Choctaw Yellowjackets 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 Choctaw Yellowjackets!   Choctaw Yellowjackets   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #3 In Class 6A-2 Preseason Coaches Ranking: #3 In Class 6A-2   Head Coach: Jake Corbin - 8th Season - 54-26 Record At Choctaw   2023 RESULTS (8-2 Record - Lost In 6A-2 Semifinals)   Sept. 7 - Beat Westmoore 29-10 Sept. 22 - Beat Putnam City North 47-3 Sept. 28 - Beat Capitol Hill 71-0 Oct. 6 - Lost To Deer Creek 25-20 Oct. 12 - Beat Northwest Classen 77-0 Oct. 20 - Beat Lawton 58-6 Oct. 27 - Beat Putnam City 65-20 Nov. 3 - Beat Ponca City 48-13 Quarterfinals - Beat Sand Springs 45-15 Semifinals - Lost To Stillwater 33-29   2023 Offensive Scoring Average: 49.3 Points Per Game 2023 Defensive Scoring Average: 12.5 Points Per Game   Choctaw's 2023 football season could be categorized as a roller coaster one when you look at it with a wide lens. The season got off to a devastating start when a shooting in the parking lot ended the first game of the year. Choctaw would only play one full game before opening up district play in week four. But the Yellowjackets found their rhythm and had a week six showdown with Deer Creek that ended with a 25-20 loss. That would be the only official loss in the regular season for the Yellowjackets. Choctaw would absolutely dominate every other district opponent and went into the playoffs with quite a bit of momentum. They opened up the playoffs with a 30-point win over Sand Springs and then faced Stillwater in the semifinals after falling to the Pioneers in the championship game in 2022. It was another close game but the Yellowjackets came up short, losing 33-29 and finishing their season officially at 8-2. But again, when you look at it from a big picture perspective, this was a really good team. They averaged just shy of 50 points per game and the defense was outstanding throughout the year. But there's no doubt that the Yellowjackets are ready to take the next step and get over the hump and capture that elusive state championship.   2024 OUTLOOK   What's scary for the rest of Class 6A-2 is what the Yellowjackets bring back on an offense that averaged just shy of 50 points per game. Nine starters are back on that side of the ball and this is a Choctaw offense that just seems to add more versatility and more firepower to light up the scoreboard. What the Yellowjackets do at the quarterback position will be an interesting question leading up to kickoff this fall. We think they have a few different roads they could go down and there's definitely positives for either side they choose. The offense will be leaned on early on in the season while a young defense comes together. The Yellowjackets only bring back three starters from last year's team but this isn't a group that's lacking talent. They have multiple players in the senior and junior class that have the attention of college coaches and that will only continue to grow this fall. When you look at Choctaw's schedule on paper, it's absolutely a tough road for the Yellowjackets, specifically early on in the season. But we think the non-district schedule is going to get Choctaw ready for what could very well be a tougher district slate than what we've seen over the last several seasons. It won't be surprising at all if Choctaw ends up benefiting in October and November after testing themselves in September.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Drake Fittro - Defensive Back Easton Costa - Linebacker Tae Bulock - Linebacker Will Smith - Defensive Lineman   PLAYERS TO WATCH    When we look at this team as a whole, the defense is one of the biggest question marks, but not necessarily at linebacker. Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='479395' first='Braven' last='McConnell'] returns to help a defense that is very inexperienced right now but they don't lack talent. McConnell had a very good spring and when we saw him in person, there was a lot to like about his game and what he brings to the football field. Choctaw has had some absolute monsters in the front seven over the last several seasons and it appears that McConnell is ready to take that crown and wear it this season. And Choctaw is no stranger to having a dominant McConnell on the team. Braven's older brother Cade was an All State offensive lineman.     At this time last year, we were talking about the return of [player_tooltip player_id='211555' first='Cash' last='Williams'] after he had his sophomore season cut short in 2022. We mentioned how Williams had the versatility to be one of Choctaw's top options on offense and he ended up stepping into the role of quarterback early on in the season. Now, Williams gives the Yellowjackets a very good option as a true dual-threat quarterback. But he's also not the only one on the QB depth chart fighting for that QB1 spot. So don't be surprised if Williams spends some time at different positions as he looks to give his team the best chance to win. He proved yet again last year that he is an outstanding overall athlete.     Choctaw is quickly gaining the reputation of putting out and producing some really good prospects on the defensive side of the ball and specifically in the secondary. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1179994' first='Da'Jon' last='Green'] is the next guy up from a secondary perspective. There is no doubt that Green has the potential to be that guy for the Yellowjackets at the cornerback position and he's starting to really elevate his game to match that potential that Choctaw's coaches see in him. This spring, Green's recruitment started to take off and it should only continue this fall with a strong junior season. Green might still be hiding under the radar in the 2026 class but not for long.     You can definitely make a very strong argument that Choctaw senior [player_tooltip player_id='211559' first='JuJu' last='Smith'] was their best player last season in all three phases of the game. Smith would end up leading the team in receiving and was such a dynamic player for the Yellowjackets on offense in general. He would also bring that dynamic play to special teams as a returner and became one of the state's best in that category as well. Smith also has the ability to play defense in the secondary if he's needed. This season, we're very curious to see how creative Choctaw gets to find different ways to get him the ball. Because after looking at his production from last season, good things usually happen when he gets the ball.     The other quarterback in the mix at Choctaw is junior [player_tooltip player_id='402379' first='Landon' last='Gatson'] and similar to the position Williams was in last year, Gatson is now hungry to get back on the field following a season-ending injury. Gatson is such a unique player to watch this season because from a talent standpoint, there aren't many quarterbacks in the state's 2026 class that can match what Gatson is bringing to the table. So Choctaw has an interesting situation where Gatson can certainly help them if he's on the field. He has one of the strongest arms in the state and he's also a threat to run with a big and physical frame. The lefty had a good offseason and is ready for a comeback.     Choctaw running back [player_tooltip player_id='476091' first='Mayor' last='Morgan'] ended up leading the Yellowjackets in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns last season as he enjoyed a breakout season in 2023. Morgan wasn't necessarily on our radar last summer but it didn't take long for him to grab our attention. Now, as we look ahead to the 2024 season, we think this could be a very big season for Morgan. The Choctaw standout was splitting a lot of the carries last season and despite that, he still led the team in yards and touchdowns. We think that his production from a carries standpoint will go up dramatically so don't be surprised if we see Morgan's production from a yards and touchdowns standpoint follows.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Bentrell Smith - 2026 Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='359056' first='Conlan' last='Gribnau'] - 2025 Offensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='353420' first='Devin' last='Gillespie'] - 2025 Defensive Lineman Hayden Mounce - 2025 Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1176238' first='Israel' last='Hammons'] - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back J'Mari White - 2025 Defensive Back Levi Shatswell - 2026 Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1164588' first='Nathan' last='Keiffer'] - 2025 Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1035103' first='Titus' last='Hawk'] - 2027 Athlete   2024 SCHEDULE/GAMES TO CIRCLE   Aug. 30th - Lubbock Monterey, TX. Sept. 6th - AT Gardner-Edgerton, KS. - For the second straight week, Choctaw will square off with an out of state opponent. This time, the Yellowjackets will go on the road north to face Gardner-Edgerton in Kansas. The Trailblazers just captured the 6A state championship in Kansas last season after they finished as state runner ups in 2022. They will provide a strong challenge for the Choctaw defense as they are led by a dual-threat quarterback that put up some monster numbers last fall. He's currently rated as one of the top 2025 quarterbacks in Kansas. Sept. 20th - Bixby - The Yellowjackets wrap up non-district play with a week three clash with former 6A-2 rival Bixby. The Spartans will pay a visit to Choctaw and while the two-time defending 6A-1 state champs will be favorites, there are still reasons to circle this game on the calendar. The first one is just that. Bixby is at the very top of the mountain in Oklahoma high school football. This is the ultimate measuring stick game for Choctaw before the enter district play. They'll know exactly where they're at after squaring off with the Spartans. Sept. 27th - AT Piedmont Oct. 4th - Putnam City Oct. 11th - AT Southmoore Oct. 17th - Stillwater - Choctaw and Stillwater are the top two ranked teams in this district as we head into the 2024 season. So needless to say, this game is arguably the biggest on the schedule for the Yellowjackets. And for Choctaw, they'll be itching to get after the visiting Pioneers after falling to Stillwater in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Last year, Choctaw lost to Stillwater in the semifinals. The year before that, they fell short of the state title at the hands of the Pioneers. The district title will more than likely be on the line here. Oct. 24th - AT US Grant Nov. 1st - Lawton Eisenhower Nov. 7th - AT Northwest Classen   NOTABLE   Choctaw football has a slogan as the “GOLD Standard” in Oklahoma. There is no doubt that when you look at history and what Choctaw is currently doing, this is their golden era. In the last five years, Choctaw has made four semifinal appearances along with two appearances in the state championship game. They had to settle for silver on both occasions but they also lost those two title games by a combined eight points. Before they punched their ticket to the semifinals in 2019, kicking off this streak that they're currently on, you have to go all the way back to 1965 to find their last semifinal appearance. And there's no other stretch in Choctaw football history that includes two championship game appearances in a five year stretch. But 1960 was the only time that Choctaw captured that elusive state championship. This could very well be the golden era of Choctaw football. The only thing left for the “GOLD Standard” is to raise that gold ball.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2023 - 8-2 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Semifinals 2022 - 11-2 - Class 6A-2 Runner Ups 2021 - 8-3 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Quarterfinals 2020 - 9-4 - Class 6A-2 Runner Ups 2019 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Semifinals   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   1 State Championship   1960 - Beat Stigler 32-6

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