Blanchard Lions OK 2024 Team Preview

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!   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 reigning Class 4A state champion Blanchard Lions.    Blanchard Lions   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #4 In Class 4A Preseason Coaches Ranking: #2 In Class 4A   Head Coach: Jeff Craig - 18th Season - 136-66 Record At Blanchard   2023 RESULTS (13-1 Record - Class 4A State Champions)   Sept. 1 - Beat Noble 61-18 Sept. 8 - Lost To Piedmont 21-7 Sept. 15 - Beat Shawnee 34-31 Sept. 22 - Beat Harrah 46-13 Sept. 29 - Beat Newcastle 28-13 Oct. 6 - Beat Tuttle 20-6 Oct. 12 - Beat Classen SAS 40-12 Oct. 20 - Beat Bridge Creek 40-10 Oct. 27 - Beat Bethany 27-7 Nov. 3 - Beat Tecumseh 42-0 1st Round - Beat Cache 27-0 Quarterfinals - Beat Sallisaw 55-28 Semifinals - Beat Poteau 26-14 Championship - Beat Wagoner 19-14   2023 Offensive Scoring Average: 33.7 Points Per Game 2023 Defensive Scoring Average: 13.4 Points Per Game   After back to back 8-4 seasons, the Blanchard Lions came into the 2023 season with high expectations with a very experienced squad returning. After playing a non-district schedule completely made up of 5A opponents, the Lions were 2-1 and ready for a very tough district slate, which was arguably the toughest district in Class 4A. That non-district slate prepared the Lions as they would win all seven district games and they won them all by double digits. They would win a turnover-plagued game in week six against Tuttle and that would propel them to the district championship. That district title set the Lions up to make a run in the postseason. They opened up the playoffs with two dominating wins and then beat perennial power Poteau in the semifinals. In the title game, they faced another 4A powerhouse in defending champion Wagoner but they would have to wait a couple hours to kick off the championship game because of storms. When they began, Blanchard jumped out on the Bulldogs and would hold on for the 19-14 victory. They would hold off Wagoner's last second heroics to win their first championship since 2013. The Lions had a very good football team in 2023 and while they did lose quite a bit from a very special senior class, it was evident even in the title game that the Lions would have a good shot to return to Edmond in 2024.   2024 OUTLOOK   On paper, the Lions might look like they lack experience but then you look at some of the names they bring back and any questions about whether or not this team can contend again drift away. Blanchard only brings back four starters on the offensive side of the ball but some of their top offensive production returns in that group. They will need to work in a new quarterback for the first time in a few years but they have several good options there. And the offense is boosted by the return of one of the best overall weapons in Class 4A and in the state overall. Defensively, it looks a lot like the offense and that's because several of the starters on offense are also starters on the defensive side of the ball. They bring back four starters on defense as well but again, one of those starters is going to come into this season as one of the best players in the state, more on him later. The biggest question surrounding Blanchard this season revolves around the line of scrimmage. Both sides of the ball took a hit so they'll need that new group to grow up quickly. And when you look at the schedule, those new faces will get thrown into the fire rather quickly. This is another season where Blanchard will play three consecutive non-district games against 5A opponents. They're hoping that they'll be battle-tested, like last season, when they enter district play. The team might have quite a few new faces but they also have plenty of championship pedigree.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Carson Cooksey - Quarterback Reagan Palmer - Wide Receiver Ross Johnston - Wide Receiver Tyler Hughes - Linebacker   PLAYERS TO WATCH    We mentioned earlier that the Lions are going to benefit from having one of the top players in the state returning and senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='268307' first='Brayson' last='Carter'] is that guy. On offense, defense and special teams, Carter has the ability to completely take over a game and there were several instances last season where he did just that. We've seen Carter in person a handful of times over the last 18 months and each time, he's arguably the best football player on the field. He was one of the best football players in the state last year, earning All State 2nd Team honors and he's back for more this fall. Whether it's offense, defense or special teams, Carter can take over.     Blanchard's [player_tooltip player_id='1100200' first='Coric' last='Pierce'] was arguably the top player for the Lions in last year's state championship win over Wagoner. He was all over the place and was impactful on offense and on defense. Pierce caught a touchdown and had two big interceptions on the defensive side of the ball when scoring was coming at a premium. This spring, Pierce added more to his plate on offense, taking snaps at quarterback with the projected starter out with an injury. While it's not expected for Pierce to be QB1 for the Lions this season, Blanchard having that option isn't a bad one either. He obviously brings some athleticism and playmaking ability to the position.     Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1100202' first='Gage' last='Ellison'] is a name to keep an eye on this season for the Blanchard defense. While plenty of attention will be paid to the offense and how it's coming along, look for Ellison to be a consistent force on the defensive side of the ball. The senior was third on the team in tackles last season but he wasn't able to play in the state championship game and he's looking forward to making up for lost time. The top two tacklers graduated so we expect Ellison to see his production go up and possibly be the leading tackler this season. Blanchard's front seven will be a big key for the Lions and Ellison elevating his game this season will be big.     We mentioned Pierce was just one option at quarterback and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1094507' first='Hudsen' last='Periman'] is the other. Periman was the backup quarterback last season but while he wasn't in the game at QB, Periman would also play several different positions as he's a terrific athlete that has the ability to do several things well, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. But the expectations right now are for Periman to be QB1 of the Lions this season. He had to miss time this spring with an injury but the Lions believe he'll be ready to go this season. Whether he lines up at quarterback or somewhere else on the field, we think that Periman will have a big impact on the Lions this season.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Braxton Rinken - 2026 Linebacker Brayden Hefferman - 2026 Offensive/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1304611' first='Cole' last='Watkins'] - 2026 Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1100203' first='Kade' last='Saunders'] - 2025 Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1100199' first='Vaughn' last='McIntyre'] - 2025 Running Back   2024 SCHEDULE/GAMES TO CIRCLE   Sept. 6th - AT Noble Sept. 13th - Newcastle Sept. 20th - Guthrie - A new non-district opponent is on the schedule and this week three clash against Guthrie will be one of the top match-ups of the week. This game with Guthrie is also the third consecutive game against a Class 5A opponent before Blanchard goes into district play in week four. The Blue Jays are in a similar boat to the Lions going into this season. They're still one of the top teams in their class but they will also be working some new faces into their lineup this season. Sept. 27th - AT Harrah Oct. 4th - Bethany - In week five, Blanchard will host Bethany in a district clash between two ranked teams and two teams that are very familiar with one another. And this has been a relatively even series over the last several years. In the last eight meetings, both teams hold a 4-4 record against the other. Blanchard won 27-7 in last season's meeting but Bethany got the best of the Lions in 2022. Blanchard's mix of returning talent and new faces will hopefully gel together before this week five contest. Oct. 10th - AT Tecumseh Oct. 17th - Ardmore Oct. 25th - AT Tuttle - In week eight, the Lions will travel to Tuttle in a top five showdown in Class 4A. These two teams are the two favorites in the district and this clash could very well decide the district championship. And Blanchard has had Tuttle's number over the last few seasons. They beat the Tigers on a last second touchdown in 2022 and then they beat Tuttle at home last fall 20-6 without scoring a single offensive touchdown. These two teams are two of the best in 4A football. Nov. 1st - AT Madill Nov. 8th - Chickasha   NOTABLE   We watched a lot of football last season but there's no doubt that the most bizarre game we covered was Blanchard's week six win over Tuttle. As much as the 2022 meeting was an instant classic, the 2023 meeting was an instant classic for other reasons. There were double digit turnovers between the two teams as both teams tried to navigate the brutal north wind that night. The Lions would win 20-6 despite not scoring a single point on the offensive side of the ball. All three of their touchdowns came from Tuttle turnovers. They returned two interceptions for touchdowns and [player_tooltip player_id='268307' first='Brayson' last='Carter'] stripped a Tuttle ball carrier and took it to the house. The Lions trailed 6-0 in the second half but used the turnovers to create scoring opportunities. You don't see games like this one very often. They'll square off again in district play this fall and we're looking forward to seeing how the 2024 match-up plays out.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2023 - 13-1 - Class 4A State Champions 2022 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals 2021 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals 2020 - 10-3 - Lost In Class 4A Semifinals 2019 - 4-6 - Missed The Playoffs   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   3 State Championships   2023 - Beat Wagoner 19-14 2012 - Beat Kingfisher 28-21 1979 - Beat Hartshorne 37-14

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