Ponca City Wildcats 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 Ponca City Wildcats.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Ponca City Wildcats</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #8<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #8</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this time last year, Ponca City had suffered through another losing season in the win-loss columns and they were ready for the losing to end. But there was plenty of excitement surrounding this Wildcat football program because of the team they brought back and some of the young players they had coming up. But the losing continued early on for the Wildcats as they lost four games in a row to start the season. They fell to Guthrie, Enid, Sand Springs and in their district opener against Deer Creek. But things turned around in a big way as they entered the second half of the season. The Wildcats would win five straight and locked up a playoff spot for the first time in nearly two decades. Ponca would then beat Tahlequah in a rare home playoff game in the first round before being shut out by Muskogee in a low-scoring affair in the quarterfinals. But the Wildcats are definitely ready to take the next step in 2023 and want to build off the momentum they began last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A few things are working in Ponca City's favor as we look ahead to the 2023 football season. First off, the district once again is the weaker of the two when it comes to Class 6A-2. Choctaw and Deer Creek will be the top challengers once again but the rest of the district slate is very manageable. The Wildcats also bring back nine starters on the offensive side of the ball. And while the defense is going to have quite a few new faces, the offense is going to be able to make up for that early on in the season. Ponca has a very experienced offensive line with four of the five starters returning and some big time weapons in the passing game. So as that young defense comes along, the offense is going to carry things early on. The Wildcats are determined to keep the momentum from 2022 going into this season. They went 6-6 last year but they're ready to finally have a winning record. And a winning record would mean a strong regular season followed by some playoff success. They got their first taste of playoff success in a long time during the 2022 season and they're hungry for more.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (6-6 Record - Lost In Class 6A-2 Quarterfinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Lost To Guthrie 35-23<br>Sept. 2 - Lost To Enid 33-20<br>Sept. 16 - Lost To Sand Springs 48-25<br>Sept. 23 - Lost To Deer Creek 37-21<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Lawton 24-16<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Putnam City North 37-7<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Putnam City 13-7<br>Oct. 20 - Beat Capitol Hill 67-0<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Northwest Classen 44-8<br>Nov. 3 - Lost To Choctaw 42-13<br>1st Round - Beat Tahlequah 35-7<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To Muskogee 18-0</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>Gabe Roland - Linebacker<br>Grant Harmon - Defensive Back<br>Trycten Boyer - 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":["386742"],"_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 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='386742' first='Gavin' last='Cunningham'] is a wide receiver prospect we really like within the state's 2024 class. Cunningham is a big and athletic wide receiver that's a highlight play waiting to happen. The Wildcats are going to have a lot of success in the passing game this season with some of the names they have coming back. But Cunningham is definitely up there in terms of wide receivers in Class 6A-2 as we look ahead to the 2023 season. There aren't many wide receivers that we would put ahead of Cunningham at this point and it feels like he's primed for a massive season this fall. Cunningham put up some good numbers last year but he was just scratching the surface. He's had a really good offseason and he should have a really strong 2023 campaign.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["759187"],"_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":"Ponca City's defense is definitely going to be young this season as they have to replace the majority of their starters from last year's team. But one bright spot is going to be right up front with 2024 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='759187' first='Hudson' last='Haas'] along that defensive front. Haas is a player that the Ponca City coaches really like because of his productivity and versatility he brings to the defensive side of the ball. It doesn't matter where Haas lines up, he finds a way to be productive and make an impact on the field. And Ponca's coaches are going to move him around quite a bit while they work in some of those new faces around Haas on the defensive side of the ball. We think that Haas could end up being one of the more productive defensive linemen in 6A-2 this fall.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["299735"],"_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":"2024 tight end [player_tooltip player_id='299735' first='Kooper' last='Rich'] has been a prospect we've written about for a little over a year now. After watching his sophomore film while playing 8-man football at Waynoka, we've been a fan of Rich's game. He moved from Waynoka to Ponca City last offseason and transitioned from the 8-man game to 11-man football last fall. In addition to Cunningham, Rich is going to be another big target in the Wildcat passing game on offense. That is one thing that Ponca City is going to have an advantage in this season. They have a lot of size among their skill positions and once a player like Rich gets the ball in his hands, he's tough to take down in a 1 on 1 situation. Rich also has shown the ability to play a little defense as well and with a young defensive unit, he could play on both sides this fall.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64b7190eb892b"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aven Hobbs - 2025 Defensive Lineman<br>Brody Wicker - 2024 Running Back<br>Cole Runnels - 2024 Wide Receiver<br>[player_tooltip player_id='824710' first='Cooper' last='Leonard'] - 2024 Offensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='487244' first='Evan' last='Peitz'] - 2024 Offensive Lineman<br>Tay Moore - 2024 Quarterback</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 - AT Guthrie<br></strong>- These two teams met for a decade straight from 2010-2019 in non-district play before they took a two-year break in 2020 and 2021. They reignited the rivalry last season and it immediately became one of the better non-district games for each side. Before the two-year break, Ponca City won the last meeting in 2019 but otherwise, this has been a match-up that was dominated by the Blue Jays. Guthrie is once again a top five team in Class 5A heading into the year and they will provide a strong test for the Wildcats early on in the season. <br>Sept. 1 - Enid<br>Sept. 15 - Sand Springs<br><strong>Sept. 22 - Deer Creek<br></strong>- The first district game of the year is a big one as Ponca City will host Deer Creek. During the 2022 run, this was the last game during the 0-4 start before the Wildcats rattled off five straight wins and solidified themselves as a playoff team. This season, they're looking to take Deer Creek's spot as one of the top two teams in the district and potentially get that first round bye by finishing in the top two of the district standings. The young Ponca defense will have to be ready for a Deer Creek offense that is led by one of the top quarterbacks in the state's 2025 class. <br>Sept. 29 - AT Lawton<br>Oct. 6 - AT Putnam City North<br>Oct. 13 - Putnam City<br>Oct. 19 - AT Capitol Hill<br>Oct. 27 - AT Northwest Classen<br><strong>Nov. 3 - Choctaw<br></strong>- The Wildcats definitely benefit from having their two toughest district games this season at home and they also bookend each other. The first district game is against Deer Creek and the final one is against Choctaw in the regular season finale. If the Wildcats find themselves coming into week ten with an unbeaten district record, this match-up could very well be a head to head match-up for the district championship. The Yellowjackets got the best of Ponca City last season in a 42-13 decision and they come into this season as the district favorite. The Wildcats are ready to change that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ponca City, as mentioned earlier, is a community that is incredibly hungry for football success and they took the first step in 2022. They qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2005. They did participate in the 2020 playoffs but that was the Covid-impacted season in which every school was allowed to participate in the postseason. And the Wildcats would have been in the playoffs regardless of the new rule in Class 6A in which the top six teams from each district make the playoffs instead of the top four. Ponca City also ended another playoff drought last season when they beat Tahlequah 35-7 in the first round. That was their first playoff win since 1986 when they made it all the way to the semifinal round. With the majority of their starters back this season and once again they find themselves in the favorable district in Class 6A-2, the Wildcats are ready to take that next step and make a deep run into November.&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>0 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->