Thomas Terriers 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 Thomas Terriers!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Thomas Terriers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #3 In Class A-2</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach: Bob Ward - 18th Season - 144-72 Record At Thomas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2024 RESULTS (11-2 Record - Lost In Class A-2 Semifinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 6th - Beat Sayre 20-8<br>Sept. 13th - Beat Watonga 42-0<br>Sept. 20th - Beat Hinton 35-7<br>Sept. 27th - Beat Carnegie 42-0<br>Oct. 4th - Beat Cordell 57-0<br>Oct. 11th - Lost To Apache 34-33<br>Oct. 17th - Beat Texhoma 19-12<br>Oct. 25th - Beat Southwest Covenant 34-20<br>Nov. 1st - Beat Mangum 47-46<br>Nov. 8th - Beat Mooreland 22-16<br>1st Round - Beat Wilson 28-6<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Hominy 20-14<br>Semifinals - Lost To Talihina 20-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>2024 Offensive Scoring Average: 31.8 Points Per Game<br>2024 Defensive Scoring Average: 14.1 Points Per Game</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this time last year, Thomas was coming off of a 5-6 season in 2023 and a loss in the first round of the playoffs. In the two seasons before that, they were a combined 3-17. So the Terriers came into the 2024 season hungry to bounce back in a major way. With nearly everyone back from that 2023 team, literally, they were a preseason top ten team in the newly formed Class A-2. And they certainly backed up the preseason hype early on in the first half of the season. The Terriers would start the year with a 5-0 record, winning all five games by double digits. They would trip up in week six, losing to Apache by a point. But they bounced back from there and didn't lose again the rest of the regular season. That included some close and competitive wins over Texhoma, Mangum and Mooreland but they would capture the district championship. That set them up with a better path in the playoffs. After beating Wilson in the first round, they would square off with another traditional power in Hominy. Thomas prevailed 20-14 to punch their ticket to the semifinals for the first time since they made it to the 2020 state championship game. Thomas would fall to Talihina 20-14 and the season came to an end with an 11-2 record. Going from 5-6 to 11-2 and coming one game shy of playing for a state championship was certainly a solid improvement. Now, Thomas looks to take the next step in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2025 OUTLOOK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Thomas Terriers come into the 2025 season as the number three team in our Class A-2 preseason rankings. Following a district title and a semifinal appearance, they have a solid chance to truly contend for the state championship this season. They are going to be one of the most experienced teams in Class A-2 this season. Last year, they brought all but one starter back from the 2023 squad. This year, eight starters return on the offensive side of the ball, headlined by a multi-year starter at quarterback. The Terriers also bring back nine starters on the defensive side of the ball. Thomas has been building towards the 2025 season and this is going to be a very senior-heavy team. Offensively, they averaged a little over 30 points per game in 2024. We think that average could certainly go up this fall. Defensively, they gave up just 14 points per game last season and once again, there's no reason to think that they can't improve again in that department. The district will once again be very competitive, with another district opponent joining Thomas in the preseason top five. But the Terriers are defending district champs and in our opinion, they should be considered the favorites until someone knocks them off. Class A-2 as a whole is headlined by several of the top contenders bringing back almost all of their starters and Thomas is one of them. This is a team that's hungry for their first state title since 2014.&nbsp;</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>Hunter Freeburg - Defensive Lineman<br>Kadin Wilcoxsin - Offensive Lineman<br>Stinson Ward - 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":["1343474"],"_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-686e4caa0a4b6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">There aren't going to be many players hungrier to get on the field than senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1343474' first='Landon' last='Wald'] in 2025. Wald comes into his senior season as one of the top playmakers on this Thomas offense but he was somewhat limited in 2024. He still managed to catch 15 passes for over 300 yards and he would score touchdowns on the ground and as a receiver. During his sophomore season, Wald was outstanding at the wideout position. He caught over 40 passes for over 700 yards and five touchdowns. Coming into this season, we're excited to see Wald get back to full strength and have that kind of production that we saw in 2023. He certainly has the talent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1343473"],"_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-686e4caa0a521"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1343473' first='Tye' last='Littlebird'] is going to come into the 2025 season as one of the top quarterbacks to watch in Class A-2. Looking at some of his stats from his sophomore season in 2023 and then last year's junior season, Littlebird definitely became more efficient as a player. He threw 12 interceptions as a sophomore and only threw 5 picks last year. He also finished his junior season with nearly 30 less carries but had nearly the same amount of yards and actually had three more touchdowns. All around, it was a much more efficient season from the Thomas quarterback. So now, as he heads into his senior season, we are definitely looking forward to seeing his progression. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1706053"],"_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-686e4caa0a572"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">At this time last year, we knew more about [player_tooltip player_id='1706053' first='Warren' last='Cometsevah'] for what he could do on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver. Fast forward to 2025 and the senior is going into this fall as one of the top returning linebackers in Class A-2. Last season, Cometsevah had a terrific season on the defensive side of the ball. He finished with nearly 100 tackles and was one of the top standouts on a Thomas defense that averaged giving up two scores a game. As a sophomore, Cometsevah was productive on the offensive side of the ball. Now, we're not eliminating that as a possibility for 2025 but it's clear that he's incredibly valuable to the Terriers on defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1706055"],"_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-686e4caa0a5be"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Joining Littlebird in the Thomas backfield will be senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1706055' first='Wylie' last='Heinsohn'] and he's coming off a solid junior season. You could certainly say that last year was a breakout season for Heinsohn because looking back at some of our notes, we didn't know much about him going into the 2024 football season. Heinsohn became a solid running mate to Littlebird and took a lot of the pressure off his shoulders. Heinsohn finished the year with 128 carries for nearly 900 yards and nine touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how he does this season when you consider that Thomas lost some of their top offensive linemen to graduation. But his experience will definitely help. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2025 SCHEDULE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sept. 5th - Sayre</strong><br>- For the second straight year, Thomas will open the season against Sayre. These two teams have been district foes off and on for the last two decades. Last year, the Terriers got the best of Sayre with a 20-8 victory. This series continues to be completely one-sided, in favor of Thomas.&nbsp;<br><strong>Sept. 12th - AT Watonga</strong><br>- Thomas goes on the road for the first time in 2025 to face Watonga in week two. The Terriers won last year's meeting 42-0 and that was their second straight victory in the series. But prior to the last two wins, Watonga had owned this series, winning the previous seven meetings.&nbsp;<br><strong>Sept. 19th - AT Hinton</strong><br>- The non-district slate will come to an end in week three with another road game, this time to Hinton. Thomas would beat Hinton 35-7 last season to close out the non-district schedule with a 3-0 record. Last year's meeting was the first between these two since 2019. Hinton won that meeting.<br><strong>Sept. 26th - Carnegie</strong><br>- Thomas will open up their district schedule at home, against Carnegie. Last season, the Terriers beat Carnegie 42-0. Carnegie was a new opponent for the Terriers last season. They hadn't met Carnegie on the gridiron since the 2014 playoffs, a year in which they won the state title.<br><strong>Oct. 3rd - AT Cordell&nbsp;</strong><br>- In week five, Thomas will go on the road to face Cordell in district play. Last year, Thomas would shut out Cordell 57-0 and that would end up being their largest margin of victory in 2024. Prior to last season's meeting, Thomas hadn't met Cordell since 2020. Thomas has won eight straight in the series.<br><strong>Oct. 10th - Apache</strong><br>- The second half of the regular season begins with a home game against Apache. This will certainly be a game that is circled on the calendar for the Terriers. Thomas fell to Apache 34-33 in their regular season meeting a year ago. They also lost to Apache in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 16th - Texhoma/Goodwell&nbsp;</strong><br>- On a Fall Break Thursday night, Thomas will host Texhoma in week seven. The Terriers would meet Texhoma almost every year in the last two decades. Since Texhoma and Goodwell merged together, they've met in each of the last three years. Thomas won 19-12 last year and have won the last two.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 24th - AT Southwest Covenant</strong><br>- Thomas goes on the road to face Southwest Covenant in week eight. The Terriers won last year's meeting 34-20. Southwest Covenant was one of several programs in Class A-2 that transitioned from 8-man to 11-man football in 2024. This will be their second year playing 11-man ball.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 31st - AT Mangum</strong><br>- The district championship could be on the line in week nine when they go on the road to face Mangum. These are the two highest ranked teams from this district and they played an instant classic a year ago. Thomas won 47-46 in 2024. Prior to last season, these two hadn't met since the 2010 playoffs.&nbsp;<br><strong>Nov. 6th - Mooreland</strong><br>- The regular season comes to an end in week ten at home against Mooreland. Last year, Thomas would beat Mooreland 22-16 and that would snap a three-game losing streak to the Bearcats. That game also took place on a wet and muddy field during a weather-impacted week ten.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>NOTABLE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Thomas football program is on a rare level when it comes to historically-speaking in this state. They have ten state championships and that's tied with Bixby and Muskogee for the eighth most in state history. In fact Thomas is one of ten programs that has at least ten state championships. Only Ada (19) Carl Albert (19) Jenks (18) Clinton (17) Morrison (14) Booker T Washington (12) and Shattuck (12) have more championships than the Terriers. This is a program that definitely does not get talked about enough when it comes to some of the winningest programs in the state and the numbers back that up. Now, this year's team is incredibly hungry to add another state championship to the trophy case because it's been a little over a decade since they beat Cashion in the 2014 state championship game. And after making it to the 2020 title game and then missing the playoffs the following two seasons followed by losing in the first round in 2023, this team is hungrier than ever to make it back to that championship conversation. And with almost everyone back from last year's team, this 2025 squad certainly has to like their chances to compete for their 11th state title in school history.</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 - 11-2 - Lost In Class A-2 Semifinals<br>2023 - 5-6 - Lost In Class A 1st Round<br>2022 - 1-9 - Missed Playoffs<br>2021 - 2-8 - Missed Playoffs<br>2020 - 12-2 - Class A Runner Ups</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>10 State Championships</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2014 - Beat Cashion 28-0<br>2002 - Beat Ringling 21-0<br>1969 - Beat Marietta 8-6<br>1961 - Beat Weleetka 34-0<br>1957 - Beat Alex 34-0<br>1956 - Beat Morris 21-19<br>1955 - Beat Hennessey 21-12<br>1951 - Beat Davis<br>1950 - Beat OSD 21-14<br>1947 - Beat Kiefer 28-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->