Idabel Warriors 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 Idabel Warriors!   Idabel Warriors   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #7 In Class 3A Preseason Coaches Ranking: T8 In Class 3A   Head Coach: Scott Pratt - 6th Season - 36-19 Record At Idabel   2023 RESULTS (11-1 Record - Lost In Class 2A Quarterfinals)   Sept. 1st - Beat Kingston 54-13 Sept. 15th - Beat Ashdown, AR. 27-0 Sept. 22nd - Beat Hugo 47-8 Sept. 29th - Beat Valliant 42-0 Oct. 6th - Beat Heavener 35-13 Oct. 13th - Beat Spiro 49-48 Oct. 19th - Beat Antlers 56-6 Oct. 27th - Beat Wilburton 49-7 Nov. 3rd - Beat Eufaula 49-13 1st Round - Beat Henryetta 28-14 2nd Round - Beat Kansas 42-28 Quarterfinals - Lost To Millwood 34-7   2023 Offensive Scoring Average: 40.4 Points Per Game 2023 Defensive Scoring Average: 15.3 Points Per Game   The Idabel Warriors came into the 2023 season as a top five team in Class 2A and they certainly lived up to the preseason hype during the season. That hype became reality as the Warriors had one of their better seasons in recent memory. In 2021, they had a losing record and missed out on the playoffs. In 2023, they went 11-1 and made another appearance in the quarterfinals. It began with dominant wins in non-district play. The only game they didn't get a chance to dominate was week two against Broken Bow when the game was canceled shortly after it started because of a power outage. That domination continued into district play. Simply put, the Warriors absolutely rolled the competition. The only close game came in week seven when they beat Spiro in a memorable 49-48 win. They finished off the season with a 9-0 record and left no doubt that they were one of the top teams in Class 2A. From there, the Warriors would continue to roll, winning both of their first two playoff games by double digits. But a quarterfinal showdown with Millwood would be the speed bump that Idabel couldn't overcome. They lost 34-7 and the season came to an end at 11-1. The Warriors came up one win short of their first semifinal appearance in nearly three decades. Now, the focus will shift towards the 2024 football season. It's a new season, a new class and a new opportunity to make that deep playoff run.    2024 OUTLOOK   Idabel is moving up to Class 3A this season and they come in as a top ten team this year. The Warriors have some momentum going as they're coming off one of their better seasons in recent memory and they also have some special players returning this fall. Six starters are back on the offensive side of the ball and it's headlined by a four-year starter at running back and a D1 commit at wide receiver. That 1-2 punch, along with the other returning starters will certainly help Idabel's offense as they work in a new quarterback. The Warriors have to replace a three-year starter at the position so whoever earns the QB1 spot will be able to lean on those playmakers. Another plus this season is the defensive side of the ball. They return seven starters on that side of the ball and we really like the talent they have at all three levels. They have dudes on the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary. They'll be one of the more underrated units in Class 3A this season. This was a defense that gave up around 15 points per game and it wouldn't be surprising if they did even better than that despite the higher level of competition. The Warriors have what it takes to make the transition up to 3A football look easy but the road to the playoffs and to Edmond will bring some challenges. They are in the same district as defending state champion Lincoln Christian but they won't have to worry about playing them until week ten. The pieces are here for Idabel to make a run in 2024.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   AJ Smith - Running Back/Linebacker Joe Gibson - Wide Receiver Waylon Phillips - Quarterback   PLAYERS TO WATCH    Senior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1337279' first='Markee' last='Townsend'] is going to be one of the top defensive players to watch for the Warriors this season. Last fall, Townsend was one of the more productive players on Idabel's defense and he did as a run-stopping, lane clogger in the heart of the line of scrimmage. Even in their lone loss in 2023 in the quarterfinals to Millwood, Townsend was one of the best players on the field. Townsend would finish with a little over 80 tackles on the season and was third on the team. He also had nearly 20 tackles for loss and led the team in that category. Going into this fall, it's hard to imagine many defensive linemen better than Townsend in 3A football.     Simply put, senior [player_tooltip player_id='479389' first='Matrail' last='Lopez'] is going to be not only one of the best players in Class 3A this season, he's going to be one of the best overall players in the state, regardless of class. The Oklahoma State commit is the complete player and it doesn't matter where he's lining up on the field. On offense, he's a productive player as a wide receiver or running the ball. On defense, he's a ball hawk in the secondary. And he's also a threat to return kicks in special teams. Idabel opponents are going to have to know where Lopez is on the field at all times. He earned All State honors last fall and is a complete game changer. This year, he wants to leave no doubt that he's one of Oklahoma's best.     Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='211234' first='Ravian' last='Larry'] has to be hungry to get this season started. He was a breakout star during his freshman season. It was evident very early on in his career that he was going to be one of the better running backs in his respective class. But nagging injuries in 2022 and 2023 would really limit the impact that Larry could have on the football field for the Warriors. Despite that, Idabel was able to make the run they made in 2023. Now, if Larry is able to stay healthy, it's going to give this Idabel offense a massive boost. Especially when you consider that they'll have a new quarterback this fall, having that reliable presence in the running game will help.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Beau Ritchie - 2025 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1171160' first='Kade' last='Pratt'] - 2027 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='467406' first='Mackylan' last='Dixon'] - 2026 Athlete Quinton Zirretta - 2025 Defensive Back   2024 SCHEDULE/GAMES TO CIRCLE   Aug. 30th - Valiant Sept. 13th - AT Broken Bow - In southeastern Oklahoma, we'll see a renewal of a series that has been pretty one-sided. Idabel will travel to face off with Broken Bow in week two after a bye week following the season opener. These two teams have met 12 times in the last two decades and Idabel hasn't won a single meeting. Last year's meeting got canceled after a weather delay, followed by a power outage ended things shortly after it began. Broken Bow will also have a first year head coach this fall. Sept. 20th - Ashdown, AR. Sept. 27th - Holland Hall - District play will begin in week four and it'll be a big one as Idabel will host Holland Hall at home. The Warriors will face a Dutch team that has the potential to be a breakout team this fall with a young squad but they've also lost some key pieces this offseason with guys that have moved away. But regardless, Idabel will be looking to make a statement in this one. The Warriors are looking to compete immediately in Class 3A and a win here will give them momentum. Oct. 4th - AT Stigler Oct. 11th - Muldrow Oct. 18th - AT Locust Grove Oct. 25th - AT Eufaula Nov. 1st - Checotah Nov. 8th - AT Lincoln Christian - Sometimes the timing of the schedule just works out in a special way. And there is not a bigger game on the Idabel schedule than the final game of the regular season. Idabel will travel to Tulsa to face reigning 3A state champion Lincoln Christian. These two teams were district foes in 2014 and 2015 as well as 2018 and 2019. Idabel was 0-4 in those meetings. This year, this week ten clash could be a head to head match-up for the district championship. The playoffs will feel like they came early in this one.   NOTABLE   In April, Oklahoma high school football got shaken up with an emergency redistricting shuffle. Countless teams were impacted but Idabel is definitely on the short list of teams that were impacted the most and you could consider it in a negative way. They went from being possibly a top five team in Class 2A-1 to a top ten team in Class 3A that feels deeper than we've seen over the last few seasons. It wasn't going to be an easy road in 2A-1 by any means as Idabel's original district also featured Cascia Hall and Victory Christian, who are coincidentally both in Class 3A and in the top ten with the Warriors. But now, they are in a district with the defending state champs and the potential path to Edmond has become more bumpy. But with the experience and talent that Idabel has coming back in 2024, they won't back away from the challenge.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2023 - 11-1 - Lost In Class 2A Quarterfinals 2022 - 9-4 - Lost In Class 2A Quarterfinals 2021 - 4-6 - Missed Playoffs 2020 - 6-3 - Lost In Class 2A 1st Round 2019 - 6-5 - Lost In Class 2A 1st Round   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   0 State Championships

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