Vian Wolverines 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 Vian Wolverines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Vian Wolverines</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #8</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vian Wolverines are once again a top ten team heading into the 2023 football season and that's where they've been for the majority of the last two decades. The Wolverines have been one of the more consistent teams in Class 2A during that stretch and nothing changed last fall and nothing should change as we look ahead to the 2023 season. Last year, the Wolverines would face a tough non-district schedule, featuring two top-ranked teams in 2A's #1 Washington and 3A's #1 Lincoln Christian. They lost both and would head into district play with a 1-2 mark. Washington went on to win the 2A crown while Lincoln fell short in the 3A semifinals. The Wolverines would then dominate district play as their closest game came in week ten when they beat Tahlequah Sequoyah by 20 points. For the second straight season, the Wolverines were perfect in the district and rolled to the district championship. That dominance continued in the first round with an easy win over Spiro. But the season would end abruptly in the second round as they were upset at home by Kiefer. The Wolverines haven't lost many games on their home field, especially in the playoffs. So the early playoff exit certainly stung a bit. But with the majority of their starters coming back, the Wolverines aren't going anywhere and will once again be in the conversation of Class 2A's best.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Five starters are back on offense and while the Wolverines are going to have a new quarterback, they also return one of the best overall prospects in the state's 2026 class. But more on him in our “Players To Watch” spotlight. Vian isn't going to change much of what they do on that side of the ball and those new names that come along will have to grow up quickly. While the offense goes through those inevitable growing pains, the defense will be there to pick up the slack. Nine starters return on that side of the ball and this was a unit that was pretty stout last season. And when we think of Vian football, we immediately think of running the football and playing hard-hitting defense. The Wolverines are going to be able to do both of those things at a very high level with some of the personnel they bring back this season. With 14 starters returning, we think the Wolverines are going to be right back in the hunt in Class 2A as a consensus top ten team in the preseason rankings. They appear to be the favorites in their district and will be tested early on once again with a tough non-district schedule. But Vian is looking to get back to Edmond after a championship game appearance back in 2019. We don't have many questions about them during the regular season. We want to see this team perform in November and potentially into December.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (9-3 Record - Lost In Class 2A 2nd Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Lost To Washington 39-24<br>Sept. 2 - Beat Eufaula 40-26<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Lincoln Christian 42-0<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Warner 44-14<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Roland 52-13<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Okemah 55-14<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Henryetta 45-16<br>Oct. 20 - Beat Keys 51-12<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Prague 40-19<br>Nov. 3 - Beat Tahlequah Sequoyah 53-33<br>1st Round - Beat Spiro 52-7<br>2nd Round - Lost To Kiefer 21-12</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>DeSean Mays - Athlete<br>Diego Ramos - Quarterback<br>Marshal Ross - Offensive/Defensive 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":["913366"],"_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":"The Wolverines are going to be working in a new quarterback this season but having 2025 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='913366' first='Jacob' last='Brannick'] returning is going to help out the new Vian signal caller. Last season, Brannick was one of the top targets in the passing game as he racked up over 900 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns on the season. As the Wolverines look to become more balanced, Brannick is going to get plenty of opportunities in the passing game. He should be their top target this season and it's going to be fun to see what kind of production he has this fall. Brannick has had a solid offseason and he's looking to firmly establish himself as one of the top receivers in Class 2A. And this is a class that is loaded with some elite pass catchers.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["424595"],"_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":"We knew about 2026 standout [player_tooltip player_id='424595' first='Masyn' last='Wright'] prior to last season but even we didn't anticipate him having the kind of production he has as a freshman. Wright would finish with over 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground and he also added nearly 350 receiving yards. Wright joining the team allowed the Wolverines to move DeSean Mays around and between the two, they combined for well over 2,000 yards on the ground. But as we head into this season, Wright is no longer going to have to split carries and we're excited about the potential there. And as we mentioned earlier, when we think of Vian football, we think of the running game and they've had some special backs come through there. Wright is certainly off to a great start in joining them.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64b817e602527"} /--> <!-- 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='1473203' first='Cash' last='Collins'] - 2025 Defensive Lineman<br>Clayton Clark - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Nathan Creasey - 2024 Quarterback<br>Peyton Johnson - 2025 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 Washington</strong><br>- For the second straight season, Vian will open up the season against Washington and for the second straight year, Washington is the preseason number one team in Class 2A. After going undefeated and capturing the 2A crown, the target will be as big as ever for the Warriors as they host Vian in the opening week of the season. Last year, the Warriors went to Vian and put the Wolverines down early and would roll to a 39-24 victory in a game that they led 33-0 in the third quarter. Right from the start, we're going to learn a lot about the Wolverines and where they stack up against Class 2A's top team. <br>Sept. 1 - Eufaula<br><strong>Sept. 8 - AT Lincoln Christian</strong><br>- These two teams have gotten very familiar with one another in the last five seasons. They've become non-district foes and Lincoln Christian has gotten the best of Vian each time. The only time they didn't meet was when their 2020 meeting got canceled because of Covid. The Bulldogs won some close contests in 2018 and 2019 but the last two have been Lincoln Christian blowouts. The Wolverines are looking to turn things around in the series and this will be the last non-district game before a much-needed bye week and then they'll open up the district slate. <br>Sept. 22 - Warner<br>Sept. 29 - AT Roland<br>Oct. 6 - AT Okemah<br>Oct. 12 - Henryetta<br>Oct. 19 - AT Keys<br><strong>Oct. 27 - AT Prague</strong><br>- We mentioned that Vian was the favorite to win their district but Prague is going to put that to the test in week nine when the Wolverines visit the Red Devils. Prague had a really good season in 2022 as they were led by first year head coach Rafe Watkins. They are looking to build off that and become a thorn in the side of the Wolverines. Prior to last season's meeting, Vian only played Prague one other time in the last decade and that came in the playoffs back in 2014. With this game coming in week nine, this very well could end up being the district championship game. <br>Nov. 3 - Tahlequah Sequoyah</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've mentioned a few times how the Wolverines are one of the Class 2A teams that routinely plays a very tough non-district schedule and over the last decade, it's definitely paid off. Vian has gotten ready for the district slate by testing themselves early on in every season and the record has resembled that. In the last ten years, Vian is 60-3 in district play with only one district loss in any given season. In the last two seasons, they've been perfect in district games and they will be gunning for another perfect district slate and district title. The last district loss came in the Covid-affected season of 2020 when they lost to Cascia Hall on the road. The Wolverines are once again the favorites to capture the district championship this season and odds are they are going to use that non-district slate to get ready to dominate the district schedule once again.&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>1 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1971 - Beat Lawton MacArthur 25-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->