Sulphur Bulldogs OK 2025 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 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 Sulphur Bulldogs!   Sulphur Bulldogs    Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #2 In Class 3A   Head Coach: Corey Cole - 3rd Season - 20-6 Record At Sulphur   2024 RESULTS (12-2 Record - Class 3A Runner Ups)   Sept. 6th - Lost To Washington 27-24 (2OT) Sept. 13th - Beat Davis 42-7 Sept. 20th - Beat Cache 62-7 Sept. 27th - Beat Perkins-Tryon 48-0 Oct. 4th - Beat McLoud 57-14 Oct. 11th - Beat Lone Grove 56-0 Oct. 17th - Beat Bristow 41-0 Oct. 25th - Beat Seminole 49-6 Nov. 1st - Beat Victory Christian 77-8 Nov. 8th - Beat Mannford 60-0 1st Round - Beat Kingfisher 66-0 Quarterfinals - Beat Idabel 53-21 Semifinals - Beat Checotah 68-21 Championship - Lost To Lincoln Christian 28-27   2024 Offensive Scoring Average: 52.1 Points Per Game   2024 Defensive Scoring Average: 9.9 Points Per Game   Sulphur came into the 2024 season as a top five team in Class 3A and it didn't take long for them to show that they were going to be a force to be reckoned with. The season began with a 27-24 loss to Washington in double overtime. The Bulldogs had a couple shots at ending Washington's lengthy winning streak but came up just short. But as it turns out, Sulphur was just getting started and the 24 points would actually be a season-low, by quite a bit. They rolled over rival Davis the following week and that would kickstart a 12-game winning streak for the Bulldogs. Sulphur would absolutely smash their way through the district slate. The closest district game was a 41-0 win over Bristow. Sulphur was the favorite in this district coming into the season but nobody would have predicted that they'd win every district game by at least 40 points. They closed out the regular season with a 9-1 record and had just about as much momentum as anybody in Class 3A. The dominant play on both sides of the ball would continue in the playoffs. They shut out Kingfisher in the first round, beat Idabel in the quarterfinals and left no doubt against Checotah in the semifinals. They scored at least 50 points in all three playoff games, leading to a state championship showdown with defending champion Lincoln Christian. This game was an absolute classic. Sulphur would score with 1:19 left and opted to go for two, instead of tying the game up. Sulphur was stopped inches away from the goal line and had to settle for silver as the 3A runner ups. This was a team that averaged over 50 points per game while giving up under 10 points per game. A truly dominant team that literally came up inches shy of a state title.    2025 OUTLOOK   There is no doubt that Sulphur will be one of the hungrier teams in the state as they enter the 2025 football season. Memories of how the 2024 football season ended have been fuel to the fire for this year's version of the Sulphur Bulldogs. But while this year's team remembers how last year ended, there will be a lot of new faces on both sides of the football. Offensively, the Bulldogs bring back six starters off an offense that averaged over 50 points per game and scored at least 60 points on five occasions. They'll have a new quarterback and have to replace some important pieces on the offensive line but the offense will be headlined by one of the best running backs in the state, regardless of class. That will certainly help and the Bulldogs aren't going to be lacking talent but last year's offensive unit was just so special. And defensively, Sulphur will have more work to do as they return only four starters on that side of the ball. And while the offense was special, the defense was equally as special, giving up less than 10 points per game. But just like the offense, this defense isn't going to be lacking talent. The starters they return were incredibly productive last season and they have some new names that are going to fit right in to what Sulphur is looking to do on that side of the ball. For the third straight year, Sulphur is entering the season as a top five team in the preseason rankings. But there is no doubt that the Bulldogs are looking forward to another potential showdown with Lincoln Christian. They've lost to Lincoln in the playoffs in each of the last two years. They're knocking on the door of that Class 3A state championship and this year, they want to kick the door down.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Austin Garrett - Linebacker (Signed With SOSU - All State Honorable Mention) Justus Gilliam - Offensive/Defensive Lineman (Signed With NSU - All State 2nd Team Selection) Luke Linville - Quarterback (Signed With SNU - All State Honorable Mention)   PLAYERS TO WATCH    Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1574394' first='Bridge' last='Barrett'] was one of the more underrated players in the state last season. We listed him as an All State Honorable Mention but he probably should have been on one of the three teams at the defensive back position. Barrett was an absolute ball hawk in 2024, one of the best in the state. He finished his junior season with eight interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He also recovered a fumble and returned that for a score as well. Offensively, Barrett was solid at the wide receiver position, finishing with nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns. And Barrett was one of the more impactful players on both sides of the ball in the state title game.    (2024 All State Honorable Mention)     Two years ago, [player_tooltip player_id='1326387' first='Colten' last='Cole'] was leading the Bulldogs under center as a sophomore. He threw for over 2,000 yards and 25 touchdowns during the 2023 season. Last year, he converted to the tight end position because it made more sense, giving Sulphur's depth and his physical size. And Cole ended up being a critical part of the Sulphur passing game and that ultimate safety blanket when the quarterback got in trouble. He finished with nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns receiving and he was also Sulphur's kicker and punter. With the Bulldogs breaking in a new quarterback this season, look for Cole to once again be that safety blanket for the Sulphur offense.     The Sulphur offense utilized multiple players in the running game but one very underrated member of that backfield was [player_tooltip player_id='1694449' first='JoJo' last='Gray'] and now he enters his junior season this fall. Last year, Gray ran for nearly 500 yards and eight touchdowns on just 41 carries. While he might not be the marquee running back in the offense this year, we do anticipate his production getting a spike this season. He's absolutely electric and he's that player that can break the long runs. As evidenced last season by the fact that he averaged more than 10 yards per carry and scored roughly once every five times he touched the football. Gray could have that breakout season this fall.     Sulphur will be breaking in a new quarterback this season and for the second straight year, it's a new face to the program. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1572513' first='Kale' last='Brakefield'] moved over to Sulphur from Washington and will get a chance to be QB1 for the Bulldogs this fall. Last season, Brakefield emerged as one of the top defenders on Washington's team, becoming one of the leading tacklers on their defense. So in addition to his role on offense this fall, Brakefield will also have a lot to do with the success of the defensive side of the ball. Looking around at some of the names they bring back on offense, Brakefield could end up having that breakout season on offense while also continuing to be a relentless linebacker.     We mentioned earlier in the preview how Sulphur's offense is headlined by one of the best running backs in the state. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1569774' first='Maddax' last='Mobly'] is that guy. Mobly was absolutely dominant last season in all aspects of the game. Offensively, he finished with nearly 1,000 rushing yards and over 700 receiving yards. He scored 29 touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball and 32 total scores between offense, defense and special teams. He also had over 80 tackles from his linebacker spot on defense. And the last time we saw Mobly, he was arguably the best player on the football field in that 3A state championship game. He's an absolute monster and hungry for more in 2025.    (2024 All State 2nd Team Selection)    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Brody Wallace - 2026 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Carter Cole - 2028 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Connor Sullivan - 2026 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Drake Wood - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Garin Watson - 2027 Wide Receiver/Linebacker Grady Hardoin - 2026 Running Back/Defensive Lineman Madden Duck - 2027 Linebacker Michael Morris - 2028 Linebacker   2025 SCHEDULE   Sept. 5th - Washington - For the sixth straight year, Sulphur will square off with Washington early on in the season. And for the sixth straight year, they'll try to knock off the Warriors. They nearly did it last year, going to double overtime with Washington. A Sulphur win here would snap Washington's 44-game win streak. Sept. 12th - AT Davis - Sulphur goes on the road to face defending 2A-2 champion Davis in week two. The Bulldogs rolled to a 42-7 victory last year but this series has been remarkably even over the last two decades but the Bulldogs are in the middle of a nice run against their rivals, winning eight of the last nine.  Sept. 19th - AT Cache - It's a battle of the Bulldogs as Sulphur will wrap up non-district play on the road, against Cache. Last season, Sulphur had no problems in this match-up, winning 62-7. And that would be the first of eight times in the 2024 season where Sulphur scored at least 50 points.  Sept. 26th - Perkins-Tryon - District play will kick off in week four with arguably the toughest district game on the schedule this season. But fortunately for Sulphur, they will face Perkins-Tryon at home, after two straight road games to end non-district play. Sulphur beat Perkins-Tryon 48-0 in last year's meeting.  Oct. 3rd - AT McLoud - The district slate will continue in week five with a road game against McLoud. Last year was the first time that these two teams had met in the last few decades. Sulphur would continue their district dominance with a 57-14 victory over the Redskins. This year, they'll square off away from home.  Oct. 10th - Lone Grove - Sulphur has owned the Lone Grove series over the last decade. They beat the Longhorns 56-0 last season and have won the last two meetings in shutout fashion. Lone Grove would win the 2022 meeting but Sulphur has won nine of the last ten meetings with Lone Grove in the last ten years.  Oct. 16th - AT Bristow - On a Fall Break Thursday night, Sulphur will hit the road to face off with Bristow. For the second straight year, Bristow will have a first year head coach. Last season, the Bulldogs would roll to a 41-0 victory over the Purple Pirates. They'll look to dominate this match-up again in 2025. Oct. 24th - Seminole - Seminole was another new opponent on the district schedule for Sulphur last season. The Bulldogs had no problems in this match-up either as they would roll to a 49-6 victory. This season, we could see a high-scoring game in this match-up as both teams bring back explosive players on offense.  Oct. 31st - AT Victory Christian - Sulphur will come to Tulsa to face off with Victory Christian in week nine. The Conquerors will be playing under a first year head coach this season. Last year, these two teams met for the first time in decades and the Bulldogs would have their biggest win of the season with a 77-8 victory.  Nov. 7th - Mannford - The 2025 regular season will come to an end with a home game against Mannford in week ten. Last year, Mannford was another new opponent to the Sulphur schedule. The Bulldogs would show no mercy in a 59-0 victory. They'll look to leave no doubt in the district again this year.    NOTABLE   Sulphur is in a rare position as they kick off the 2025 football season. They have to be the only team in the state that is kicking off the season against defending state champions in the first two weeks. They'll open the season against defending 2A-1 state champion Washington in week one and then hit the road to face defending 2A-2 state champion Davis in week two. Sulphur routinely plays a difficult non-district schedule but the only thing that would be missing is another defending state champion in week three for it to be as difficult as it gets. And with new starters everywhere, on both sides of the ball, it's going to be baptism by fire for the Bulldogs and those new faces. However, that should prepare the Bulldogs for a tough district slate. Arguably their toughest district game comes in week four so they are going to know exactly where they stand by the end of September. This is a team that is going to have state championship aspirations. That first month of the season could either make or break what this team could be in 2025.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2024 - 12-2 - Class 3A Runner Ups 2023 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 3A Quarterfinals 2022 - 4-5 - Missed Playoffs 2021 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 3A Quarterfinals 2020 - 7-4 - Lost In Class 3A 1st Round   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   2 State Championships   2004 - Beat Purcell 48-12 2002 - Beat Seminole 26-13

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