Weleetka Outlaws 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 Weleetka Outlaws.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Weleetka Outlaws</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #2<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Weleetka Outlaws expect to be one of the top teams in Class B this season and come into the year as a top five team in both the PRZ-Oklahoma rankings and the coaches rankings. Weleetka turned things around in a big way last season after going 5-6 in 2021 and getting bounced out in the first round, the Outlaws would win ten games in 2022 and pushed eventual champion Laverne to the brink in the quarterfinals. Weleetka was dominant in district play and the district race would come down to the final week of the regular season when they would host their district rival Wetumka for the district crown. They fell short in that match-up but would bounce back in the playoffs as a two-seed. They beat up on Barnsdall and Keota before running into eventual champion Laverne in the quarterfinals. But with the majority of their starters coming back and some serious firepower on the offensive side of the ball, the Outlaws expect to be a top five team all season and far removed from the losing record just two seasons ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Five starters come back on the offensive side of the ball and another five starters return on defense for the Outlaws but the biggest thing we like about Weleetka is the youth that they have on this team. They have some serious talent in some of the younger classes so we think the Outlaws are going to be good not only this season but for the next few years. Now, Class B is going to be changing starting in 2024 with the class being split into two divisions, but we expect the Outlaws to compete and be a top five team, no matter which division they end up being in. The offense has a chance to be pretty special and only time will tell just how explosive they can be on that side of the ball. But we're going to get a good idea early on just how serious Weleetka is as a contender as they play another top five team in Class B to open up the season. It's a perfect “measuring stick” game for the Outlaws and we'll learn a lot about Weleetka in week zero. But on paper, the Outlaws look like the favorite to win their district and if that happens, that could set them up for a very favorable road in the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (10-3 Record - Lost In Class B Quarterfinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 2 - Beat Gans 56-0<br>Sept. 8 - Beat Pioneer-Pleasant Vale 46-8<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Paoli 60-0<br>Sept. 23 - Lost To Quinton 30-28<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Keota 50-16<br>Oct. 6 - Beat Summit Christian 56-6<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Depew 56-6<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Davenport 48-8<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Strother 15-0 (Forfeit)<br>Nov. 3 - Lost To Wetumka 42-34<br>1st Round - Beat Barnsdall 72-42<br>2nd Round - Beat Keota 72-26<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To Laverne 30-26</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>Caden Farrow<br>Jonas Manley<br>Robert Hutchins</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":["898584"],"_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 first Weleetka player to watch is the reigning district MVP following a fantastic 2022 campaign. 2025 athlete [player_tooltip player_id='898584' first='Isaac' last='Drake'] could not be stopped or contained in any capacity last season as he would finish the season as Weleetka's leading rusher and the leading receiver on the team. All in all, he would account for nearly 2,300 yards of total offense and 35 total touchdowns on the season. At running back, he finished with nearly 1,600 yards and 23 touchdowns. He would also lead the team in receiving yards and touchdowns and would walk away with the district MVP award. This season, we're expecting Drake to take his production to the next level as the strength of the Outlaw offense is definitely in the backfield.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["670657"],"_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 saw quite a few freshmen debut at quarterback last season and Weleetka's [player_tooltip player_id='670657' first='Isaiah' last='Drake'] is one of them. This young playmaker simply didn't make many mistakes last season as he would throw for over 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns with only 1 interception on the season. He would also add over 600 yards on the ground and turned around and played defense as well with six sacks from the defensive end position. The Drake to Drake combination in the backfield is going to be one of the best QB-RB duos in Class B and in the state this season when you look at their production last season and what they could do this fall. Drake was the runaway pick for district Newcomer Of The Year and we're looking forward to seeing what he does for an encore.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64aa173d87b34"} /--> <!-- 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='955650' first='Bryant' last='Sites'] - 2026 Athlete<br>J.R. Robertson - 2024 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 - Regent Prep</strong><br>- Weleetka is kicking off the 2023 football season with a bang as they'll host Regent Prep in a match-up of top four teams in our Class B preseason rankings. While the Outlaws come in at #2, the Rams aren't far behind at #4 and bring back nearly everyone from last year's team. The Rams have been one of the better 8-man programs over the last several years and we're going to have a great idea of just how competitive Class B is going to be as these two state championship contenders will square off in week zero. It will be the first meeting between these two. <br>Sept. 1 - AT Gans<br>Sept. 8 - Pioneer-Pleasant Vale<br>Sept. 15 - AT Paoli<br>Sept. 21 - AT Quinton<br>Sept. 29 - Keota<br>Oct. 6 - AT Summit Christian<br>Oct. 12 - Depew<br>Oct. 20 - AT Davenport<br><strong>Nov. 3 - AT Wetumka</strong><br>- The district championship could very well come down to the final week of the regular season once again as Weleetka will go on the road to face Wetumka. That's what happened last season as the Outlaws would host Wetumka in week ten and fell in a close one with a 42-34 setback that gave Wetumka the district championship. This has been a back and forth rivalry over the last decade as both teams are 5-5 against one another in the last ten meetings. The Outlaws have lost the last two in the series and they're looking for a big win to capture that district crown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weleetka is looking to punch their ticket to the playoffs for the tenth consecutive season this year. This streak began in 2014 and it's their longest streak since ten-plus consecutive playoff appearances in the 90's and early 2000's. During that stretch, the Outlaws would appear in three consecutive state championship games from 2002-2004 and walked away with two gold balls. But since then, the Outlaws haven't been back to the championship game and they've only made one semifinal appearance since 2004 and that came in 2015. Last season definitely ended on a bright note as we mentioned earlier when they would push eventual champion Laverne to the limits in the quarterfinals. But the Outlaws aren't going to settle for anything other than a deep run into November and December. They want to compete for a state championship, they definitely have the talent to do so and they'll look to take that step 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>2004 - Beat Morrison 46-6<br>2002 - Beat Medford 28-20</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->