McAlester Buffaloes OK 2024 Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 McAlester Buffaloes!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>McAlester Buffaloes&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #8 In Class 5A<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking: #7 In Class 5A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Head Coach: Forrest Mazey - 6th Season - 47-17 Record At McAlester</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2023 RESULTS (6-5 Record - Lost In Class 5A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 25th - Beat Broken Bow 23-13<br>Sept. 1st - Beat Prescott, AR. 17-13<br>Sept. 8th - Lost To Ada 44-20<br>Sept. 21st - Beat Memorial 55-0<br>Sept. 29th - Lost To Del City 35-21<br>Oct. 6th - Lost To Coweta 28-27<br>Oct. 12th - Beat East Central 43-13<br>Oct. 19th - Beat Durant 56-14<br>Oct. 27th - Lost To Sapulpa 27-22<br>Nov. 3rd - Beat Glenpool 31-13<br>1st Round - Lost To Bishop Kelley 36-21</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>2023 Offensive Scoring Average: 30.5 Points Per Game<br>2023 Defensive Scoring Average: 21.5 Points Per Game</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The McAlester Buffaloes knew going into the 2023 season that it was not going to be like it had been after the graduation of one of the best players in school history. But the Buffaloes still came into the year expecting to make it to the playoffs and once they got there, anything can happen. But the road to get there was going to be a tough one as they found themselves in a district with three really good teams. At the end, they finished 6-5 and fell out of the playoffs in the first round. McAlester started the year with back to back wins but then came a rivalry tilt with Ada. They lost to the Cougars 44-20 to close out non-district play. The Buffaloes would blow past Memorial in the district opener and then came the showdowns with Del City and Coweta. McAlester dropped both and just like that, they were 3-3 and couldn't afford to lose too many more games. They would win two in a row and then had another set back in week nine when they fell to Sapulpa. That all but guaranteed the Buffaloes that they would be the four seed from the district and that's how it played out. They finished the regular season at 6-4 and had to go on the road to face district champion Bishop Kelley in the first round. The Comets won by 15 and McAlester's season came to an end. The Buffaloes had another winning season but it definitely felt a little different compared to the previous three years. But McAlester is ready to bounce back in a major way in 2024. They have a lot of returning experience and they're hungry.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2024 OUTLOOK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McAlester is once again a top ten team heading into the new season. And that's definitely a testament to what head coach Forrest Mazey has built over the last five years. This year's McAlester team will have a lot of new faces but this is still a program that should be penciled into a top ten heading into the year. They have five starters returning on the offensive side of the ball. They'll look to replace their top players in the backfield at quarterback and running back but the coaching staff is pleased with the skill players they have. There's a lot of potential there and we could see a few breakout players from that group. The Buffaloes also bring back five starters on the defensive side of the ball and there's no doubt where the strength lies with this group. The linebacker position for McAlester might be one of the deepest in Class 5A football this season. And we've seen over the last few years how dominant this McAlester defense can be with a solid linebacker core. This is a team that is young but they've grown up watching a successful program. That part should not be understated as that's a critical part to building a consistent program from year to year. The Buffaloes made back to back trips to the state championship game in the last three seasons. Before last year, they had three straight seasons of at least ten wins. They want to get back to that in 2024. The road to get there is filled with speed bumps. 5A feels more competitive coming into this season and the district is going to be tough again. But the Buffaloes are ready for the challenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caden Lesnau - Quarterback<br>Ethan Watkins - Athlete<br>Malachi Wrice - Defensive Lineman<br>Zac Rogers - Offensive Lineman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["858878"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-669dbfa131bde"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The word “potential” comes up a lot with McAlester and some of their young players. Junior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='858878' first='Cleveland' last='Williamson'] is another example of that. Simply put, McAlester needs new guys to step up at the wide receiver position. They lost their top five pass catchers from a production standpoint to graduation. Williamson checks a lot of the boxes from a physical standpoint. He definitely looks the part but he still hasn't put it all together when it matters most on a Friday night, under the lights. If that moment happens this season, we think Williamson could be one of the breakout players not only in 5A football, but in the state's 2026 class.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["858875"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-669dbfa131c75"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">At this time last season, we looked at running back [player_tooltip player_id='858875' first='Jordan' last='Clark'] as the next guy up in the McAlester backfield at running back. Clark would end up being second on the team in rushing behind Ethan Watkins. Now that Watkins has graduated, it opens things up a little in the backfield and we could see Clark emerge as the top guy in this McAlester offense. Similar to Williamson, there is a lot of potential here with Clark. When we've seen him in person, he has routinely impressed us. Now, he looks to put everything together and take that next step this season. And just like Williamson, Clark could be primed for a big year and a breakout moment.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1343782"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-669dbfa131ce0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1343782' first='Kacin' last='Washington-Mazey'] is one of three quarterbacks battling for the starting position heading into this season. Mazey is competing with two talented but very young quarterbacks. And Mazey will have an advantage coming into this season as he got in the game at quarterback for at least one game last season. In the regular season finale, Mazey had a decent game filling in for Lesnau at quarterback. And even if Mazey ends up not being the guy for the QB1 job, he'll still have an impact on the defensive side of the ball. Mazey led the team in interceptions last season with three and is looking to have more of an impact on both sides of the ball.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["529848"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-669dbfa131d4d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">While there's a lot of potential and young talent on this team, they aren't lacking experience. Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='529848' first='Will' last='Spears'] returns to the Buffaloes and we mentioned earlier in the preview how we really like this linebacker group that McAlester brings back. Spears is a big reason why. He led the team in tackles last season with well over 100 on the season. In fact, he was 40 tackles ahead of the second-leading tackler on the team. Spears was an absolute game-wrecker from his linebacker position and we really like the physicality he plays the game with. And like we said before, when McAlester's defense has been good, it's been led by the linebacker group.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>MORE NAMES TO KNOW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brandon Douglas - 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1175581' first='Brandon' last='Smith'] - 2027 Athlete<br>Brayden Bumphus - 2025 Running Back/Defensive Back<br>Creede Tribbey - 2026 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Devion Bickham - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Fyfer Mitchell - 2025 Linebacker<br>Parker Dusenberry - 2026 Running Back/Linebacker</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2024 SCHEDULE/GAMES TO CIRCLE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 30th - Broken Bow<br>Sept. 6th - AT Poteau<br><strong>Sept. 13th - Ada<br></strong>- McAlester will wrap up non-district play in week two against rival Ada and they look to win their third match-up with the Cougars in the last four years. This is a really good Ada football team. The Cougars are a top five team in Class 4A coming into this season and have a good chance to make a run. Not to mention Ada beat McAlester 44-20 last season and the Buffaloes will definitely be tested here in this match-up. With a win, the Buffaloes will take a ton of momentum into district play. <br><strong>Sept. 27th - AT Coweta<br></strong>- McAlester and Coweta have been district foes since 2016 and nothing is changing this year or next. The Buffaloes will open up district play by going on the road to face the Tigers. This Coweta team is a young one but similar to McAlester, they aren't lacking talent but it's just inexperienced talent at this point. The Buffaloes want to turn things around in this series after losing the last two against Coweta. Prior to that, they had won seven of the last nine meetings against the Tigers. <br>Oct. 4th - Edison<br>Oct. 10th - AT East Central<br>Oct. 17th - Bishop Kelley<br>Oct. 25th - AT Booker T Washington<br>Nov. 1st - Durant <br>Nov. 8th - AT Shawnee</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>NOTABLE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McAlester is trading one tough district for another in 2024. The last two seasons, McAlester has been in a district that was top-heavy with Coweta and Del City both posing as serious threats and Sapulpa emerged last season. This year, the Buffaloes still have Coweta in the district but they also have two new programs that McAlester is familiar with from previous playoff meetings. In week six they play Collinsville after playing the Cardinals in the 2021 5A title game and then the first round in 2022. They will also host Bishop Kelley in week seven and this is a rematch of the first round a year ago. The Comets got the win in that one so McAlester will also have that match-up circled. And another district team to look out for is Booker T Washington and following the Bishop Kelley match-up, McAlester will go up to Tulsa to face a Hornet team that has young talent and is hungry for a big season as they drop down from 6A-2 to 5A football this fall. There will be a good football team at the end of the season that is left on the outside looking in on the playoffs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>LAST FIVE SEASONS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 - 6-5 - Lost In Class 5A 1st Round<br>2022 - 11-3 - Class 5A Runner Ups<br>2021 - 13-1 - Class 5A Runner Ups<br>2020 - 10-3 - Lost In Class 5A Semifinals<br>2019 - 6-5 - Lost In Class 5A Quarterfinals</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>2 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1988 - Beat Altus 13-3<br>1968 - Beat Stillwater 42-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->