Seiling Wildcats OK 2023 Team Preview
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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 Seiling Wildcats.
Seiling Wildcats
Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: UR
Preseason Coaches Ranking: #4
The Seiling Wildcats come into the 2023 football season with some unfinished business after making it all the way to the state championship game a season ago and having to settle for the silver ball. Seiling was one of the best teams in Class B last season from the start. They would go 13-2 on the season but they got everyone’s attention in week two. They would beat defending champion Laverne 40-38 in an exciting early season match-up. The excitement didn’t last long as they would turn around and lose the next week to Oklahoma Bible Academy. But the Wildcats wouldn’t lose again the rest of the way. They were absolutely dominant to close out the regular season. The closest game the rest of the way was a 30-point win over Cherokee in week four. That domination continued in the playoffs with easy wins over Wilson, Hollis and Wetumka in the first three rounds. But a rematch with Oklahoma Bible Academy in the semifinals would go their way. After losing 58-34 in week three, the Wildcats beat OBA 46-0 in the semifinal rematch to punch their ticket to the championship game. Another rematch awaited them and it was reigning champion Laverne. They would get the last laugh, outlasting a Seiling comeback, key injuries and multiple weather delays to win a second straight state title.
Seiling will get another crack at Laverne early on in the season again and it will be one of the more anticipated non-district games in Class B this fall. The Wildcats also bring back about half of their starters but the offense is going to look a little different. That side of the ball only has two starters returning off an offensive unit that was scoring at least 50 points in every single game over the last five weeks in the regular season. But while they have six new starters, they will bring back their quarterback and that’s a ton of production returning there with one player. While the offense finds their groove early on in the season, we expect the defense to really step up with five starters back on that side of the ball, including multiple players that earned all district honors last season. This was a team that was dominant at times throughout the season and we won’t be surprised if they find a way to make it back into the state championship picture again this fall. Class B looks like it’s going to be very competitive and while everyone is chasing Laverne right now, the Wildcats proved last year that they can be beat.
2022 RESULTS (13-2 Record – Class B Runner Up)
Sept. 2 – Beat Cyril 46-0
Sept. 9 – Beat Laverne 40-38
Sept. 16 – Lost To Oklahoma Bible Academy 58-34
Sept. 23 – Beat Cherokee 64-34
Sept. 30 – Beat Pond Creek-Hunter 46-12
Oct. 7 – Beat Canton 64-0
Oct. 13 – Beat Waukomis 62-14
Oct. 21 – Beat Okeene 52-6
Oct. 28 – Beat Covington-Douglas 56-8
Nov. 4 – Beat Southwest Covenant 54-8
1st Round – Beat Wilson 70-6
2nd Round – Beat Hollis 32-14
Quarterfinals – Beat Wetumka 46-0
Semifinals – Beat Oklahoma Bible Academy 46-0
Championship – Lost To Laverne 34-28
Key Losses To Graduation
Cody Pester – Athlete
Colten Bowen – Offensive/Defensive Lineman
Newt Hutchison – Tight End/Defensive Lineman
Players To Watch
Seiling’s offense is going to be fairly new this season with only two starters returning from last year’s team. But as we mentioned earlier, they will bring back their starting quarterback and that’s a good place to start when you talk about seeing a makeover on the offensive side of the ball. Manuel was outstanding for Seiling last season and earned several postseason honors. Like many 8-man standouts, Manuel also plays defense for the Wildcats but there is no doubt that his greatest value comes on offense as the quarterback. Manuel might have a little more on his plate early on in the season when the Wildcats are facing their toughest stretch of opponents while also working in some new starters. But there is no doubt that they’ll be rolling by November.
While Manuel has the potential to be one of the top quarterbacks in 8-man football this season, he can’t do it all by himself. And joining him on the offensive side of the ball is 2024 standout Hudson Hamar Hudson Hamar 5’10” | ATH Seiling | 2024 OK at the wide receiver position. He also stands out on the defensive side of the ball in the secondary but on paper, it looks like Hamar’s greatest impact is going to be on offense as Manuel’s top target in the passing game. Last season, Hamar earned All District honors as a two-way starter for the Wildcats and he’s looking to do it again this season. Like we said with Manuel, this offense is incredibly young and having a returning playmaker like Hamar will give the Wildcats some experience and someone who knows what to do in big games.
More Names To Know
Blake Chain – 2026 Tight End/Linebacker
Jazin Baker – 2026 Wide Receiver
Rush Hunt – 2026 Running Back/Defensive Back
Vincent Meave – 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman
Yovany Duarte – 2025 Running Back/Linebacker
2023 Schedule/Games To Circle
Sept. 1 – AT Cyril
Sept. 8 – Laverne
– There aren’t many match-ups in Class B that can stack up to this week two contest when Seiling plays host to two-time defending champion Laverne. It’s a rematch of last year’s state championship game, features two of the better players in Class B and has the potential to be an instant classic. Last year, they met twice and the combined winning margin was eight points. Seiling won the regular season contest while Laverne got the last laugh in the title game. Seiling’s season of unfinished business really gets cranked up here when they get another shot at the champs.
Sept. 15 – AT Oklahoma Bible Academy
– While all eyes are going to be on that week two match-up with Laverne, that’s not the only big rematch from Seiling’s playoff run last year. One week after facing off with Laverne, the Wildcats will go on the road to face Oklahoma Bible Academy in a rematch of last year’s semifinal win. This is the same OBA team that beat Seiling in the regular season and it was the only blemish on their regular season record. But the Wildcats turned around and not only beat the Trojans but they shut them out to punch their ticket to the title game. This is another important Class B rematch.
Sept. 22 – Cherokee
Sept. 29 – AT Pond Creek-Hunter
Oct. 6 – AT Canton
Oct. 12 – Waukomis
Oct. 20 – Okeene
Oct. 27 – AT Covington-Douglas
Nov. 2 – Southwest Covenant
Championship History
2 State Championships
1988 – Beat Ringling 37-8
1965 – Beat Barnsdall – 20-6