Stroud Tigers 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 Stroud Tigers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Stroud Tigers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #8</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Stroud Tigers are once again in the top ten coming into the season and they have the talent to make a deep run in the postseason. Last year, we saw first hand an example where it's not how you start but how you finish. After the first two games of the season, Stroud was 0-2 and had been outscored by a combined score of 102-24 by Chandler and Colcord. But the Tigers would bounce back the following week with a 38-22 win over Okemah and that would end up being the closest game throughout the rest of the regular season. The Tigers would dominate the district and run away with the district championship. Stroud would go into the playoffs with an 8-game winning streak and would roll in the first two rounds with wins over Chelsea and Commerce. That set up a quarterfinal showdown against a Fairview team that was undefeated on the season. They pushed the eventual state champions to the brink but they would escape with a 27-21 victory over the Tigers. Stroud's season came to an end at 10-3 in the quarterfinals but they definitely grew up in a big way. Now, as we look ahead to the 2023 football season, the Tigers are ready to take that next step and start strong and finish even stronger.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eight starters are back on the offensive side of the ball and nine starters return on defense. And not only is this a team that has experience, but they have that lengthy experience. Some of their returning starters will be three and four-year starters for the team. And we really like the mix of experience and youth on this team. In addition to those players who have started for multiple seasons, they also have a handful of players that started as freshmen last season. So this is a Stroud team that we think contends not only this season, but over the course of the next two seasons at the very least. But when you look at their outlook in the 2023 football season, we think that we're going to learn everything we need to know about them in the first few weeks. Stroud will see the top-ranked team in Class A in week two as well as their annual rivalry game against Chandler. But just like last season, there's a really good chance that Stroud absolutely bulldozes their way to a district championship. They are an overwhelming favorite to win the district and they will more than likely not get too many tests over the last month of the regular season. Stroud is hungry to join the ranks of true contenders so the biggest question is how they'll compete in November and potentially in December.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (10-3 Record - Lost In Class A Quarterfinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 2 - Lost To Chandler 57-9<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Colcord 45-15<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Okemah 38-22<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Liberty 52-13<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Allen 55-0<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Hartshorne 42-21<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Konawa 55-6<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Mounds 46-14<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Wewoka 2-0 (Forfeit)<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Savanna 60-6<br>1st Round - Beat Chelsea 52-14<br>2nd Round - Beat Commerce 39-20<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To Fairview 27-21</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":["913426"],"_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":"2025 quarterback and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='913426' first='Dylan' last='Baker'] leads a group of several Stroud standouts that have been starting since they were freshmen. Last season, Baker had a really good season at quarterback but granted, this was a very run-heavy offense so Baker was more of a distributor and game-manager on the offensive side of the ball. But Baker had his greatest impact on the defensive side of the ball from the safety position. He would lead the team in tackles at safety and he's looking for more in 2023. As we mentioned earlier in the preview, we really like the young talent on this Stroud team and Baker is a really good example of that. We think that he has the potential to be one of the better defensive backs in Class A this season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["913427"],"_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":"One skill player that we're looking forward to watching is 2025 standout [player_tooltip player_id='913427' first='Kason' last='Presley'] at the running back and linebacker position. Like Baker, Presley is an example of a prospect that has started for Stroud since he was a freshman and as he goes into his junior season, he's looking to take an elevated role within the offense and defense. On offense, Presley ran for nearly 1,000 yards and would account for 15 touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball. On defense, he finished with four sacks on the season and had one interception that he returned for a touchdown. We really like what the Tigers bring to the offensive side of the ball with a very deep stable of running backs. Presley is not going to have to be a workhorse but he appears capable if necessary.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["913431"],"_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":"Stroud has some very talented underclassmen but they also have some outstanding seniors and [player_tooltip player_id='913431' first='Peyton' last='Gaylord'] is definitely near the top of the list. The offensive and defensive lineman moved into the Stroud district last season and provided an instant impact to the Tigers on both sides of the line of scrimmage. But his greatest impact was on the defensive side of the ball as he would earn defensive player of the year honors within the district. He is an incredibly disruptive player along the line of scrimmage and with some very talented players behind him at linebacker and within the secondary, we expect Gaylord to either cause a lot of problems or they are going to open the door for other players to make plays on the defensive side of the ball.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64b81a2632686"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brady Nichols - 2024 Tight End/Linebacker<br>Bryce Collins - Running Back/Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1343443' first='Jacob' last='Beck'] - 2026 Running Back/Linebacker<br>Trystan Baker - 2026 Linebacker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1402828' first='Ty' last='Stafford'] - 2025 Offensive Lineman</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>Sept. 1 - Chandler</strong><br>- These two teams have opened up the season against one another for quite a while with the exception of several seasons where they ended up in the same district. That happened in 2014 and 2015 but they've been non-district opponents ever since. The last three meetings have not gone well for the Tigers as they've lost by an average margin of 52-3. That includes a 57-9 loss to open up last season. But prior to this three-game losing streak, Stroud had won six straight and eight of the last nine. They look to turn things around in the rivalry this season with a big win.<br><strong>Sept. 8 - AT Colcord</strong><br>- It's going to be one of the top games in Class A early on in the season as top ten teams clash when Stroud travels to face Colcord, the top-ranked team in the preseason rankings. Last season, the Tigers came up short with a 45-15 loss and that was their second straight loss to start the season. The Tigers expect to be in contention in Class A this season and this is the perfect example of a “measuring stick” game. We'll know much more about the Tigers despite it only being week two. The Tigers will look to take momentum into a district that they're favored in. <br>Sept. 15 - AT Okemah<br>Sept. 22 - Liberty<br>Sept. 29 - AT Allen<br>Oct. 6 - Hartshorne<br>Oct. 12 - Konawa<br>Oct. 20 - AT Mounds<br>Oct. 27 - AT Wewoka<br>Nov. 3 - Savanna</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stroud is once again one of the top teams in Class A but they are incredibly hungry for a deep playoff run. Over the last ten seasons, they've had several years where they've won double-digit games, including last season. But they haven't been able to get over the quarterfinal hump during that time. You have to go back to 2009 when the Tigers made it all the way to the state championship game to find the last time Stroud made it out of the quarterfinal round. The Tigers are hoping that the 2023 football season brings change and they can finally punch their ticket to the final four of Class A. But starting in 2024, Class A is going to look quite different. It will be split into two divisions and the playoffs will have one less round. With a very young and talented roster, we anticipate Stroud being one of the teams that will have a lot of success early on in the new Class A split. But the biggest question in the short term is can they have that playoff success in 2023?</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>4 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1981 - Beat Vian 20-7<br>1974 - Beat Millwood 28-0<br>1970 - Beat Vian 32-6<br>1969 - Beat Bixby 32-12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->