Victory Christian Conquerors 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 Victory Christian Conquerors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Victory Christian Conquerors</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #5<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #5</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was another year of “trial by fire” for Victory Christian during their 2022 run to the semifinals. For the second straight season, the Conquerors overcame a 1-2 start to the year against a tough non-district slate and captured the district championship. But this time, they would not have an early playoff exit. They made it all the way to the semifinals before losing to Oklahoma City powerhouse Millwood. The district and playoff runs were somewhat unpredictable at the halfway mark of the regular season. At the end of September, the Conquerors were 2-3 and had given up 70+ points in blowout losses on two different occasions, including to district foe Beggs. Victory would run the table and make it all the way to the semifinals. After a slow start, the Conquerors finished strong with another district championship. But as they look ahead to the 2023 football season, they won't be settling for a district title. They'll be hungry for much more.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The strength of this year's team will more than likely lean to the defensive side of the ball. They have seven starters back on defense, including a linebacker who is on pace to shatter the school record for tackles and has been one of the top tacklers in the state for the last few seasons. He's not alone as the Conquerors have some athletes in a few different spots. And they'll need those athletes to produce on offense as well. Victory brings back just six starters on offense and the majority of their production is gone. They do bring back their quarterback from late in the season so that will provide them with a starting point as some of those new faces start to emerge at the running back and wide receiver positions. The first half of the season will again provide Victory with quite a few challenges but one thing's for sure from our point of view. It doesn't matter how many bumps and bruises the Conquerors get early on, we're not counting them out this fall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (10-4 Record - Lost In Class 2A Semifinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Lost To Cascia Hall 26-21<br>Sept. 2 - Beat Henryetta 42-6<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Shiloh Christian, AR. 72-33<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Okmulgee 60-20<br>Sept. 30 - Lost To Beggs 72-46<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Morris 35-6<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Westville 50-14<br>Oct. 20 - Beat Sperry 44-14<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Kansas 50-6<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Kiefer 34-22<br>1st Round - Beat Pawhuska 70-22<br>2nd Round - Beat Prague 48-20<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Chandler 46-35<br>Semifinals - Lost To Millwood 54-22</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>Ethan Alter - Offensive Lineman<br>James Garrett - Offensive Lineman<br>Judah Byrams - Running Back</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":["897801"],"_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='897801' first='Ayden' last='Hamilton'] took over as QB1 at the halfway mark of the regular season last year and he definitely gets part of the credit for the Victory turnaround. With Hamilton leading the Conqueror offense, Victory would win eight straight games before falling in the semifinals to Millwood. Hamilton put up some really respectable numbers at the quarterback position. He was a true dual-threat guy at the position. He accounted for nearly 2,000 yards of total offense with over 1,000 yards coming in the passing game and another 800 yards coming on the ground. He accounted for 24 total touchdowns and completed 70 percent of his passes last fall. We're really looking forward to seeing what Hamilton can do with a full season under his belt.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["425565"],"_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":"2024 athlete [player_tooltip player_id='425565' first='Michael' last='Doctor'] is one of our favorite dual-sport athletes in the Tulsa area for the upcoming senior class. Doctor is an outstanding basketball player and it makes sense when you watch what he's able to do on the gridiron. He's a great wide receiver and then turns around and is a shutdown defensive back. Last season, Doctor was a big play receiver for the Victory Christian offense as he finished with just over 900 yards receiving and had eight touchdowns on the season. He also had four interceptions on defense. We think that those numbers will only go up as the connection between him and Hamilton continues to get stronger. Doctor is going to be one of the best two-way players in Class 2A this fall and should be incredibly special.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["110748"],"_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":"2024 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='110748' first='Teyton' last='Chandler'] has been one of the top linebackers in the Tulsa area for over two years now. We mentioned the Conquerors had a linebacker that was getting ready to shatter the career school record. Better known around Tulsa as “Tot”, Chandler is an absolute tackling machine. Last season, he had well over 200 tackles on the season and should set the new mark early on this fall. It could come as early as the first game of the season. Chandler has emerged as a 2024 linebacker prospect that colleges are starting to focus on. You can't argue with the production he's had over the last few seasons. He has also been an offseason star, qualifying for state in wrestling as well as becoming a state qualifier in track during the spring.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a876725b796"} /--> <!-- 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='595754' first='Chris' last='Moore'] - 2024 Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1292052' first='Cooper' last='Howell'] - 2025 Linebacker<br>[player_tooltip player_id='402373' first='Dallas' last='Dyer'] - 2026 Athlete<br>Dom Aeachleman - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='339201' first='Eric' last='Peterson'] - 2025 Athlete<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1304601' first='Jackson' last='McCrary'] - 2026 Athlete<br>Jayen Robinson - 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Ward Johnson - 2026 Wide Receiver/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 - AT Cascia Hall</strong><br>- After a decade of not playing (2010-2019) this match-up was given new life in the non-district slate as these two Tulsa schools started squaring off against one another. Unfortunately for the Conquerors, this has been a completely one-sided match-up as the Commandos have won nine in a row in the series, including a second round win over Victory in the 2021 playoffs. Now with Cascia up in Class 3A, this will be the only time these two meet this fall and the Conquerors are determined to turn things around to get some momentum for the rest on the non-district slate. <br>Sept. 1 - AT Henryetta<br>Sept. 8 - AT Shiloh Christian, AR.<br>Sept. 22 - Okmulgee<br><strong>Sept. 29 - Beggs</strong><br>- These two teams have been district foes for the majority of the last 15 seasons and things have really been cranked up over the last few seasons. First, they met in a 2021 week ten match-up that decided the district championship and the Conquerors were the better team that night. Last season, fans were treated to an absolute shootout as Victory put up 46 points but still lost by 26 as Beggs scored 72. However, that shootout was the turnaround mark of last season as Victory would rattle off eight straight wins after that. We anticipate another great match-up again. <br>Oct. 6 - AT Morris<br>Oct. 12 - AT Westville<br>Oct. 20 - Sperry<br>Oct. 27 - AT Kansas<br><strong>Nov. 3 - Kiefer</strong><br>- There's a lot of football between now and week ten and a lot of things can change, but it appears that this week ten clash between Kiefer could decide the district championship for the second straight season. The Trojans and the Conquerors are both ranked in the preseason top ten and are both ready to capture that district championship. But as we mentioned, there are a few teams that will have something to say about that. If it comes down to another week ten clash for the district title, it will be the third straight year that Victory is playing for the district championship in a head to head match-up in week ten. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Victory Christian had another coaching change last offseason and this time, Victory Christian looked to hire within. After two years with Dub Maddox and then two years with Ben Palmer, the Conquerors are hoping for a much longer tenure with new head coach Brett Smith. Smith was an assistant for the Conquerors and actually played for the Conquerors in the 2000's. Smith was excited to take over at his alma mater and for Victory Christian, they appear to finally have some stability on their coaching staff moving forward. And the hire last offseason paid off immediately. Smith helped lead the Conquerors to their first semifinal appearance since making it to the 2016 state championship game and just their third semifinal in school history. There's no doubt that the Conquerors are hungry for more this fall.&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 -->