Deer Creek Antlers OK 2025 Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!</strong></em></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 2025 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 Deer Creek Antlers!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Deer Creek Antlers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #9 In Class 6A-1</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach: Wade Standley - 9th Season - 54-35 Record At Deer Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2024 RESULTS (8-4 Record - Lost In 6A-1 Quarterfinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 30th - Beat Bishop McGuinness 53-17<br>Sept. 6th - Beat Edmond Memorial 38-24<br>Sept. 13th - Beat Norman North 30-0<br>Sept. 27th - Beat Enid 49-0<br>Oct. 4th - Beat Edmond North 55-24<br>Oct. 11th - Beat Moore 30-20<br>Oct. 17th - Lost To Jenks 28-0<br>Oct. 25th - Lost To Norman 54-27<br>Nov. 1st - Lost To Bixby 48-10<br>Nov. 8th - Beat Mustang 27-20<br>1st Round - Beat Broken Arrow 21-19<br>Quarterfinals - Lost To Owasso 40-26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>2024 Offensive Scoring Average: 30.5 Points Per Game<br>2024 Defensive Scoring Average: 24.5 Points Per Game</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Deer Creek Antlers were thrown a curveball in the spring of 2024, when they got bumped up to Class 6A-1 after being slated to be in 6A-2 for at least two more seasons. All of a sudden Deer Creek had to prepare for being the smallest fish in a very big pond of the state's biggest programs. But they came out swinging in the fall. They took care of business in the non-district slate, including impressive wins over Edmond Memorial and Norman North. Then they started off district play with a 3-0 record and by the time week seven rolled around, the Antlers were 6-0 and things were looking really good. But the schedule got tougher in the final month. Deer Creek dropped three straight to Jenks, Norman and Bixby but the Antlers would bounce back in the regular season finale. With playoff seeding on the line, they beat Mustang 27-20 in the final week. They faced off with Broken Arrow in the first round in a unique game that featured the largest school in the class and the smallest. The small school prevailed 21-19 before losing to Owasso in the quarterfinals. Deer Creek's season came to an end at 8-4, including a win over a semifinal team, with a loss in the final eight. But for the first season in Class 6A-1, we would say that was an absolute success. And the arrow is pointing up. It might have been earlier than they expected but Deer Creek is ready to bring the fight to Class 6A-1.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2025 OUTLOOK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Antlers come into their second season in Class 6A-1 and they are once again a top ten team and they expect to make the playoffs and eventually, the goals will continue to get greater and the ceiling will be higher. This season, they do have to reload in order to make it back to the playoffs and to give them a chance to make noise once they get there. Five starters are back on the offensive side of the ball and while the good news is they bring back plenty of firepower in the skill positions, the bad news that follows is they have to replace quite a bit up front on the offensive line and their three-year starter at quarterback is about to start his freshman year at Georgia Tech. There is still a battle for that starting quarterback position and they feel confident with the options they have but someone needs to separate. Whoever wins that job is going to have quite a few weapons around him at the skill positions and it will make the transition an easier one. Defensively, the Antlers also bring back five starters and that's an area that has more questions than answers right now. They'll have a lot of new faces and both sides of the ball will have new voices as Deer Creek hired new offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason. The schedule will once again be a challenging one but making the playoffs is still the goal and this is a team that is more than capable of doing that. The biggest question is how high will their ceiling actually be this fall?</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>Brady Brewer - Defensive Back - Signed With Oklahoma Baptist - All State Honorable Mention<br>Grady Adamson - Quarterback - Signed With Georgia Tech - All State Honorable Mention<br>Mason Smith - Wide Receiver - Signed With Army - All State Honorable Mention</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":["1225675"],"_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-687e67b5b7d07"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">We mentioned earlier in the preview how Deer Creek has more questions than answers right now on the defensive side of the ball but senior [player_tooltip player_id='1225675' first='Alex' last='Nkepang'] is not one of those questions. The Antlers have a very athletic and relentless defender in Nkepang on the defensive line. The Deer Creek senior will line up as an edge and give the Antlers a player who has good size, a motor that doesn't seem to slow down and he's continuing to improve. He's also coming off a solid junior season and the expectation is he takes another step up this fall. This is a defense that is going to have a few new faces all over the place but Nkepang isn't one to worry about.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["523223"],"_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-687e67b5b7d7c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">If you're looking for a breakout player in Class 6A-1 this season, we might have him with junior [player_tooltip player_id='523223' first='Gage' last='Gibbons'] at the wide receiver position. Gibbons has a ton of momentum coming into this season after an offseason where he's gotten bigger, stronger and faster. And the speed is what puts Gibbons in a very ideal position this fall. He has legit track speed and he saw limited time last season. He only had six catches for 60 yards but we think he will blow those numbers out of the water. Gibbons has used that speed to impress college coaches this offseason and his recruitment has started to take off. Now, he's one of the more intriguing players to watch heading into the 2025 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1626563"],"_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-687e67b5b7dd0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='1626563' first='Jalen' last='Davis'] is coming off a breakout season and we're looking forward to seeing what he can for an encore this fall. Davis emerged as Deer Creek's top target in the passing game. He led the team in receptions and yards with 56 catches for just shy of 900 yards. He also finished the year with eight touchdowns. Davis is a two-way player for the Antlers and he can be incredibly valuable for Deer Creek in the secondary as well. And similar to Gibbons, Davis is going to come into the 2025 season with a lot of momentum. He has been tearing it up at camp after camp this offseason and he's in a position for a big senior season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong><em>(2024 All State Honorable Mention)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["402380"],"_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-687e67b5b7e1d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='402380' first='Lemar' last='Davis'] made the move from Millwood to Deer Creek last year and he emerged as the top option in the Antler running game. He finished his junior season with just shy of 800 yards and six touchdowns. But he wasn't getting 20-25 carries per game and with the Deer Creek quarterback battle ongoing, having a consistent threat at the running back position is the easiest way to work whoever wins that battle into the fold. When in doubt, hand the ball to Davis and see if he can make something happen. He's been incredibly productive in the last two seasons and we're looking forward to seeing what kind of impact he can have when he has more of a workload.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong><em>(2024 All State Honorable Mention)</em></strong></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>[player_tooltip player_id='1147971' first='Brayden' last='Hubbard'] - 2029 Athlete<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1608672' first='Dash' last='Agustin-Gaines'] - 2029 Athlete<br>Dax Chancey - 2028 Quarterback<br>Everett Adamson - 2028 Quarterback<br>[player_tooltip player_id='595662' first='Gunnar' last='Gipson'] - 2026 Quarterback<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1563304' first='Hudson' last='Poe'] - 2027 Tight End<br>Josh Kerstetter - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Kyler Wilson - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1521355' first='Logan' last='Woodcock'] - 2027 Running Back/Linebacker<br>Luke Bray - 2026 Defensive Back<br>Rebel Knowles - 2028 Athlete<br>Ryan Hubble - 2026 Linebacker<br>Ryan Kiel - 2027 Tight End/Defensive Lineman<br>Timothy Smith - 2028 Linebacker<br>Tyler Jernigan - 2028 Linebacker<br>Visanio Boyd - 2026 Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2025 SCHEDULE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aug. 29th - Bishop McGuinness</strong><br>- For the second straight year, Deer Creek will open the regular season against Bishop McGuinness. Last season, the Antlers knocked off the Irish 53-17 in the opener. It was the first time that these two teams met since 2015, when they were district opponents in Class 5A.&nbsp;<br><strong>Sept. 5th - Edmond Memorial</strong><br>- The Antlers will host Edmond Memorial in week one and what a difference a year makes. Last year, this match-up featured two future D1 quarterbacks. The Antlers won 38-24 and it was their fifth victory over the Bulldogs in the last six meetings. But the Bulldogs went on to the 6A-1 semifinals.&nbsp;<br><strong>Sept. 12th - AT Norman North</strong><br>- The first road game comes in week two when Deer Creek heads south to Norman to face Norman North. The non-district slate comes to an end here as the Antlers attempt to win their second straight in this series. These two teams met for the first time ever last year, with Deer Creek winning 30-0.&nbsp;<br><strong>Sept. 26th - AT Enid</strong><br>- The district slate will open with a road game in week four against Enid. The Antlers will face an Enid team that they shut out 49-0 last season. It was their first meeting since they were district opponents in 2016 and 2017. The Plainsmen will have a new head coach this season.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 3rd - Edmond North</strong><br>- Deer Creek will host Edmond North in week five and it'll be the sixth straight year that these two met. They started playing in non-district play in 2020 and last year they became district opponents. The Antlers won 55-24 last year and have never lost to the Huskies and they don't plan on starting this fall.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 10th - AT Moore</strong><br>- The second half of the regular season begins with another road trip south as they face off with Moore in week six. Last season, these two met for the first time ever and the Antlers prevailed 30-20. The Lions will look different this season as they will have a first year head coach.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 16th - Jenks</strong><br>- On a Fall Break Thursday night, Deer Creek will welcome in the Jenks Trojans. Last season was the first time these two programs have ever met. Jenks prevailed with a 28-0 victory. Deer Creek has a few former Union assistants that are very familiar with Jenks. The Trojans will have a first year head coach this fall.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 24th - Norman</strong><br>- In week eight, Deer Creek will host Norman for their final home game in the regular season. The Tigers were one of the 6A-1 westside darlings last season. Norman doubled up the Antlers, winning 54-27 last fall in the first meeting between these two teams since 2019.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 31st - AT Bixby</strong><br>- On a Halloween night in week nine, Deer Creek heads east to Bixby to take on the three-time defending 6A-1 state champs. The Spartans rolled the Antlers last season, winning 48-10. It was the first meeting between these two since they met in the 2021 6A-2 state championship game.&nbsp;<br><strong>Nov. 7th - AT Mustang</strong><br>- The regular season comes to an end in week ten with a road trip to Mustang. These two have met in each of the last three seasons and all three games have been decided by seven points or less. The Antlers beat Mustang 27-20 last season and this game will have major playoff implications.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>NOTABLE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A little over a year ago, Deer Creek had their schedule moved up rapidly. Originally, Deer Creek was supposed to spend 2024 and 2025 in Class 6A-2. The move up to 6A-1 was inevitable but they were still slotted to be in 6A-2. Then the emergency redistricting shuffle happened in April and all of a sudden, the Antlers found themselves as the smallest program in Class 6A-1. And as we said earlier in the preview, the Antlers have to think that year one in Class 6A-1 was nothing short of a success. They would go 8-4 and make it to the quarterfinal round. And the Antlers are reloading this season and they are trying to bring more of an east side flavor to the west side of the state. This offseason they had to hire two new coordinators and went to Tulsa area powers to do so. Union alum and assistant coach Howard Scarborough was named defensive coordinator and Bixby assistant coach Austin Embrey was named offensive coordinator. We're looking forward to seeing how these two put their fingerprints on the program and what the result looks like this season.&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>2024 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 6A-1 Quarterfinals<br>2023 - 9-3 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Semifinals<br>2022 - 10-2 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Semifinals<br>2021 - 10-3 - Class 6A-2 Runner Ups<br>2020 - 4-6 - Lost In Class 6A-2 1st Round</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>1 State Championship</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2000 - Beat Seminole 24-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->