Sapulpa Chieftains 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 Sapulpa Chieftains.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Sapulpa Chieftains </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #5<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: UR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Sapulpa Chieftains are ready to take the next step and contend in Class 5A as we look ahead to the 2023 football season. But before we look at what the Chieftains could be in 2023, we take a look back at 2022 and the road that Sapulpa took to get where they are now. The Chieftains were in one of the tougher districts in the state and that's not going to change in 2023. They fell in a rivalry game to Sand Springs in their first game of the season but would then win three in a row, with wins over 6A-2 competition in single digit victories. They were 3-1 going into the two of the toughest games of the season and they played out that way. They lost to Coweta and Del City in back to back weeks by a combined 91 points. And while the Chieftains looked like they were on the verge of being the last playoff team in the district, they got everyone's attention with a week nine win over McAlester. But because of a three-way tie with the Buffaloes and Del City, the Chieftains were the four seed and fell to Grove in the first round of the postseason. But as we look ahead to 2023, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about Sapulpa's potential.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chieftains come into this season as a top five team in the preseason rankings and eight starters coming back on the offensive side of the ball. The offense will be the strength of this year's team with the majority of their offensive line returning, a quarterback that is getting better every time he steps on the field and several skill players that are on the verge of becoming stars in Class 5A. The defense will be a work in progress throughout the season with just five starters back on that side of the ball. But we think the strength of that side will start upfront within the front seven as the Chieftains have a few players that are primed for big seasons. The Chieftains will once again start the season against three straight teams in 6A-2 with Sand Springs, Bartlesville and Tahlequah. Then they'll dive head first into district play, which could be the toughest district in the state this fall. In addition to Sapulpa, district foe Del City is also in the top five of the preseason rankings. So the road back to the playoffs will be challenging but the Chieftains appear to have the firepower to make it back and go further than they've ever gone before.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (7-4 Record - Lost In Class 5A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Lost To Sand Springs 35-21<br>Sept. 2 - Beat Tahlequah 39-35<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Bartlesville 27-21<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Durant 28-14<br>Sept. 30 - Lost To Coweta 55-13<br>Oct. 7 - Lost To Del City 56-7<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Glenpool 61-19<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Memorial 47-14<br>Oct. 28 - Beat McAlester 28-27<br>Nov. 4 - Beat East Central 47-11<br>1st Round - Lost To Grove 70-28</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>Cameran Mackey - Linebacker<br>Tre Morrow - Wide Receiver</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":["334118"],"_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 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='334118' first='Colton' last='Howard'] put everything together and enjoyed an outstanding junior season last fall. We first watched Howard last offseason as he played with Sooner 7 and he appeared to be ready to have a strong 2022 season. He backed up the hype with over 2,200 passing yards and 31 touchdowns while only throwing 6 interceptions on the season. Howard continues to get better and better every time we see him and after watching him again in the spring at a team camp, he appears to have full control of the Sapulpa offense. With a strong offensive line in front of him and some serious talent joining him in the skill department, Howard could end up leading one of the more explosive offenses in Class 5A this season and his recruiting stock will only go up.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["268321"],"_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":"Sapulpa's 2024 class appears to be pretty special but the lower classes aren't lacking talent either. 2025 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='268321' first='Isaac' last='Shelton'] had an incredibly strong sophomore campaign and he has the Sapulpa coaches very excited about his potential moving forward. Last season, Shelton finished the year with over 70 tackles and nearly ten sacks on the season. As he goes into his junior season, he is one of the few returning starters on the defensive side of the ball so he is certainly going to be in a position where he can set the tone for the guys behind him and the rest of the defense as a whole. Sapulpa's coaches believe that he will take the next step this fall and become one of the better guys at his position within the state's 2025 class by this time next year.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["633074"],"_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 Howard enjoyed a breakout season last year, we think that 2024 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='633074' first='Kylen' last='Edwards'] is ready to be that breakout star for the Chieftains this fall. With Howard needing to find a new number one option in the passing game after Tre Morrow graduated, we think that Edwards is the easy pick. Last season, he put up some good numbers with over 500 yards and nearly ten touchdowns on the season. But we think he takes that production to another level and becomes one of the top wide receivers in Class 5A and in the state this fall. Not only do we think that he will be up there in terms of production, but we think that he's primed to blow up as a prospect within the state's 2024 class as well. He's flying under the radar right now but that won't last long.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["360245"],"_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":"Sapulpa 2024 running back [player_tooltip player_id='360245' first='Marco' last='Smith'] was primed for a massive junior season but the majority of it was cut short due to a broken collarbone that he suffered in non-district play. Despite the injury, Smith was able to come back in the final weeks of the regular season and overall, he got into three full games and the game he got injured in. And despite only playing in three and a half games, he racked up well over 600 yards on the ground and was also a threat out of the backfield in the passing game. Smith is a dynamic runner in the open field and he proved that last year in his limited action. There are a few players that we're fired up to see what they can do with a full season of health and Smith is near the top of the list for us coming into 2023.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a83a96c8f3e"} /--> <!-- 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='315662' first='Dakota' last='Chaney'] - 2025 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Isaiah McCall-Watashe - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Kylar Bearpaw - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1332250' first='Logan' last='Hicks'] - 2025 Running Back/Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1752476' first='Sequoyah' last='Hall'] - 2026 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><strong>Aug. 25 - AT Sand Springs<br></strong>- The annual Highway 97 rivalry game between the Chieftains and Sand Springs will once again kick off the season in week zero. This year, the Chieftains will go on the road to face Sand Springs after falling to the Sandites by 14 a season ago. In fact, the Chieftains are incredibly hungry to turn things around in this rivalry, which has been rather one-sided as of late. It's been ten years since the last time Sapulpa beat Sand Springs and that came in 2013. The Sandites have won the last seven in the rivalry and Sapulpa wants to get their season off to a good start. <br>Sept. 1 - Tahlequah<br>Sept. 8 - AT Bartlesville<br>Sept. 22 - Durant<br>Sept. 29 - AT Coweta<br><strong>Oct. 6 - Del City<br></strong>- The Class 5A rankings are going to look quite different in December compared to where we are right now. But the top two teams in this district are Del City and Sapulpa. Both are preseason top five teams and because of that, you have to mention them as not only favorites in their district, but serious contenders for the state championship. Last season, the Eagles dominated the Chieftains with a 56-7 victory. There's no doubt that the Chieftains still feel that stinging. But if they can get back to back wins over Coweta and Del City, they'll be in a good spot. <br>Oct. 13 - Glenpool<br>Oct. 19 - AT Memorial<br><strong>Oct. 27 - AT McAlester<br></strong>- And one of the final district tests comes in week nine when the Chieftains travel south to face McAlester. The Buffaloes are back in the preseason top ten rankings after making back to back state championship game appearances. The Chieftains have some momentum going at the expense of the Buffaloes after stunning McAlester with a little over a minute to play in last year's regular season meeting. But despite the win, the Chieftains still fell to the four seed in the district. Depending on what happens earlier in the season, a win here could clinch a district title for Sapulpa. <br>Nov. 3 - East Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sapulpa will be looking to punch their ticket to the playoffs in November and if they're able to do so, they'll be in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. This is without a doubt the longest run of consecutive playoff appearances in Sapulpa football history. The Chieftains had a few different instances where they made back to back playoff appearances but prior to the 2020 season, they had never made three consecutive playoff appearances. However, this group of Chieftains aren't going to settle for just making it back to the playoffs. They're hungry for much more and the Sapulpa community is ready for more as well. Despite making it to the playoffs in the last five consecutive seasons, the Chieftains were bounced out in the first round. In fact, it's been nearly two decades since Sapulpa last won a playoff game and that came in the 2005 first round in a memorable first round win over Jenks. The Chieftains have high expectations for this fall and rightfully so. They appear to be ready to take that next step.&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 -->