Bishop McGuinness Irish OK 2024 Team Preview

Before we begin this preview, we have to take a moment to talk about a terrific young man that tragically lost his life earlier this month. Zach Tawwater Zach Tawwater 6'5" | 230 lbs | DL Bishop McGuinness | 2025 OK was going into his senior season and has been an outstanding football player to watch and cover over the last several seasons. We can’t imagine what his family, teammates and the Bishop McGuinness community have been going through over the past two weeks. 

I first saw Zach in person during the 2022 season, when he was a sophomore. It was a home game and I remember standing on the field before the game and one of the coaches from the opposing team pointed him out and said “He’s going to be a problem in the future.” Whether it was on offense as a tight end or defense as a defensive end, Zach always knew how to impact the game. Earlier this summer, Zach was offered a scholarship following a visit to Dartmouth. Shortly after that offer, Zach had committed to play his college football there. 

Hearing stories and reading more about Zach, it was very clear how much of an impact he had that far exceeded his exploits on the football field. There is no doubt that Bishop McGuinness will be taking the field every single week this season with #88 in their hearts and guiding them throughout the fall. We wanted to include something from the family in this as well and it’s a way to donate in memory of Zach.

Zach was honored to serve on the teen board of Focus on Home, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help people seek the comfort and security of a furnished home. In lieu of flowers or food, the family would be honored if people donated to Focus on Home through Zach’s link which can be found at focusonhome.kindful.com/teenboard-2024/zach-tawwater3 . Checks may also be made out and mailed to Focus on Home, 6608 N. Western Ave., Suite 202, Oklahoma City, OK 73116.

Now, there is no way to transition from this to discussing the upcoming football season. Full transparency , this preview was written before the accident happened. That’s why we wanted to lead off this article by talking about and remembering Zach. And one of the ways we can remember Zach moving forward is talking about Bishop McGuinness football. Hopefully, this allows some sort of normalcy for those grieving for at least a moment. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tawwater family and the Bishop McGuinness community. Below, we take a look at the Irish heading into the 2024 season.

Bishop McGuinness Irish 

Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #4 In Class 5A
Preseason Coaches Ranking: #4 In Class 5A

Head Coach: Ryan Stringer – 1st Season 

2023 RESULTS (8-4 Record – Lost In Class 5A Quarterfinals)

Aug. 25th – Beat Putnam City 35-20
Sept. 1st – Beat Clinton 28-0
Sept. 8th – Lost To Bishop Kelley 24-7
Sept. 21st – Beat Shawnee 48-10
Sept. 28th – Beat Lawton Eisenhower 30-14
Oct. 6th – Lost To Guthrie 20-0
Oct. 13th – Lost To Carl Albert 49-7
Oct. 20th – Beat Southeast 70-0
Oct. 27th – Beat Piedmont 19-14
1st Round – Beat Midwest City 42-14
Quarterfinals – Beat Bishop Kelley 28-14
Semifinals – Lost To Carl Albert 51-28

2023 Offensive Scoring Average: 28.5 Points Per Game
2023 Defensive Scoring Average: 19.2 Points Per Game

There’s no other way to put it. Bishop McGuinness has been one of the more consistent programs in the state over the last two decades. At this time last year, Bishop McGuinness looked like they would be rebuilding after getting hit hard by graduation and some key players moving out of the program. They were unranked in our preseason rankings coming into the season and we figured out that was a mistake pretty quickly. The Irish would finish the year at 8-4 and would once again find themselves making a run in the playoffs. They year began with a 4-1 record, with the only loss coming to Bishop Kelley in their annual rivalry game. They would then come up short in a brutal back to back stretch against Carl Albert and Guthrie. But they would rally to finish out the season with a win over Piedmont, and that allowed them to avoid facing a district champion in the first round. They beat Midwest City in the first round and then would eliminate their rivals from Bishop Kelley in the quarterfinals. But they ran up against the Carl Albert buzz saw in the semifinals and the season came to an end. Nevertheless, the Irish went from unranked in the preseason rankings to being one of the final four teams standing in a loaded Class 5A. That shows you how consistent and strong this McGuinness program is. It also shows you how pointless preseason rankings can be at times! But the Irish continued to prove they are one of the best in Class 5A and they are ready to prove it again in 2024. 

2024 OUTLOOK

This was a whirlwind of an offseason for the Irish as they had several major changes happen over the last eight months. First off, the Ryan Stringer era will officially begin as their longtime offensive coordinator takes over for Bryan Pierce as head coach of the Irish. And a few months ago, the Irish were slated to be in Class 6A-2 this season. But after a successful lawsuit ruling in April, all the classes and districts were changed once again and the Irish moved back down to Class 5A. And the Irish now find themselves in a new district. But they’re trading one tough district for another. After battling with Carl Albert and Guthrie, they are in a new district with two top six preseason teams in Lawton MacArthur and Midwest City. But the Irish are ready for the new challenge and they’ve reloaded to make another run in the playoffs. The Irish bring back six starters on the offensive side of the ball and the headline is the return of their quarterback. He’ll need to find some new skill position standouts but the Irish are not lacking talent there. Six starters are back on the defensive side of the ball and they have returning talent at all three levels of the defense. This is a very experienced team compared to the Irish at this time last year. They have a big senior class that has played a lot of football and they’re ready to end their high school careers with a win in December. They’ve been one of the more consistent teams in the state but the only thing missing is the gold ball. A state championship would be their first since going back to back in 2006 and 2007.

KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION

Charles Meadows – Defensive Back
Jack Foster – Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
JP Spanier – Running Back
Peter Bilicki – Wide Receiver/Defensive Back

PLAYERS TO WATCH

MORE NAMES TO KNOW

Aiden Monigold Aiden Monigold 6'4" | 220 lbs | ATH Bishop McGuinness | 2026 State OK – 2026 Defensive Lineman
Baylor Moates Baylor Moates 6'2" | 310 lbs | OL Bishop McGuinness | 2026 OK – 2026 Offensive Lineman
Dax Corey Dax Corey 5'10" | 170 lbs | DB Bishop McGuinness | 2025 OK – 2025 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
Jace Weeks Jace Weeks 6'1" | 190 lbs | ATH Bishop McGuinness | 2025 State OK – 2025 Defensive Back
Nathan Steiner Nathan Steiner 5'11" | 155 lbs | WR Bishop Mcguiness | 2025 OK – 2025 Wide Receiver
Nick House – 2025 Lineman
Rock York – 2025 Lineman

2024 SCHEDULE/GAMES TO CIRCLE

Aug. 30th – Deer Creek
Sept. 6th – AT Bishop Kelley
– You have to circle this game on the schedule every single season. It’s the annual rivalry game between Bishop McGuinness and Tulsa foe Bishop Kelley. Over the last two decades, these two teams have played some very close contests that have gone down to the wire. Last season, we got a bonus rivalry clash in the playoffs. After losing to Bishop Kelley in the regular season, the Irish got the last laugh by beating the Comets in the quarterfinals. Both teams will be amped up for this one. 
Sept. 14th – AT Bishop Lynch (The Star – Frisco)
Sept. 20th – Bishop Carroll
Sept. 27th – Classen SAS
Oct. 11th – Midwest City
– After a much-needed bye week following the district opener, the Irish will square off with Midwest City in week six. These two teams both look like contenders not only in the district but in Class 5A as a whole. And as we mentioned, McGuinness traded one tough district for another with three of the top six teams in our preseason rankings coming in this district. And this is another playoff rematch from last season. The Irish knocked off the Bombers in the first round in 2023. 
Oct. 17th – AT Duncan
Oct. 25th – Southeast
Nov. 1st – AT Newcastle
Nov. 8th – AT Lawton MacArthur
– Arguably the toughest game on the schedule will take place in week ten to wrap up the regular season. The Irish will travel down to Lawton to face a Lawton MacArthur team that comes in at number two in our preseason rankings. This week ten clash could very well be looked at as an extension of the playoffs. It wouldn’t be crazy to see this game decide the district championship. So while it won’t be win or go home like the playoffs, it will definitely have major playoff implications. 

NOTABLE

Another game to circle on the calendar for the Irish is that week two match-up against Bishop Lynch at The Star in Frisco, Texas. This game will be on a Saturday afternoon and it’s part of an event called the “Catholic Bowl” and it’s a triple header featuring six catholic schools from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Bishop McGuinness will travel down on Friday and take part in a mass with the other five programs and then they’ll go head to head on Saturday. The McGuinness-Bishop Lynch game will be the second among the tripleheader and in addition to being part of a really unique event, it’s in a fantastic environment with The Star hosting. It should be a memorable game and weekend for the players, coaches and fans that make the trip down to Frisco, Texas. But at the end of the day, it’s also part of a very tough non-district schedule and the Irish are not going down to Texas just for a fun weekend. They’re going down looking for another win and to come back up to Oklahoma with more momentum heading into the rest of September. 

LAST FIVE SEASONS

2023 – 8-4 – Lost In Class 5A Semifinals
2022 – 10-2 – Lost In Class 5A Semifinals
2021 – 7-5 – Lost In Class 5A Quarterfinals
2020 – 10-3 – Class Class 5A Runner Ups
2019 – 11-3 – Class Class 5A Runner Ups

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2 State Championships

2007 – Beat Glenpool 14-9
2006 – Beat Grove 31-0