Apache Warriors OK 2024 Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!</strong></em></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 even into August, we are publishing well over 100 of the most in-depth team previews that you'll find anywhere to get you completely ready for the 2024 football season. This is something that began for us at PRZ-Oklahoma in 2021 and it continues to get bigger and better every single year. We're looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state in every class. From defending champions, to the top contenders and plenty of dark horses and other teams to know, we'll have complete coverage every single day. There will be multiple previews dropping every single day! In this post, we take a look at the Apache Warriors!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Apache Warriors</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #4 In Class A-2<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #8 In Class A-2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Head Coach: Kenon White - 1st Season</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2023 RESULTS (10-2 Record - Lost In Class A Quarterfinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 1st - Beat Rush Springs 48-8<br>Sept. 8th - Lost To Minco 33-23<br>Sept. 15th - Beat Ringling 26-0<br>Sept. 22nd - Beat Mangum 49-28<br>Sept. 29th - Beat Hobart 40-26<br>Oct. 6th - Beat Cordell 61-6<br>Oct. 20th - Beat Walters 28-24<br>Oct. 27th - Beat Empire 39-0<br>Nov. 3rd - Beat Carnegie 50-0<br>1st Round - Beat Thomas 50-31<br>2nd Round - Beat Stratford 48-13<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To Hominy 40-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>2023 Offensive Scoring Average: 38.5 Points Per Game<br>2023 Defensive Scoring Average: 17.4 Points Per Game</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Apache Warriors might have been flying under the radar coming into the 2023 football season but it didn't take long for them to grab our attention. The Warriors would go 10-2 and make it to the Class A quarterfinals before their 2023 campaign came to an end. The quarterfinal appearance was their best finish in a decade, dating back to the 2013 team that went to the Class A semifinals. The season began with a 2-1 start that also included an impressive 26-0 win over Ringling. District play would begin and Apache's run to the district title would start with a 49-28 win over Mangum. The Warriors dominated district play throughout the 2023 season. They won all but one of their district games by double digits. The only close district contest came in week eight against Walters. They would survive the scare, winning 28-24. That put them in the driver's seat for the district crown and they would run away with it in the final two weeks. Their high scoring offense would continue to roll when the playoffs began. They beat Thomas in the first round and followed that up with a 35-point win over Stratford in the second round. The season came to a close in the quarterfinals when they ran into a strong Hominy squad. And an Apache team that averaged nearly 40 points per game was shut out. But the Warriors are once again one of the teams to watch in their class and this year, they aren't flying under the radar as we begin a new season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2024 OUTLOOK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors are coming into this season ranked #4 in our preseason rankings and a new era of Apache football is beginning for multiple reasons. First off, Kenon White takes over as head coach this season. He takes over an Apache program after Tanner Koons was hired at Ringling. And the opportunities at Apache had to be exciting for this season. Apache brings back the majority of their starters and they are now in Class A-2, the smaller division of Class A and the road to competing for a state championship just got a lot less congested. They come into this season as a top five team and only time will tell whether they live up to the hype and have a memorable 2024 campaign. Six starters are back on the offensive side of the ball but when you look at the Warriors, most of the conversation will start around the quarterback position. He was incredibly productive a year ago and he's going to come into this fall as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the class. This was an offense that averaged nearly 40 points per game in 2023 and it wouldn't surprise us to see them match or even exceed those numbers this fall. Six starters also return to the defensive side of the ball and the strength of this side could end up coming from the front seven. Apache's coaches are really excited about some of the faces they bring back on the defensive line and at the linebacker position. We're going to find out real quickly how competitive this Apache team will be in 2024. Arguably their three toughest games this fall take place in the first six games. The Warriors will look to get out to a fast start against a tough schedule and then really start picking up momentum as the playoffs get closer.&nbsp;</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>Dominick Scott - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Reese Sylvester - Wide Receiver/Defensive 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":["1331318"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6691e76730f36"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">We mentioned earlier how we like the front seven that returns on the Apache defense and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1331318' first='Brandon' last='Lindsey'] is a big reason why. Lindsey is going to have the ability to set the tone for just how disruptive and impactful the Apache defense is this season. From his position on the line of scrimmage a year ago, Lindsey was incredibly disruptive. He would end up finishing the year with 50 tackles and nearly 20 of them coming behind the line of scrimmage. He was a quarterback's nightmare throughout the 2023 campaign as he racked up seven sacks and even when he didn't get to the quarterback, he was causing a lot of chaos along the line of scrimmage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["858877"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6691e76730f9a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='858877' first='Dayton' last='Scott'] has been a guy that has been on our radar since his freshman season. He had his breakout moment during 2022 and was incredibly productive for the Warriors. Now, he's going into his junior season and his third season as an impact player for this Apache offense. Scott will be a big name to watch when you consider just how effective the Apache running game could be. Between the returners on the offensive line along with Scott and Apache's dual-threat quarterback, the Warriors could be very effective in the run game. We're excited to see what kind of impact Scott has with the experience and production he's had already in his career. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["998365"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6691e76730fdc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">When we were talking about Apache's offense, we mentioned that senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='998365' first='Houston' last='Herrin'] is going to come into this season as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in Class A-2. He enjoyed a breakout season as a junior, becoming one of the top overall playmakers in Class A and we're fired up to see what he can do this season. Last year, Herrin would run for nearly 1,500 yards while also adding over 1,000 yards passing. It's not crazy to think that Herrin could be a quarterback that ends up accounting for over 3,000 yards of total offense this season if he takes that next step. He had some of the best individual performances last season and it felt like they came every week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>MORE NAMES TO KNOW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jakob Harvey - 2026 Running Back/Linebacker<br>Mark Dietrich - 2025 Linebacker<br>Zack Roberts - 2025 Defensive Lineman<br>Zane Carroll - 2027 Offensive Lineman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2024 SCHEDULE/GAMES TO CIRCLE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 30th - Wilson<br><strong>Sept. 13th - Minco<br></strong>- In week two, Apache will host a Minco team that has had their number over the last several seasons. They've been district opponents or in the last two years have met in non-district play. Either way, they've met in each of the last six seasons and Minco has won every meeting. The closest game came early on in the 2023 season where Minco got away with a 33-23 victory. Like Apache, Minco is coming into this season as a top ten team but they'll be competing in Class A-1. <br>Sept. 19th - AT Merritt<br><strong>Sept. 27th - AT Mangum<br></strong>- District play will begin in week four with arguably the toughest district contest on the schedule this season. Apache will go on the road to face a Mangum team that is coming into this season at number two in Class A-2. They bring back almost everyone from last year's team. But the Warriors have done a good job in the series with the Tigers, especially recently. They've won three of the last four, including the last two in the series. And their offense has averaged close to 50 points per game in the two wins. <br>Oct. 4th - Carnegie<br><strong>Oct. 11th - Thomas<br></strong>- In week six, the second half of the regular season begins with a district clash at home with a familiar foe. Apache will host a Thomas team that is also ranked in the Class A-2 preseason rankings. The Terriers are a team that is used to being a playoff team and contending in their class. They'll look to do that again in 2024. Apache would meet up with Thomas in the first round of the playoffs a year ago. They played a high-scoring affair that ended with the Warriors winning 50-31. <br>Oct. 17th - AT Southwest Covenant<br>Oct. 25th - AT Mooreland<br>Nov. 1st - Cordell<br>Nov. 8th - Texhoma</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>NOTABLE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Apache took the first step to truly contending in 2023, becoming a team that wins ten games and they made a run to the Class A quarterfinals. Now, they enter the new era of Oklahoma high school football where there are two divisions in Class A. Apache has routinely been one of the smallest schools in Class A and they now find themselves in the smaller of the two divisions. When you look at the recent enrollment numbers from April's ADM, Apache is actually right on the border of possibly being an 8-man school. In fact, there's at least one school that is playing 8-man football this fall that had a higher ADM number than Apache in April. But the Warriors aren't going to shy away from competition and last year saw them taking that first step to becoming a contender in whatever class they're in. Now that they're in Class A-2, the possible road to Edmond becomes a little more manageable.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>LAST FIVE SEASONS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 - 10-2 - Lost In Class A Quarterfinals<br>2022 - 8-3 - Lost In Class A 1st Round<br>2021 - 5-6 - Lost In Class A 1st Round<br>2020 - 6-3 - Lost In Class A 2nd Round<br>2019 - 4-6 - Missed Playoffs</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 -->