Pawhuska Huskies 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>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 Pawhuska Huskies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Pawhuska Huskies</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: UR</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: UR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 football season brings year two of Pawhuska in Class 2A after they made the jump up from Class A last season and their introduction to the larger class was a rough one throughout the season. The Huskies would go 6-5 last season and were bounced out of the playoffs in the first round. Things started well with wins over Caney Valley and former Class A playoff foe Cashion in the first two weeks of the season. But a close loss to Hominy, followed by a blowout loss to Vinita to open district play would drop the Huskies to 3-2 at the halfway mark of the regular season. They would lose two more times in district play to Claremore Sequoyah and then to Rejoice Christian in the regular season finale. They had to go on the road in the first round and face Victory Christian and lost 70-22. In fact, their final two games featured the opponents scoring a combined 147 points. The Pawhuska offense lit up the scoreboard throughout the season but they will look for the defense to improve on those numbers as we head into the new season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 Huskies are going to look a little different as we head into the new year. For the first time in several years, the Huskies will have someone at quarterback that does not have the last name Drummond. Pawhuska went from one Drummond to another and the latest was Todd and he'll have some tough production for the Huskies to replace. He was a strong dual-threat quarterback but one thing we've grown to know when it comes to Matt Hennesy-coached teams, he's going to figure out the quarterback position and how to get the most out of his offense. The defense should be experienced but as we mentioned, they will be looking to improve on the way last season came to an end. The Huskies have some really good talent but now they have to go out and prove it on the football field. The schedule is going to be pretty tough once again as they will challenge themselves with some serious Class A contenders in non-district play before competing again in a tough district slate.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (6-5 Record - Lost In Class 2A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Beat Caney Valley 52-7<br>Sept. 2 - Beat Cashion 40-29<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Hominy 27-22<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Woodland 48-46<br>Sept. 23 - Lost To Vinita 40-16<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Nowata 62-8<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Salina 56-6<br>Oct. 21 - Lost To Claremore Sequoyah 51-26<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Adair 46-18<br>Nov. 3 - Lost To Rejoice Christian 77-28<br>1st Round - Lost To Victory Christian 70-22</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>Connor Easley - Offensive Lineman<br>John Reed - Linebacker<br>Todd Drummond - Quarterback<br>Tyrel Richardson - 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":["930736"],"_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":"Pawhuska's 2024 two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='930736' first='JoJo' last='Hendren'] is a player that we think could be on the short list for breakout star in Class 2A this season Hendren is listed on the roster as a running back and linebacker and he has an ability to become the top rusher on the offensive side of the ball while the team works in their new quarterback. But Hendren also provides a spark to the defense with his abilities at the linebacker position. Hendren has great vision and overall power and the power is obvious because he is also a standout in the weight room and has put up some serious numbers in that department. Hendren has a good nose for football and that will come in handy on the defensive side of the ball as that unit looks to improve this season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["595684"],"_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":"You can certainly make the argument that Pawhuska's 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='595684' first='Noah' last='Willson'] is the top overall prospect on Pawhuska's team coming into this season. First off, you see him in person and you immediately have that thought because he passes the eye test based solely on his size. Then you watch him run around a little bit and whether it's on offense or defense, you see a player who can play at the next level. The athleticism and size are clearly there but what makes him a player to watch this season is his overall work ethic and his desire to improve every time he steps on the football field. Willson is listed on the roster as a tight end and linebacker and we see him in more of a utility role where he will do whatever he has to do to help his team win.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64c808c42e35c"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Deacon Hendren - 2024 Athlete<br>Elvernon White - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Kameron Long - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1325096' first='Lane' last='Kyler'] - 2025 Wide Receiver<br>Mason Snodgrass - 2024 Athlete<br>Tahnanka Supernaw - 2025 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Traven Richardson - 2024 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>Aug. 25 - AT Caney Valley&nbsp;<br>Sept. 1 - AT Cashion<br><strong>Sept. 8 - AT Hominy</strong><br>- We mentioned how the Huskies are challenging themselves against a tough non-district schedule and in addition to that, the majority of them are away from home. Week two brings the third consecutive road game and arguably the toughest of the non-district schedule when they renew their rivalry with Hominy. The Bucks were able to beat the Huskies in a close one last season but as we head into the 2023 season, Hominy looks like one of the top teams in Class A. And a big reason behind that is their star quarterback, who was one of the top players in Oklahoma last season.&nbsp;<br>Sept. 15 - Woodland<br>Sept. 22 - Vinita<br>Oct. 6 - Nowata<br>Oct. 12 - Salina<br>Oct. 20 - AT Claremore Sequoyah<br>Oct. 27 - Adair<br><strong>Nov. 3 - AT Rejoice Christian</strong><br>- You can definitely make the argument that Pawhuska's three toughest games are all on the road. They face Hominy on the road followed by Claremore Sequoyah and Rejoice Christian on the road. Both teams are in the preseason top ten rankings in Class 2A and they both expect to contend for the district title this season. When Pawhuska heads to Owasso in week ten to face Rejoice Christian, they'll know exactly where they are in the district standings and what they need to do to either punch their ticket to the playoffs, improve their seed or perhaps win the district title.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anytime we talk about Pawhuska, it should be mentioned and noted that what head coach Matt Hennesy has done in the last decade is quite impressive. He's turned around two losing programs in a matter of two seasons. And he's done it twice and in back to back stops! First, he took over a Locust Grove program in 2012 after they went 2-28 in the three seasons before that. He would go 5-5 in his first season and then had a three year stretch where the Pirates went 37-3 and were championship contenders. Then he did it again at Pawhuska. The Huskies went 0-10 in 2017. Hennesy took over in 2018 and had a 6-5 record. And over the next three years they were a combined 34-6 before moving up to Class 2A last season. Between losing some experience, plus the move up, the Huskies returned back to earth with a 6-5 record last season. But the Huskies are determined to return to contending for deep runs into November.&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 -->