Union Redhawks 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 Union Redhawks!    Union Redhawks   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #6 In Class 6A-1   Head Coach: Antonio Graham- 1st Season   2024 RESULTS (8-4 Record - Lost In Class 6A-1 Quarterfinals)   Aug. 30th - Beat Bentonville, AR. 42-35 (OT) Sept. 6th - Lost To Stillwater 36-35 (OT) Sept. 13th - Beat Jenks 9-3 Sept. 27th - Beat Edmond Santa Fe 26-14 Oct. 4th - Lost To Owasso 48-14 Oct. 11th - Beat Norman North 56-27 Oct. 17th - Beat Yukon 59-30 Oct. 25th - Beat Broken Arrow 69-28 Nov. 1st - Beat Westmoore 56-7 Nov. 7th - Lost To Edmond Memorial 32-29 1st Round - Beat Mustang 38-21 Quarterfinals - Lost To Jenks 42-7   2024 Offensive Scoring Average: 36.7 Points Per Game 2024 Defensive Scoring Average: 26.9 Points Per Game   The 2024 football season was a rollercoaster ride for the Union Redhawks. They had to navigate ups and downs in the win/loss columns, key injuries to important pieces and eventually, they came up short in the 6A-1 quarterfinals. They started the season with plenty of fireworks. They played back to back overtime games in the first two weeks. They beat Bentonville over in northwest Arkansas but lose on the road to Stillwater. They returned home and beat rival Jenks in another Backyard Bowl that went down to the wire. They opened district play with a win over Edmond Santa Fe but the following week they lost by 34 points to Owasso. Union would rattle off four straight wins from there before losing to Edmond Memorial at home in the regular season finale. With that loss, Union missed out on the first round bye but had no problems in that first round match-up against Mustang. From there, they would go on the road to face Jenks in a rematch of that regular season meeting that went down to the wire. This one wouldn't be as close. Union would fall 42-7 in the quarterfinals to the Trojans and the season came to an end at 8-4. It was the first time Union fell short of the semifinal round since 2019. A few weeks after the season came to an end, longtime head coach Kirk Fridrich announced he was stepping down as Union's head football coach. Signaling the end of an era and the start of a new one in 2025.    2025 OUTLOOK   That new era will kick off with a familiar name in charge of the Redhawk football program. Antonio Graham graduated from Union, winning state championships as a player. He was an assistant coach for the Redhawks and was a part of championship teams then. Now, he's the next head coach of a program incredibly hungry to return to that championship glory. It's been nearly a decade since Union won their last state championship (2016) and it was around that time that the state's largest class stopped being owned by Jenks and Union and those two titans had company. First Owasso broke through, then Broken Arrow and in the last three years, Bixby has reigned supreme. So Union has had plenty of company. Graham takes over a program that will have a blend of experienced playmakers and new faces as five starters are back on the offensive side of the ball and five more starters are back on defense. Offensively, they'll have a new quarterback after having to graduate a three-year starter. Whoever wins the job will have the benefit of a standout running back that can impact the run game and is a receiving threat out of the backfield. Defensively, Union has to find some new faces to step up but they are not lacking talent. They have a young potential star on the defensive line and multiple guys in the secondary that hold D1 offers. Talented Union secondaries have become a consistent thing over the last decade. Union will need their defense to slow down some of the offenses they'll have to contend with this fall. In his first season as a head coach, Graham took Owasso to the state title game. He'll look to lead his alma mater to the state title game in his first year at Union.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Ashton Cunningham - Defensive Back (Signed With Boston College - All State Honorable Mention) Josiah Hammond - Defensive Lineman (Signed With Kansas - All State Honorable Mention) Shaker Reisig - Quarterback (Signed With Boston College - All State Honorable Mention)   PLAYERS TO WATCH    Senior [player_tooltip player_id='858871' first='Daijon' last='Gaines'] is near the top of the list when it comes to comeback players to watch in 2024. Simply put, Gaines had about as bad of luck as you can get when it came to injuries last season. But Gaines is back to 100% and if he stays healthy, he's going to be one of the best defensive backs in Class 6A-1. Now, an interesting development took place this spring when we got a chance to watch Gaines in person at a team camp. He was playing offense and making plays at the wide receiver position. There's no doubt that Gaines, a Tulsa commit, is a terrific athlete. He's also a standout in track. So finding new ways to get him involved is a smart thing.     Every time we've watched senior cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='402381' first='Oliver' last='Smith'] in person, he's one of the best players on that football field. It doesn't matter if it's in a camp setting, a 7v7 tournament or on a Friday night in the fall, Smith has become a lockdown corner and has solidified himself as one of the top prospects in the state's 2026 class. As he heads into his senior season this fall, Smith is one of the top available prospects in that class. He's looking to build off last season's All State season and leave no doubt that he's one of the best cornerbacks in the state. He has all the tools and abilities to completely terrorize one side of the field. He's a true gamechanger at the position.    (2024 All State 2nd Team Selection)     Senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1451366' first='Stone' last='Turner'] returns to give Union a boost at that position. Whoever wins the quarterback battle is going to have one of the more reliable and underrated pass catchers in Class 6A-1. Turner led the Redhawks in receiving a year ago with 60 catches for 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. He led Union in all three categories after being a role player for Bixby during his sophomore season. We had seen Turner make plays in various 7v7 tournaments during the offseason but we were sold on him during the 2024 season. Turner knows how to get open and when you throw him the ball, he finds a way to make the catch. We expect him to have a big 2025 campaign.   (2024 All State Honorable Mention)     Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='858876' first='Tayveon' last='Parry'] was a player that had always impressed us in the last few offseasons but he was waiting for his moment to break out when it mattered the most. That moment happened in 2024. Parry emerged as Union's top option in the running game, running for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. He also became a reliable threat out of the backfield in the passing game. He finished with over 400 yards and five touchdowns on 43 catches. So like we've said a few times now, whoever wins that QB battle is going to have a reliable playmaker in the backfield with him. What's scary is Parry won't be splitting carries this fall like we saw in 2024.    (2024 All State Honorable Mention)     Sophomore defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1532195' first='Terrance' last='Evans'] would burst onto the scene last season. As a freshman, Evans would hold his own against some of the top offensive linemen in the state and in some cases, he was winning match-ups against guys three years older than him. It didn't take long for D1 programs to take notice. In fact, SEC programs were some of the first to extend offers to Evans. So needless to say, the ceiling is incredibly high for him moving forward. Union is not lacking talent in the secondary but they could use more of an impact in the front seven. Evans has the potential to set the tone and wreck an opposing offensive line's gameplan.    (2024 All State Honorable Mention)     Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1451368' first='Tucker' last='Koch'] comes into this season as one of the top linebackers in Class 6A-1. Last season, Koch was one of the breakout stars on the defensive side of the ball in Oklahoma. Looking back at our notes, we didn't know much about Koch at this time last year. It didn't take long. Koch was one of the best players on the field in their regular season win over rival Jenks. That was just a sign of what was to come. He led the team in tackles with 100 and also tackles for loss with 16. As if that wasn't enough, he led the team in sacks with 12 on the season. Koch was an absolute monster from the linebacker position and we're looking forward to what he does this fall for an encore.    (2024 All State Honorable Mention)    The Quarterback Battle   Union has two quarterbacks battling it out this summer for the starting role. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='402384' first='Skyler' last='Moorman'] is new to Union after starting for Collinsville the past two seasons. He's dealt with injuries in the past but when he's healthy, he's a terrific passer and has had a really strong offseason. But this is a new team, new system and Moorman will have to earn his way onto the field this season. He's battling with junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1260997' first='Dylan' last='Taylor'] and that's a QB prospect that we've written about quite a bit over the last two offseasons. Taylor has been a consistent participant in PRZ camps and 7v7 tournaments and every time it seems like Taylor has improved. This spring was our first chance to really watch him with the pads on and he looked the part. Whoever wins this QB battle is going to have earned it and will have the keys to an offense that has several weapons.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   [player_tooltip player_id='480317' first='Cain' last='Brackney'] - 2027 Linebacker E'Marion Edison - 2027 Offensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1637574' first='Ian' last='Castellanos'] - 2027 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1304601' first='Jackson' last='McCrary'] - 2026 Wide Receiver Jordan Avington - 2027 Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1525400' first='Jordan' last='Johnson'] - 2027 Offensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='242600' first='Logan' last='Haney'] - 2026 Linebacker Manolin Gonzalez - 2026 Offensive Lineman Pat Thompson - 2027 Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1684394' first='Reyon' last='Williams'] - 2027 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1642542' first='Rocky' last='Bright III'] - 2028 Linebacker   2025 SCHEDULE   Aug. 29th - Bentonville, AR. - The 2025 football season kicks off at home against Bentonville, Arkansas. These two teams played a classic to kick off the season a year ago. Union escaped northwest Arkansas with a 42-35 victory in overtime. Despite being out of state opponents, these two are very familiar with one another.  Sept. 5th - Stillwater - Last year was the first time Stillwater and Union faced off since the split in Class 6A back in 2014. The Pioneers scored an exciting 36-35 victory over the Redhawks in overtime last year. Union will certainly want to start a new winning streak against the Pioneers here in week one.  Sept. 12th - AT Jenks - Union's first road game is the annual Backyard Bowl against rival Jenks. It's been the unquestioned best high school football rivalry in the state for three decades. Union won the 2024 regular season meeting against the Trojans but Jenks ended Union's season in the quarterfinals.  Sept. 26th - Edmond Santa Fe - District play will open up in week four, at home, against Edmond Santa Fe. The Redhawks and Wolves have been district foes for the last three seasons and Union is 3-0 against Santa Fe during that stretch, including last season's 26-14 victory. Both teams have to replace D1 signees.  Oct. 3rd - AT Owasso - The Redhawks go back on the road for a game that could certainly end up deciding the district crown. They face Owasso in week five and it will be a homecoming of sorts for head coach Antonio Graham after he led the Rams in 2024. The Rams beat Union 48-14 in their meeting last year.  Oct. 10th - Norman North - The second half of the regular season begins with a home game against Norman North. This has been another series that's been one-sided, in favor of the Redhawks. Union beat Norman North 56-27 last season and they've won seven straight in the series, dating back to 2016.  Oct. 16th - AT Yukon - On a Fall Break Thursday night, Union will get on the highway and head west to Yukon. The Millers are looking to continue building and become a program that can threaten some of the 6A-1 powers but this series has been completely one-sided. Union won last year 59-30.  Oct. 24th - AT Broken Arrow - Union will go on the road in week eight to face Broken Arrow. The Redhawks have owned this series historically. They've won seven straight in the series against the Tigers. Last year, they became district foes for the first time in nearly two decades. BA will also have a first year head coach.  Oct. 30th - Westmoore - After meeting in non-district play in 2022 and 2023, Westmoore and Union became district foes in 2024. The Redhawks have never lost to the Jaguars and don't plan on starting anytime soon. They beat Westmoore 56-7 late in the regular season a year ago and will host them in week nine.  Nov. 6th - AT Edmond Memorial - The regular season finale will certainly have Union's attention this year. They head back west to Edmond to face Edmond Memorial. Last year, the Bulldogs stunned the Redhawks in week ten, on their home turf. This year, Union looks to repay the favor after losing 32-29 last year.    NOTABLE   Less than a week after leading Owasso to the state championship game against Bixby, Antonio Graham was introduced as Union's next head football coach. Kirk Fridrich led the Redhawks for 18 seasons, winning nearly 200 games at Union and five state championships and he had five other state title game appearances. But when he announced his resignation, it was clear that Graham was going to be at the top of the wishlist for Union's administration. Graham graduated from Union two decades ago and was a linebacker for their 2002 and 2004 state championship teams. He also started his coaching career at Union and was an assistant coach for three more titles. Graham was the defensive coordinator for Owasso when they won it all in 2017 and 2019 and when Bill Blankenship retired following the 2023 football season, Graham was immediately introduced as the next head coach of the Rams. Graham's 2024 Owasso team went 12-1 and lost an overtime heartbreaker to Bixby in the title game. Now, he takes over a Union program that is desperate to get back on top of the mountain. 2016 was their last state championship year.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2024 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 6A-1 Quarterfinals 2023 - 10-2 - Lost In Class 6A-1 Semifinals 2022 - 11-1 - Lost In Class 6A-1 Semifinals 2021 - 11-2 - Class Class 6A-1 Runner Ups 2020 - 6-5 - Lost In Class 6A-1 Semifinals   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   9 State Championships   2016 - Beat Norman North 57-43 2011 - Beat Broken Arrow 23-22 2010 - Beat Jenks 50-47 2009 - Beat Jenks 52-19 2008 - Beat Jenks 34-20 2005 - Beat Mustang 33-7 2004 - Beat Jenks 27-17 2002 - Beat Broken Arrow 52-3 1963 - Beat Mooreland 24-14

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