Stillwater Pioneers 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 Stillwater Pioneers!   Stillwater Pioneers   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #2 In Class 6A-2 Preseason Coaches Ranking: #2 In Class 6A-2   Head Coach: Chad Cawood - 2nd Season - 10-3 Record At Stillwater   2023 RESULTS (10-3 Record - Class 6A-2 Runner Ups)   Aug. 25 - Lost To Greenwood, AR. 49-21 Sept. 8 - Lost To Yukon 37-34 Sept. 15 - Beat Norman 28-6 Sept. 21 - Beat U.S. Grant 76-6 Sept. 29 - Beat Booker T Washington 48-13 Oct. 5 - Beat Sand Springs 35-18 Oct. 12 - Beat Bartlesville 14-10 Oct. 19 - Beat Putnam City West 59-0 Oct. 26 - Beat Tahlequah 55-14 Nov. 3 - Beat Muskogee 30-20 Quarterfinals - Beat Putnam City 56-7 Semifinals - Beat Choctaw 33-29 Championship - Lost To Muskogee 28-26   2023 Offensive Scoring Average: 39.6 Points Per Game 2023 Defensive Scoring Average: 18.2 Points Per Game   All eyes were on the Stillwater Pioneers heading into the 2023 season after winning it all in 2022 with a perfect season. Longtime assistant Chad Cawood would take over as head coach but the Pioneers would hit a few speed bumps early on in the season. They dropped their first two games but then switched gears and won out in the regular season. They were led by a dominating rushing attack throughout the fall and then had a week ten showdown with a Muskogee team that was the preseason pick in 6A-2. Stillwater took back the top spot in the class at home with a 30-20 win over the Roughers and had a ton of momentum going into the playoffs. They faced playoff rival Choctaw in the semifinals and would survive with a 4-point win to punch their ticket back to Edmond to defend their title. And for the second time in about a month, they squared off with Muskogee but this time, they came up short. They scored a touchdown with less than a minute to play but the two-point conversion came up short and Muskogee survived to take the gold ball. The Pioneers overcame an offseason stunner, a slow start and injuries to key pieces to make it all the way back to Edmond. While they had to settle for the silver ball, it was still a solid season for the Pioneers but there's no doubt that they are hungry to return to the mountaintop of 6A-2 football as we look ahead to the 2024 season.    2024 OUTLOOK   And as we start looking ahead to the 2024 season, there is reason to be excited about what the Pioneers will be in 2024. But just like last fall, the beginning of the season could feature a few speed bumps. Stillwater's non-district schedule is one of the toughest in 6A-2, with the Pioneers playing state title contenders in 6A-2 and 5A but they will be ready for the challenge. On the offensive side of the ball, they are going to look quite different with a new quarterback and skill players. But while those new names get comfortable in the offense, they'll have the benefit of four offensive linemen returning. Five starters on offense return but their new quarterback isn't exactly new to the starting lineup, but more on him later. On the defensive side of the ball, the Pioneers will bring back seven starters and we really like what they have in the front seven. They have some absolute game-wreckers on the line of scrimmage and the majority of those returning starters will come from the defensive line and the linebacker group. While the secondary comes along, that front seven will be the strength of the defensive side of the ball. Another new challenge for Stillwater will be the redistricting shuffle. The Pioneers now find themselves in the west side district of 6A-2. They were originally slated to remain in the east side district but with the April shakeup, they now find themselves in a new district with new opponents.   KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Chance Acord - Quarterback Heston Thompson - Wide Receiver Holden Thompson - Running Back Josh Ford - Tight End Talon Kendrick - Athlete   PLAYERS TO WATCH    Stillwater's [player_tooltip player_id='1214367' first='David' last='Thomas'] is going to be arguably the most impactful freshman at the 6A-2 level this season. Thomas is also going to come into this season as one of the heavy favorites to earn Freshman Of The Year honors. He's already on the radar of college coaches and that should only continue after this fall. We watched Thomas in person quite a bit this offseason on the 7v7 circuit and he looks like a player that could have a tremendous impact for the Pioneers and that will come on both sides of the ball. We're excited to see Thomas competing at the varsity level right away and what he brings to a Stillwater team that is one of the favorites in 6A-2. There's a lot of hype around Thomas and rightfully so.     Stillwater wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='492378' first='Deakon' last='Jones'] was one of the best freshmen in the state of Oklahoma last season. Jones was a breakout player in the Stillwater offense and it's anticipated that his production is going to go up in a major way this fall. Jones was a freshman that broke into the lineup on a wide receiver depth chart that featured several seniors. Fast forward to the 2024 season and we anticipate that Jones will be the leading receiver in this Stillwater offense. Jones has also established himself as one of the top offensive prospects in the state's 2027 class. Simply put, if the ball is thrown remotely close to him, he's going to find a way to come down with it.     The offensive line unit is going to be the strength of the offense, at least early on in the season with four of the five starters up front coming back in 2024. And senior offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1096808' first='Judah' last='Schwoegler'] is the best of the bunch and has emerged as one of the best prospects at his position in the state's 2025 class. Schwoegler has a handful of D1 offers and he's definitely going to be one of the better offensive linemen in Class 6A-2 when the season begins this fall. And it also deserves to be mentioned that Schwoegler was valuable to the defense last season. He had over 40 tackles and a handful of sacks while producing on the defensive front.     For the second straight year, the Pioneers will have a senior quarterback that moved in during the offseason and looks to lead the Stillwater offense. [player_tooltip player_id='655747' first='Mason' last='Schubert'] started his high school career at Morrison and will be ending it in nearby Stillwater. And if this spring was any indication, Schubert is ready for the step up in competition. Schubert has a fantastic arm and with the weapons that Stillwater has at wide receiver, we anticipate him to put up some big numbers in the passing game. We've watched a lot of Schubert in person over the last two offseasons and we think he's going to be a name to watch. After being run-first last year, Stillwater could switch gears in 2024.     Stillwater junior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='467410' first='Nehemiah' last='Kolone'] is on our shortlist of defenders in 6A-2 that can absolutely wreck a game. Kolone was on our radar as a freshman and then had his breakout moment last year as a sophomore. During the 2023 season, Kolone would finish with 73 tackles and a handful of sacks and tackles for loss. But now, as we look ahead to the 2024 season, we expect Kolone to emerge as one of the very best players in the class. He's already enjoyed his recruitment taking off, earning multiple D1 offers in the spring and early part of summer. Kolone and the Stillwater front seven will be one of the best in the state, regardless of class.     While the defensive front seven will be the strength, at least early on in the season, the secondary isn't lacking talent or experience. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1096820' first='Tan' last='Booth'] will be going into his third season as a starter in the Stillwater secondary and he was incredibly productive last season. He finished the year with well over 100 tackles and brings that wealth of experience into a secondary full of new faces. But Booth will also be pulling double duty this season as he's expected to get a decent workload at the running back position. The Pioneers had a workhorse at running back last fall but this year it's expected to be running back by committee and Booth is one of them.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   [player_tooltip player_id='1096805' first='Athan' last='Nickles'] - 2025 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='492379' first='Bradford' last='Mitchell'] - 2027 Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1096806' first='Caleb' last='Humble'] - 2025 Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1166475' first='Chandler' last='Johnson'] - 2028 Tight End/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1096810' first='Cord' last='Nelson'] - 2025 Offensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1096807' first='Ethan' last='Dudgeon'] - 2025 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1140727' first='Paxton' last='Pitchford'] - 2027 Offensive Lineman PJ Garcia - 2025 Defensive Back   2024 SCHEDULE/GAMES TO CIRCLE   Sept. 6th - Union - We talked about how Stillwater was going to be tested immediately this season and it starts in week one at home against 6A-1 power Union. The Redhawks will come over and give the Pioneers a test to start the 2024 campaign. This also kicks off a tough non-district slate and features two teams that expect to contend for the state championship in their respective class. Before the Class 6A split in 2014, these two teams were district foes for over a decade. This will be the first meeting since 2013. Sept. 13th - AT Enid Sept. 20th - Carl Albert - Stillwater wraps up non-district action against another state title threat in another class. Two-time defending Class 5A champion Carl Albert will come to Pioneer stadium in week three. Just like with the season opener against Union, this match-up will really test the Pioneers as they are facing a team that is loaded with high level D1 talent on both sides of the ball. Carl Albert is the preseason top-ranked team in Class 5A and both teams expect to play in Edmond in December. This is the final test before district play begins. Sept. 27th - Lawton Eisenhower Oct. 3rd - AT U.S. Grant Oct. 11th - Northwest Classen Oct. 17th - AT Choctaw - As mentioned earlier, Stillwater now finds themselves in the 6A-2 west side district and the rivalry with Choctaw will be renewed in week seven. The Pioneers will hit the road to face a Choctaw team that they've had some instant classics with in the playoffs. The Yellowjackets stunned Stillwater with a field goal as time expired in the 2020 semifinals. The Pioneers would beat Choctaw in the 2022 title game and then again in the 2023 semifinals. This game could end up deciding the district championship in 2024. Oct. 25th - AT Putnam City Oct. 31st - Piedmont Nov. 8th - AT Southmoore   NOTABLE   It was around this time last year that Stillwater football dealt with a bombshell moment. Longtime head coach Tucker Barnard left the Pioneers to go back to Springdale, Arkansas, to become the next head coach at Shiloh Christian. Despite being the head coach at Stillwater for over a decade and leading the team to their first state championship since 1967, Barnard left for a Shiloh program that he was an assistant at before taking over at Stillwater. At that time, Chad Cawood would be named the interim head coach of the program while they would begin their coaching search. But a few weeks later, the interim tag was removed and Cawood was officially introduced as head coach of the Pioneers. In his first season as head coach, Cawood would lead the Pioneers to a district title, another trip to the state championship game and a third consecutive 10-win season. Cawood was no stranger to Stillwater after spending over two decades on the staff. Cawood was ready for the opportunity and made the most of it in year one.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2023 - 10-3 - Class 6A-2 Runner Ups 2022 - 13-0 - Class 6A-2 State Champions 2021 - 10-3 - Lost In 6A-2 Semifinals 2020 - 9-1 - Lost In 6A-2 Semifinals 2019 - 12-1 - Class 6A-2 Runner Ups   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   2 State Championships   2022 - Beat Choctaw 26-21 1967 - Beat Okmulgee 15-7

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