Weatherford Eagles OK 2023 Team Preview
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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 Weatherford Eagles.
Weatherford Eagles
Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #5
Preseason Coaches Ranking: #6
Coming into the 2022 season, Weatherford was coming off a rare 2021 season where they missed out on the playoffs. The Eagles were determined to turn things around and make it back to the postseason and they were able to accomplish that but they were definitely challenged along the way. The Eagles would start out the season with a 1-3 record and things were not looking good as they dropped their district opener to Chickasha. But they would bounce back and win three straight after that, including a 30-10 win over perennial powerhouse Clinton in week six to get back on the right track. A week seven loss to Elk City would drop the Eagles to the three seed and that meant going on the road in the first round of the playoffs. The season came to an end against Blanchard in the first round but the Eagles were competitive throughout and nearly pulled off the win. As we look ahead to the 2023 football season, there is a lot to be excited about and you don’t say that very often about a team and program that is a combined 8-11 in the previous two seasons but they have been young and all of that youth and inexperience throughout the roster has grown up and is ready to truly contend in Class 4A.
The Eagles bring back almost everyone on this year’s team, including seven starters on the offensive side of the ball. We really like what the Eagles bring back in the skill department and the one area we want to watch closely is the offensive line. The Eagles have to replace four out of the five starting offensive linemen from last season so that area will be a work in progress, especially early on. But they bring back some skill players that not only produce but one in particular is considered one of the best football players in the state. All eleven starters are back on defense and that’s a big reason why we think not only Weatherford is a top ten team heading into the season, but they might be the top team in their district this season. And we’re going to find out real fast how solid this year’s team is with their non-district schedule. It features another 4A ranked team in Newcastle and then some good 5A competition in Elgin and El Reno. The Eagles are going to be tested in the first month of the season but we think they certainly have what it takes to return to that contender status after a few down years.
2022 RESULTS (5-5 Record – Lost In Class 4A 1st Round)
Sept. 2 – Lost To Kingfisher 38-21
Sept. 9 – Beat El Reno 20-19
Sept. 16 – Lost To Elgin 41-10
Sept. 23 – Lost To Chickasha 42-28
Sept. 30 – Beat Woodward 33-14
Oct. 7 – Beat Clinton 30-10
Oct. 14 – Beat Cache 24-10
Oct. 20 – Lost To Elk City 22-12
Oct. 28 – Beat John Marshall 35-12
1st Round – Lost To Blanchard 14-12
Players To Watch
We mentioned earlier how one of Weatherford’s returning playmakers is one of the best football prospects in the state’s 2025 class. Wide receiver CJ Nickson CJ Nickson 6’6″ | ATH Weatherford | 2025 State OK is not only one of the top football prospects in the state, but he might be more known around Oklahoma for his abilities on the basketball floor. He’s one of the best basketball prospects in the state and helped lead the Eagles to the state championship game back in March. But Nickson has absolutely blown up as an elite football prospect and while he has legitimate offers from D1 programs for both sports, his ceiling as a prospect looks like it’s going to be higher in football. Nickson led the team in receptions and receiving yards and every time he steps on the field, he’s going to be an athletic mismatch that teams will have problems defending.
Highlights
While Nickson is going to get a lot of the attention this season, the Eagles bring back some other firepower in the skill positions. Another 2025 standout that returns is Jackson Blackmon Jackson Blackmon 6’0″ | RB Weatherford | 2025 OK at the running back position. Last season, Blackmon was Weatherford’s leading rusher with over 600 yards and six touchdowns on the season. We know what to expect when it comes to Nickson and the Weatherford playmakers at wide receiver. But with four new starters along the offensive line and a new quarterback, the running back position is going to be very important, especially early on in the season. Having the experience of Blackmon back at that position will help the Eagles as those new starters come along, especially early on in the season, during Weatherford’s tough stretch.
We mentioned earlier how the Weatherford defense is a big reason why we think the Eagles could be one of the top teams in Class 4A. They bring back all eleven starters and that includes 2025 linebacker Steele Chism Steele Chism 6’0″ | 190 lbs | LB Weatherford | 2025 State OK who led them in tackles last season. Chism finished his sophomore season with well over 100 tackles to lead the Eagles and he also finished tied for the most tackles for loss. Chism made things happen from the middle linebacker position and we’re very interested to see the growth in his game and to see how this defense plays this season. The Eagles have the chance to be pretty special on defense and having an experienced and more importantly, a productive player like Chism returning will be a big step to accomplishing that.
Highlights
More Names To Know
Cash Jennings – 2025 Linebacker
Jace Rosenkranz – 2026 Offensive Lineman
Logan Doyals – 2024 Defensive Back
Nick Jett
Nick
Jett
5'10" | 155 lbs | WR
Weatherford | 2025
OK
– 2025 Wide Receiver
Victor Garcia – 2025 Running Back
2023 Schedule/Games To Circle
Aug. 25 – AT Newcastle
– The season begins in week zero as Weatherford goes on the road to face Newcastle. These two teams are familiar with one another after being district foes for several years. That changed last year when the redistricting shuffle put the Racers and Eagles in different districts. But they’ll begin a non-district slate this season and the Eagles travel to face Newcastle to kick off their 2023 season. These two teams are both in the preseason rankings in Class 4A and it also begins a non-district schedule where the majority of their opponents are in preseason rankings.
Sept. 1 – Kingfisher
Sept. 8 – AT El Reno
Sept. 15 – Elgin
Sept. 22 – Chickasha
Sept. 29 – AT Woodward
Oct. 6 – Clinton
– The first district showdown comes in week six when the Eagles will host Clinton. Weatherford got everyone’s attention last season when they knocked off the Red Tornadoes and looked really impressive in doing it. They beat Clinton 30-10 and proved that they were still in the fight for the district championship. This year, the Eagles will need to get a win here to try and be the team in the driver’s seat for the district championship. Before they can worry about competing for the gold ball, the Eagles have to take care of business in the district to set themselves up for success in Novmeber.
Oct. 12 – AT Cache
Oct. 20 – AT Elk City
– A few weeks after the district showdown with Clinton, Weatherford will go on the road in week eight to face Elk City. The Elks have been one of the top teams in this district for the last few seasons and it’s played out that way in the match-up with the Eagles. Weatherford has lost their last two meetings with Elk City but this is going to be a new look Elk City team. They lost the majority of their starters to graduation so Weatherford will definitely have the advantage in experience. A win here, combined with a win over Clinton will all but lock up the district title for the Eagles.
Oct. 27 – John Marshall
Notable
It’s a great time to be a Weatherford Eagle as the football team appears to be one of the better teams heading into the new football season. And the basketball team made it all the way to the state championship game. And the excitement around town has to be high because both teams are going into the new school year with almost everyone back from last year. Of course, the program is highlighted by Nickson, who has received D1 offers in both sports and has firmly established himself as one of the best two-sport athletes in the state, regardless of class. But as you see with all the different players the Eagles have coming back, they are set up for success not only this year, but for the next two seasons at least. Nickson leads a 2025 class at Weatherford that is incredibly talented. And while they went through some growing pains in 2021 and 2022, they appear ready to help lead the Eagles back to Edmond and contend for that gold ball.
Championship History
3 State Championships
1999 – Beat Fort Gibson 46-0
1992 – Beat Clinton 21-6
1991 – Beat Oologah 27-17