Booker T Washington Hornets 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 Booker T Washington Hornets!   Booker T Washington Hornets   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #10 In Class 5A Preseason Coaches Ranking: UR In Class 5A   Head Coach: Dan Bitson - 1st Season   2023 RESULTS (2-8 Record - Missed Playoffs)   Aug. 31st - Lost To Del City 48-0 Sept. 9th - Beat McLain 40-6 Sept. 22nd - Lost To Bartlesville 21-10 Sept. 29th - Lost To Stillwater 48-13 Oct. 6th - Lost To Tahlequah 24-21 Oct. 13th - Beat U.S. Grant 63-0 Oct. 19th - Lost To Muskogee 63-20 Oct. 27th - Lost To Sand Springs 24-14 Nov. 3rd - Lost To Putnam City West 34-23   2023 Offensive Scoring Average: 20.4 Points Per Game 2023 Defensive Scoring Average: 26.8 Points Per Game   The Booker T Washington Hornets are ready to move on after the 2023 season that saw them go 2-8 and miss out on the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. The Hornets have a very rich tradition of winning at a high level so going 2-8 and missing the playoffs from a district where six of the eight teams get in was definitely something out of the norm. The Hornets began with a 1-1 start but would drop their first three games in district play, including tough losses to Bartlesville and Tahlequah. That would put Booker T Washington in a position where they weren't going to have much slack in the district standings. They shut out U.S. Grant but then dropped their next two games against Muskogee and Sand Springs. That set up a week ten contest against Putnam City West and the stakes were simple. Win and you're in or lose and move on to basketball and wrestling. The Hornets came up short and the Patriots got the final playoff spot. The Hornets were young in 2023 but they also had seen their numbers drop significantly. And it wasn't something new, but each offseason, it seemed like some of the top players for Booker T Washington would end up at one of the 6A-1 neighboring schools. Whether it was Jenks, Owasso or Union, multiple Hornets would end up landing there. But regardless, 2-8 was definitely a stunning result and the administration decided to hit the reset button.   2024 OUTLOOK   In January, Booker T Washington decided to go in a different direction and alum Jonathan Brown was out as head coach. Eventually, the Hornets turned to another alum in Dan Bitson to become the next head coach of the Hornets. The early reports in the offseason were that numbers were starting to go back up but this offseason was another where they lost a few of their top returning players to a neighboring 6A-1 program. Despite that, this is Booker T Washington so they are going to always have talented players on the roster. It's about finding the right mix of guys and building the depth that can withstand a full season. Only three starters are back on the offensive side of the ball but one of those starters is the quarterback and their new offensive coordinator worked with him all offseason so the two are very familiar with one another. Defensively, the Hornets bring back four starters on that side of the ball and the conversation starts up front with their sophomore defensive lineman. He's already established himself as one of the state's top prospects in the 2027 class following a dominant freshman season. The Hornets also dropped down from 6A-2 to Class 5A for the first time in over a decade. And the last time we saw Booker T Washington in 5A football, they were consistently making trips to the state championship game. With the guys they have coming back and the new mindset, we think the Hornets can definitely be a top ten team once again. The first two games this season are brutal but if they can weather the storm early, we think the Hornets can really start rolling going into the heart of their district schedule. 2-8 is in the rear view mirror and this team is hungry to make it back to the playoffs in 2024.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Darian Melendez - Offensive Lineman Jordan Sells - Defensive Back Kuhron Ross - Running Back   PLAYERS TO WATCH    At this time last season, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='901774' first='Anthony' last='Harris'] was coming off of a breakout sophomore season with the Hornets. He became the veteran on the Hornet defense last season and now, he's looking to lead Booker T Washington back to the playoffs and beyond as a senior. When you look up and down this Hornet roster, there might not be a more experienced player than Harris over the last three to four years. And when you also look at some of the personnel on this defense, you see a lot of guys that make plays and can play at a high level. That conversation has to start with the senior in Harris. He's a physical player that will let his play do his talking in 2024.     Another senior on this Booker T Washington defense comes from the secondary with [player_tooltip player_id='1201885' first='Derreon' last='Overstreet'] at the cornerback position. The Hornets have a pretty good track record when it comes to producing defensive backs and while Overstreet might be flying under the radar right now, he has the tools to be the guy to come out of the 2025 class. The senior has had a terrific offseason and we got a chance to see him in person a handful of times in various 7v7 tournaments. Overstreet is a long and rangy cornerback that does a great job of staying on a receiver's hip and he also had a knack for making big plays. This could be a big season for Overstreet.     We mentioned Booker T Washington's defensive lineman that just finished a monster freshman season. [player_tooltip player_id='473952' first='Joseph' last='Graves'] is that guy and he has firmly established himself as one of the best at his position and in the state's 2027 class as an overall prospect. He has seen his recruitment really start to take off this offseason and it's not going to slow down anytime soon. Last season, it was clear fairly early on that Graves was arguably the best player on the team and that was early in his freshman season. After being around Graves a handful of times, he's an easy guy to root for because he always has a smile on his face. But when the ball is snapped, he flips that switch that makes him truly elite.     Junior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='284116' first='Keynan' last='Farley'] is on the short list of players that we saw this offseason and the stock shot through the roof. We didn't have much of an opinion of Farley back in January but after seeing him in a handful of 7v7 tournaments and then again at a team camp in May, it was clear that his ceiling was about as high as any other 2026 prospect in this class. Farley checks all of the boxes from a physical standpoint and his overall playmaking ability is through the roof as well. Farley will also benefit from having worked with his quarterback all offseason and their connection should be one of the better ones in 5A football. The junior is primed for a monster season.     Earlier in the preview we also mentioned Booker T Washington's quarterback that returns and he could be primed for a big season. Junior signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='595677' first='Levi' last='Brooks'] is another Hornet prospect that has had a really strong offseason and it felt like every time we saw Brooks in person, he was better than the previous time. If he has continued that progression over the summer and takes it into this season, he could really be one of the more underrated quarterbacks in Class 5A. There's no doubt that Brooks is going to have some talented playmakers around him. If Brooks can get some time from the offensive line, he could have a very productive 2024 season.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   [player_tooltip player_id='1035135' first='DaWayne' last='Jones'] - 2027 Defensive Lineman Daylinn Overstreet - 2025 Defensive Back Dyllan Carpenter - 2026 Kicker [player_tooltip player_id='1286144' first='Jordn' last='Howze'] - 2025 Tight End Kenton Bowens - 2025 Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='858873' first='Mykah' last='Washington'] - 2026 Running Back/Wide Receiver Yiramiyah Parry - 2026 Tight End   2024 SCHEDULE/GAMES TO CIRCLE   Aug. 30th - AT Muskogee Sept. 6th - Del City - This has turned into one of the better non-district match-ups each year and now Booker T Washington and Del City are back in the same class. The Hornets will play their first home game of the year against a Del City team that is a preseason top five squad in Class 5A and they are coming off a trip to the state championship game a year ago. The Hornets will be hungry for a win and to turn things around in this series. They've lost the last three and they haven't been close. Sept. 13th - AT Central Sept. 27th - AT Durant Oct. 4th - Shawnee Oct. 10th - Bishop Kelley - The last time Booker T Washington was in Class 5A, they were district foes with Bishop Kelley. The Hornets will host the Comets in week six and it will be their first meeting since facing off in non-district play in 2019. When these two teams were district foes, they would routinely go back and forth in the series. Now, Bishop Kelley is looking to go after another district championship while the Hornets are looking to get back to the playoffs. A win here would give Booker T Washington a ton of momentum. Oct. 18th - AT East Central Oct. 25th - McAlester Nov. 1st - AT Coweta - Booker T Washington travels to Coweta in week nine and the Hornets face the Tigers for the first time in nearly two decades. This two week stretch of week eight against McAlester and this road game will decide a lot when it comes to the district standings. If the Hornets can go 2-0 here, they could be flirting with that district title and definitely a home playoff game. Going 1-1 here should get them into the playoffs but 0-2 will cause the Hornets to need some help and not trip up anywhere else. Nov. 7th - AT Edison   NOTABLE   In 2012, Booker T Washington moved up from 5A to 6A football and then in 2014, they were slotted in the new Class 6A-2 when the split happened. They've been playing 6A and 6A-2 football ever since but this fall, they are back in Class 5A for at least the next two seasons. And when you look at the Hornets when they were last in Class 5A, there's reason to be very optimistic. In their last four seasons in Class 5A, the Hornets won two state championships. But it was also a roller coaster time for the program because after winning the 2008 state title, they missed the 2009 playoffs. But they would capture another gold ball in 2010, only to lose in the first round the following year. Now, they're back in Class 5A and looking to contend immediately. They find themselves in a tough district but it's not impossible and it wouldn't be shocking to see them capture the district title as soon as this year. And if that happens, they could go on a run in November.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2023 - 2-8 - Missed Playoffs 2022 - 7-5 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Quarterfinals 2021 - 8-3 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Quarterfinals 2020 - 7-4 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Quarterfinals 2019 - 6-5 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Quarterfinals   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   9 State Championships   2017 - Beat Bixby 28-21 2010 - Beat East Central 32-3 2008 - Beat Carl Albert 28-17 1984 - Beat Moore 14-10 1973 - Beat Nathan Hale 39-7 1971 - Beat Midwest City 36-22 1969 - Beat Midwest City 13-8 1968 - Beat Northwest 33-12 1967 - Beat Midwest City 30-14

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