably the toughest district in the state and it played out that way as all four playoff teams from that district won their first round games and two would go all the way to the semifinals. Piedmont is ready to run it back in 2023 and make a deeper run into the postseason.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats will benefit from bringing the majority of their starters back for the second straight season and because of that, they find themselves in the preseason top ten in Class 5A. Eight starters return on the offensive side of the ball, including their quarterback, which is incredibly important in an option-style offensive scheme. On defense, they bring back nine starters, including two linebackers who combined for over 350 tackles a year ago and each earned All State honors. We anticipate this defense to be much improved this season. But the district is once again going to provide a massive challenge. In addition to being in arguably the most competitive district in the state for another season, the scheduling rotation did not work out in Piedmont's favor this season. Arguably their three toughest games against 5A competition this season are all going to come on the road, including their district match-ups with top five teams in Carl Albert and Guthrie. But there are plenty of things to be excited about when it comes to Piedmont football as we head into the 2023 football season and even beyond.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (7-5 Record - Lost In Class 5A Quarterfinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Lost To Noble 12-6<br>Sept. 2 - Beat El Reno 42-8<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Blanchard 28-13<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Duncan 51-0<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Southeast 63-32<br>Sept. 30 - Lost To Guthrie 27-0<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Lawton Eisenhower 56-6<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Shawnee 44-7<br>Oct. 28 - Lost To Bishop McGuinness 34-17<br>Nov. 4 - Lost To Carl Albert 38-21<br>1st Round - Beat Midwest City 60-41<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To McAlester 60-42</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>Cale Coffman - 2023 Tight End/Defensive Lineman<br>Jacob Anglin - 2023 Running Back/Defensive Back<br>John Whetter - 2023 Offensive/Defensive 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":["584540"],"_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 first of two Piedmont players that earned All State honors from last season was 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='584540' first='Brogan' last='Hardy'] for his impact at the linebacker position. Hardy was one of the top linebackers in the state last season and he eclipsed the 200 tackle mark for the season. Anytime you're talking about a player that has that kind of production, it's hard to talk about many other linebackers being ahead of Hardy in terms of the state's 2024 class. The Piedmont standout linebacker has been starting for the Wildcats since he was a freshman. He brings so much experience and talent to the table that we think that this Piedmont defense could certainly be an improved unit this season. With a tackling machine like Hardy manning things in the middle of this Wildcat defensive unit, we expect good things for them this season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["215197"],"_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":"Two-way star [player_tooltip player_id='215197' first='Cannon' last='Wood'] was the other All State selection from Piedmont last season and while his impact at linebacker was great, he was also a standout on offense and earned All State honors as an athlete because of it. On offense, Wood ran for over 1,200 yards and was arguably Piedmont's top offensive weapon. On defense, like Hardy, Wood was a tackling machine with well over 150 tackles on the season. With Hardy and Wood coming back at linebacker, Piedmont has to feel very confident about that side of the ball. The Wildcats definitely come into this season with two of the better linebackers in Class 5A and in the state overall. We like Wood's ability to impact the game in a variety of ways and if he exceeds last year's production this fall, that should mean Piedmont's playing deep into November.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["470675"],"_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 Piedmont's strength this season is going to be with their linebackers and option rushing attack, they also have some speed and skill players on the outside. One of the 2025 defensive backs that we're keeping eyes on this season is [player_tooltip player_id='470675' first='Ethan' last='Shelton'] after he was one of the top performers at our camp back in the spring. Shelton ran one of the fastest times of any camper this offseason when he was clocked at a 4.41 40-yard dash. Shelton tested incredibly well and then he was one of the top defensive backs we watched this offseason. Shelton is also listed as a running back and we're intrigued to see how much the Wildcats are able to use that speed on the offensive side of the ball. We're looking forward to seeing Shelton's growth this season as Piedmont looks to improve on the defensive side of the ball.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["396890"],"_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":"And whenever you talk about Piedmont, it's hard to talk about this offense without bringing up the option attack and the run-heavy unit the Wildcats have been using. And whenever you have an offense like this, whoever you have at quarterback becomes arguably the most important player on the team. Understanding and operating the option attack are incredibly important and 2024 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='396890' first='Josh' last='Mars'] has a good feel for this offense after running it for the last several years. Having that experience at the quarterback position is going to put the Piedmont offense in a good position as they head into this season. Last year, Mars was able to add quite a bit to the running game and wasn't just pitching it to different playmakers. He would run for more than 800 yards and is going to be looking for even more this season.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a8e9bc9470f"} /--> <!-- 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='1550002' first='Jayden' last='Fuston'] - 2025 Running Back<br>Jesse Knapp - 2025 Defensive Lineman<br>Reid Smith - 2026 Linebacker<br>Talon Benford - 2024 Linebacker<br>Ty Bohuslavicky - 2024 Offensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='969924' first='Tyson' last='Benford'] - 2024 Linebacker</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 - Noble<br><strong>Sept. 1 - AT El Reno<br></strong>- The Wildcats are once again playing a very tough non-district schedule, which should prepare them for what will be a tough district slate. And after hosting Noble in the season opener, they'll hit the road for the first time in 2023 when they take a short trip over to El Reno. The Indians bring back the majority of their starters and they appear to be ready to return to contention in Class 5A and make plenty of noise this season. Piedmont had no problems with El Reno in last year's match-up, winning 42-8, but this is a much more experienced team that has high expectations. <br>Sept. 8 - Blanchard<br>Sept. 15 - Duncan<br>Sept. 22 - AT Southeast<br><strong>Sept. 29 - AT Guthrie<br></strong>- The first real district test comes in week five, at the halfway point of the regular season when Piedmont travels to Guthrie to face the Blue Jays. Guthrie is once again in the top five of the Class 5A rankings and appears to be one of the main contenders in the Class 5A state title race. A win here against the Blue Jays will not only keep their district title hopes alive, but Piedmont would also be one step closer to having at least one home playoff game. Piedmont will be hungry for this one after being shut out by the Blue Jays last season. Their last win against Guthrie came back in 2019.<br>Oct. 6 - Lawton Eisenhower<br>Oct. 20 - AT Shawnee<br>Oct. 27 - Bishop McGuinness<br><strong>Nov. 3 - AT Carl Albert<br></strong>- And in week ten, it's this season's main event for Piedmont as they'll hit the road once again and take on defending champion Carl Albert. The Titans are once again sitting on top of Class 5A as we head into another season and if the Wildcats come into week ten with an undefeated district record, this game will be a head to head clash for the district championship. With the Titans the favorites to win Class 5A again, they are also the favorites in the district. Piedmont will attempt to stun the Titans and take some much needed momentum with them into the first round of the playoffs the following week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 football season could very well be the last season that Piedmont is competing in Class 5A. We'll know much more about this in August when the new ADM numbers come out and then the new classes and districts are announced. The Wildcats have been a steady riser up the enrollment numbers for the last decade and it only seemed like a matter of time before they tipped over and officially reached 6A-2 territory in terms of enrollment. When the numbers came out last August, Piedmont was the largest school in Class 5A and the belief for the last year has been that when the updated numbers come out, there is a very good chance that Piedmont will have reached 6A-2 territory. That does nothing for this season as Piedmont is locked into Class 5A for football. But other sports could be bumped up to Class 6A and starting in 2024, the Wildcats will join other teams in 6A-2. It's all speculation at this point, but it's something to watch for in the next month.&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>0 State Championships</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->