Velma-Alma Comets 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 Velma-Alma Comets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Velma-Alma Comets</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #5</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #5</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rounding out the top five in Class B is Velma-Alma, fresh off another season of double digit victories and the Comets came one game shy of playing for the state championship. The Comets came into last season hungry to make a deep playoff run after they had an unbeaten regular season in 2021 but they had an early exit in the playoffs after losing to 8-man powerhouse Shattuck in the second round. Unfortunately for the Comets, they got off to a rocky start in 2022. They lost a close game to Hollis in week two and then back to back losses to Pioneer-Pleasant Vale and Dewar at the end of September put the Comets at 2-3 at the halfway mark of the regular season. But the Comets would run the table the rest of the way and went into the postseason with a 7-3 record and that momentum continued in the postseason as they would go further than they had in 2021. They would stun Regent Prep in the quarterfinals and then fell to eventual champion Laverne in the semifinals. The Comets are now determined to take the next step to becoming that consistent contender in Class B. And the next step is to win the district crown and then play in the final game of the season with the gold ball on the line.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Velma-Alma was #5 in our preseason rankings and the coaches rankings coming into this season and it's easy to see why when you look at the roster coming back. The Comets do have to replace the majority of their starters as only three starters return on the offensive side of the ball and another four starters are back on defense. But the Comets are still going to be in the mix when November and December roll around because those starters that do return are some of the best players on the team. They do have some holes to fill but we think that some of those new names will come along while their experienced players carry the load early on in the season. And just like last season, the toughest part of the schedule is in the first half of the season. We saw last year that Velma-Alma could overcome a slow start to the season but they'll look to avoid that in 2023. Once we reach the halfway point of the regular season, we'll have a really good idea of just how strong this Velma-Alma team is. But even if they have a loss or two, we can't write them off because they proved last year that they can make a run when it matters most.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (10-4 Record - Lost In Class B Semifinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Destiny Christian 54-14<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Hollis 8-6<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Caddo 76-36<br>Sept. 22 - Lost To Pioneer-Pleasant Vale 32-26<br>Sept. 30 - Lost To Dewar 46-0<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Cyril 50-0<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Waurika 42-28<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Wilson 50-0<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Central 50-0<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Alex 60-8<br>1st Round - Beat Canton 50-0<br>2nd Round - Beat Ringwood 52-6<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Regent Prep 40-26<br>Semifinals - Lost To Laverne 52-36</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>Anthony Hernandez - Defensive Lineman<br>Bryan Elyat - Offensive Lineman<br>Crue Garrett - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Joseph Davis - Defensive Lineman<br>Tucker Oliver - Running Back/Linebacker</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":["916872"],"_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":"When you're talking about breakout freshmen in Class B last season, you have to start with Velma-Alma's [player_tooltip player_id='916872' first='Conner' last='Akers'] and we're expecting more of the same this season. The Comets have to be excited about his potential moving into this season as it seemed like every time he touched the ball, he found a way to get into the end zone. Granted, he didn't have very many touches so that percentage was abnormally high. But there's no doubt that he's a playmaker when he gets the ball in his hands. We think that he's going to take the next step this season as an overall playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. Whether it's at running back or wide receiver, Akers has the potential to be one of Velma-Alma's top weapons on the offensive side of the ball.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["916871"],"_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":"Velma-Alma 2025 quarterback and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='916871' first='Mikey' last='Griffith'] was outstanding as a dual-threat option at the quarterback position last season. He was very productive in the passing and run game last season and he was just as dangerous in both categories. Griffith's return to run the Velma-Alma offense is a big reason why we like the Comets this season, despite needing to replace five starters on that side of the ball. Griffith has the ability to tear defenses up in the passing game and there's no doubt that he's going to have some weapons to get the ball to this season. But Griffith's biggest strength might be when he tucks the ball and runs. Griffith has good size, as he doubles as a linebacker as well. When he's running and has some momentum, he's hard to bring down.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64bae7984c17a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brodrick Speigner - 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Cooper Paramore - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Kole Pierce - 2026 Running Back<br>Landon Richardson - 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Langston Walker - 2024 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Ryker Sanner - 2026 Linebacker<br>Slade Strickland - 2026 Athlete</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 - AT Destiny Christian<br><strong>Sept. 8 - Hollis </strong><br>- In week two, Velma-Alma will open up their home schedule against a Hollis team that beat them in an 8-6 slugfest last season. That was part of Velma-Alma's 2-3 start and the Comets are determined to get out to a better start this season. They'll also look for a win here to give them momentum later in the month when they open up district play. These two teams met for the first time last season since 2019. Prior to the 2022 meeting, they had met several times over the last decade but the 2022 contest was their first as 8-man opponents. <br>Sept. 15 - Caddo<br>Sept. 22 - AT Pioneer-Pleasant Vale<br><strong>Sept. 29 - AT Dewar</strong><br>- In week five, it's the halfway mark of the regular season and there's no doubt that this will be the biggest game of the regular season for Velma-Alma. The Comets will hit the road to face off with a Dewar team that is also in the top five of our preseason rankings and in the coaches rankings. Both teams expect to contend for the district championship and then much more when the playoffs roll around in November. The winner of this game is going to be in the driver's seat for the district title. Dewar got the best of Velma-Alma last year in a 46-0 victory. <br>Oct. 6 - AT Cyril<br>Oct. 12 - Waurika<br>Oct. 20 - Wilson<br>Oct. 27 - AT Central<br>Nov. 3 - Alex</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Velma-Alma's transition to 8-man football has been successful and the Comets have gotten back to winning at a consistent level. From 2016-2018, the Comets were in Class A and they went 2-28 during that stretch and had a winless season in 2017. The Comets asked to be considered an 8-man program and play an independent schedule in 2019. They would then join Class B in 2020. The Comets went 9-0 during that independent season and they've won at least ten games in back to back seasons. Velma-Alma appears to be knocking on the door of getting back to contending for state championships. It's been three decades since the last time the Comets were true state championship contenders as they won back to back titles in 1993 and 1994. But as we've mentioned in a few other previews, changes are coming to Class B as the top half of the class, based on enrollment, will be in one division and the bottom half will be in the other. But before we think about that, Velma-Alma is focused on contending this season.&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>2 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1994 - Beat Texhoma 19-18<br>1993 - Beat Texhoma 37-26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->