Poteau Pirates 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 Poteau Pirates.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Poteau Pirates</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #2<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Poteau Pirates have been one of the top teams in Class 4A over the last five seasons and nothing is changing as we look at the 2023 football season. The Pirates are once again in the preseason top five and appear to be one of the top contenders in Class 4A. Last season was another 10-win season for the Pirates. It would be their fourth in the last five seasons. They would begin the season with a 2-1 mark after non-district play. The only loss came in the final seconds to Metro Christian. Then the Pirates would have to battle through some injuries to key players. They would drop a week seven game to Broken Bow in district play and would have to rally to capture another district championship. They would shut out their last two opponents, get a little help from Ada and bring home another district title. After a close call that went to overtime against defending champion Clinton, the Pirates would square off with fellow powerhouse Wagoner in the semifinals. Poteau fell flat and lost 30-0 before the Bulldogs went on to win another state championship. But as we look ahead to the 2023 season, there's no doubt in our mind that the Pirates are going to be right back in the mix in Class 4A.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Poteau brings back almost all 22 starters from last year's semifinal team and this is going to be a squad that feels like they have plenty of unfinished business. The Pirates will be headlined by their offense and high-powered rushing attack. They bring back multiple 1,000+ yard rushers from last season alone and as a team they have over 3,000 yards worth of production on the ground coming back. That, combined with the return of four starting offensive linemen, is a big reason why we think the Pirates are going to be right back in the mix. The defense also brings nine starters back and there's plenty of production on that side of the ball. In fact, a lot of the playmakers on offense turn around and are some of Poteau's best players on defense. Now, the Pirates will once again be tested in non-district play against a handful of ranked teams from different classes. And the district will be challenging once again. But as long as the Pirates avoid the injury bug, they are the favorites to capture another district championship but they're hungry for more. They won a state championship in 2019 but despite all of the 10-win seasons, that was their only trip to Edmond. They're determined to make it back there this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (10-3 Record - Lost In Class 4A Semifinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Bishop Kelley 24-6<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Metro Christian 35-31<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Chandler 30-21<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Fort Gibson 44-7<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Madill 17-14<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Hilldale 30-7<br>Oct. 13 - Lost To Broken Bow 28-14<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Sallisaw 45-6<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Ada 27-0<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Stilwell 49-0<br>1st Round - Beat Miami 48-14<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Clinton 35-28 (OT)<br>Semifinals - Lost To Wagoner 30-0</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>Cho Cho Ramirez - Defensive Lineman<br>Kix Fenton - Linebacker<br>Will Restine - 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":["215196"],"_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":"One of the biggest “what ifs” from last season in Class 4A was about Poteau 2024 standout [player_tooltip player_id='215196' first='Dax' last='Collins'] and if he stayed healthy, how productive could he have been last fall? In an injury-plagued season, Collins still managed to run for over 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. At various points in the season, Collins put an emphasis on defense while nursing an injury. On defense, he finished with nearly 90 tackles and also four interceptions on the season. The Pirates could afford to have Collins just play defense with the emergence of another stellar running back. But as we look ahead to this fall, we think that Collins could be one of the top two-way players in the state. If he stays healthy, he'll be one of the biggest impact players in Class 4A.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["522126"],"_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":"While Collins was dealing with nagging injuries and spent most of his time on defense, the Pirates had a breakout player at the running back position. 2024 running back [player_tooltip player_id='522126' first='Jackson' last='Sommers'] finished his junior season with over 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. The duo of Collins and Sommers is going to be one of the top running back duos in the state, regardless of class. They will definitely come into this season as one of the best duos in Class 4A, but we have to start considering them in that position for the state, regardless of class. Sommers enjoyed that breakout season last fall but he's looking to take his game to another level this fall. We anticipate both Collins and Sommers to be among the top rushers in Class 4A.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["891060"],"_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 the Poteau offense is going to have plenty of eyeballs on that side of the ball with ten starters returning, the defense brings back a fair amount of talent. One of the leading tacklers from last season's team was 2025 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='891060' first='Jagger' last='Dodson'] and he's back for more this fall. Poteau has a pretty talented and experienced 2024 class but having a player like Dodson who can lead the linebacker unit as just a junior will certainly help them. The Pirates will feature a hard-hitting defensive unit that has the ability to shut opponents down. Dodson is going to be a linebacker that we keep an eye on this fall and see if he can get over the 100 tackle mark for the season. One thing that's impressive about the Pirates is how well the team tackles as a whole.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a1d3ca6f80b"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Adrian Conchos - 2025 Tight End<br>Darion Brooks - 2024 Linebacker<br>Holden Mattox - 2024 Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1082645' first='Luke' last='Brooks'] - 2024 Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1335935' first='Sam' last='Tecla'] - 2026 Quarterback<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1335932' first='Spencer' last='Perry'] - 2026 Running Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1335927' first='Tyler' last='Fassio'] - 2025 Linebacker<br>Wyatt Gamble - 2024 Running Back/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 - Bishop Kelley<br></strong>- For the fourth consecutive season, Bishop Kelley and Poteau will open the season against one another. This has turned into a nice 5A/4A showdown and the Pirates will host the Comets, looking for their third straight win in the recent series. The Comets are highly ranked in the 5A preseason rankings and both teams have a massive amount of experience returning for this season. In last season's win over Bishop Kelley, Collins had a great performance with nearly 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. He'll look to match that, if not go over it this year.<br><strong>Sept. 8 - AT Metro Christian<br></strong>- Out of the three non-district games on the schedule, this week two battle with Metro Christian is one that certainly needs to be on everyone's radar. The Pirates will travel to Tulsa to face the Patriots after a week off following the Bishop Kelley game. This is a Metro Christian team that is rebuilding after making a run to another state championship game a year ago. Last season, the Patriots would stun the Pirates with a game-winning touchdown pass with just eight seconds left on the clock. This will feature a clash of styles with Metro's passing attack and Poteau's ground and pound game.&nbsp;<br>Sept. 15 - Chandler<br>Sept. 22 - AT Fort Gibson<br>Sept. 29 - Madill<br>Oct. 6 - AT Hilldale<br><strong>Oct. 13 - Broken Bow<br></strong>- These two district rivals will renew their southeastern Oklahoma rivalry in week seven. Poteau fell to Broken Bow 28-14 last season and they would have to win out and get some help to win another district championship. These district foes have become incredibly familiar with one another and last year's loss to the Savages would snap a four-game winning streak against Broken Bow. This season, Poteau and Broken Bow are once again at the top of the district heading into the new year. The winner here should be in the driver's seat for the district crown.&nbsp;<br>Oct. 19 - AT Sallisaw<br>Oct. 27 - Ada<br>Nov. 3 - AT Stilwell</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Poteau is in the middle of one of their best runs in recent memory. They are 55-10 in the last five seasons and that's good for the second most wins in Class 4A during that stretch. They only trail Tuttle, who has the most wins with 57 victories during that same time frame. It's been Poteau, Tuttle and reigning champion Wagoner among the best teams year after year in Class 4A and nothing should be changing this season. All three teams are once again in the preseason top five and have state championship aspirations. And in the last five seasons, there have been many instances where these three teams are the only ones in Class 4A that have been able to beat these 4A powers. Last year was another example as Wagoner ended Poteau's season in the semifinals before capturing another gold ball. The Pirates captured the 2019 state championship and will be looking to do it again this fall under head coach Greg Werner. The Poteau head coach is one of a handful of active coaches in Oklahoma who have 200+ career victories.</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>1 State Championship</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2019 - Beat Weatherford 9-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->