Clinton Red Tornadoes OK 2026 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 2026 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 Clinton Red Tornadoes!   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/-qKqJdxGKdk" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/-qKqJdxGKdk">- Clinton Video Preview With HC Trevor Powers</a>   Clinton Red Tornadoes    Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #8 In Class 4A   Head Coach: Trevor Powers - 1st Season   2025 RESULTS (4-7 Record - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round)   Aug. 29th - Lost To Heritage Hall 30-0 Sept. 12th - Lost To Kingfisher 35-28 (OT) Sept. 19th - Lost To Chandler 32-7 Sept. 26th - Beat Weatherford 22-21 (OT) Oct. 3rd - Beat Bridge Creek 40-20 Oct. 10th - Beat Elk City 17-12 Oct. 16th - Beat Woodward 14-3 Oct. 23rd - Lost To Cache 48-45 (OT) Oct. 31st - Lost To Elgin 49-0 Nov. 7th - Lost To Douglass 15-0 (Forfeit) 1st Round - Lost To Tuttle 51-6   2025 Offensive Scoring Average: 17.6 Points Per Game 2025 Defensive Scoring Average: 29.8 Points Per Game   The Clinton Red Tornadoes came into the 2025 football season looking to once again contend for the state championship. They knew coming into the season that Class 4A was going to be very top heavy with Elgin and Tuttle having a stranglehold on 4A football. When the season kicked off, it began a rollercoaster of a season that Clinton football hasn't seen in a while. They stumbled out of the gate, dropping their first three games, including a tough overtime game to Kingfisher. That would be the first of three overtime games that Clinton played in throughout the 2025 season. The bright side of Clinton's 0-3 start was it was all in non-district play and it wouldn't impact the playoff race. They followed that up by winning four straight games, all in district play, to put them in a position to contend for the district title. They lost a heartbreaker to Cache in a high-scoring game that went to overtime. They followed that up with a shutout loss to Elgin. And in the regular season finale, they beat Douglass 48-16 on the field but they played an ineligible back up kicker for less than a minute of game time so a 48-16 win turned into a forfeited loss. Because of that forfeit, they went from finishing second in the district and hosting a first round playoff game to finishing fourth and having to go on the road to face Tuttle in the first round. They lost 51-6 and the season came to an end with a 4-7 record. Shortly after the season came to an end, the Clinton administration decided it was time for a change. Head coach John Higbee was let go after eight seasons as head coach of the Red Tornadoes.    2026 OUTLOOK   Clinton will begin a new era of Red Tornado football in 2026 but the expectations for state championships will remain the same. Higbee led Clinton to the playoffs in all eight seasons, including the 2021 state championship and a 2020 state title game appearance. The bar at Clinton is unbelievably high. Trevor Powers was announced as Clinton's next head coach and he returned to Oklahoma after one season in Liberal, Kansas. Before that, he turned Hooker into a small school powerhouse out in the panhandle. Now, he returns to western Oklahoma, looking to return Clinton to 4A prominence. Eight starters return on the offensive side of the ball. This was a unit that averaged 17 points per game but a change in philosophy could see the Red Tornadoes reach new heights on that side of the ball. They are going to be more of a spread offense, which will look very different from what Clinton fans have been used to seeing on that side of the ball. Defensively, they also bring back eight starters. And just like with the offense, they are changing things up on that side of the ball, going to a 3-4 defense and taking advantage of their overall team speed. Clinton is looking to bounce back and win right away in a very competitive Class 4A. The Red Tornadoes find themselves in a new district with no clear preseason favorite to capture the district crown. If they take care of business in the regular season, they could end up being the district champion this season. And winning the district title certainly puts them in a position to contend for the 4A state championship as early as this year.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Darron Hester - Running Back/Defensive Back Vince Jones - Fullback/Linebacker   PLAYERS TO WATCH    Clinton's offense has the potential to take a major step forward this season when you look at some of the production and experience they bring back. But nothing positive will happen without the play on the line of scrimmage. Clinton is confident in the group they bring back up front and it starts with 2027 OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id='1831510' first='Andre' last='Lime'] as he prepares for his senior season. Lime is going to give Clinton a foundational piece on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We're looking forward to seeing how he helps pave the way for the rest of the group on this offensive line.     2028 quarterback and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1837747' first='Easten' last='Powell'] returns for his second full season as QB1 of the Red Tornadoes. He was thrown into the fire during his freshman season and just carried that momentum into last season. Powell is the younger brother of former Clinton state champion quarterback Caden Powell and we're looking forward to seeing if he can have a similar impact for this Clinton program. Powell is a terrific athlete that can give Clinton a lot to work with on both sides of the ball. But there's no doubt that his greatest impact will be on offense at quarterback.     2027 wide receiver and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1837748' first='Ethan' last='Lofland'] is on the shortlist of players we want to see this season. Lofland returns after a solid junior season and all signs are pointing to him having an even bigger senior campaign. With Clinton moving to more of a spread offense, airing the ball out more, Lofland has the potential to be a breakout star in Class 4A. At 6'5 and 230 pounds, Lofland is going to be a match-up nightmare against opposing defenses. Don't forget about the impact he can also have on defense but we're fired up to see what he does offensively this fall.     2027 running back and defensive back is the first of a couple running backs to keep an eye on this season. Guttierez looks to be an important piece for the Red Tornadoes as a two-way player. In addition to running back, he'll also see playing time on defense in the secondary at safety. Clinton might be moving to more of a spread offense but they'll still have a firm identity in the run game and Guttierez is going to be a crucial part of that. Also look out for the senior to be a big part of what Clinton does on the defensive side of the ball as a guy who can make plays.     2028 running back and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='2253001' first='JJ' last='Ruiz'] is another player to watch for Clinton coming into this season. Ruiz is a two-way player that has the potential to be a breakout star for the Red Tornadoes this season. First off, Ruiz is going to be a player that is similar to Lofland, where he's passing the eye test everywhere the Red Tornadoes go. Ruiz will also join Guttierez in the Clinton backfield at running back. But then he'll flip to defense and can be an impact player at linebacker. Checking in at 6'2 and 180 pounds, Ruiz could certainly be primed for a breakout year.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Alex Amaya - 2027 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Bentlee Potter - 2030 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1839199' first='Benton' last='Bridgeman'] - 2028 Running Back/Linebacker Demarion Bailey - 2030 Running Back/Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1834127' first='Dyson' last='Moss'] - 2029 Running Back/Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1829385' first='Gavin' last='Evans'] - 2029 Running Back/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1831513' first='Eli' last='Anderson'] - 2028 Offensive Lineman/Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1837744' first='Jaden' last='Potter'] - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1834123' first='Jason' last='Lloyd'] - 2029 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Jayden McCoy - 2030 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Liam Lofland - 2030 Tight End/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1719764' first='Parker' last='Turney'] - 2029 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back| [player_tooltip player_id='1834125' first='Thomas' last='Williams'] - 2029 Offensive/Defensive Lineman   2026 SCHEDULE   Aug. 28th - AT Chandler - The Clinton Red Tornadoes will open up the 2026 football season with a road trip to Chandler in week zero. These two teams have met in non-district play in each of the last two seasons but neither game has been relatively close in the end. Clinton won 21-0 in 2024 while Chandler won 32-7 in last season's meeting.  Sept. 4th - Blanchard - Clinton's home opener comes in week one against Blanchard. Both teams will come into this season with first year head coaches. These two perennial 4A powers are meeting in the regular season for the first time in over 15 years. Although they did meet in the 2024 playoffs, with Clinton winning 21-20 in the first round.  Sept. 11th - AT Kingfisher - Clinton and Kingfisher will square off for the fourth consecutive year in non-district play. The Red Tornadoes have had the edge in this series. Although Kingfisher won last year's meeting 35-28 in overtime. These two teams have historically played some pretty competitive games and this season could be the same.  Sept. 18th - Durant - It's western Oklahoma squaring off with southern Oklahoma as Clinton will host Durant to wrap up non-district play in week three. Before they get a week off and district play begins, Clinton gets one final tune up game against a solid 5A program. Clinton will look to wrap up non-district play with a big win to take momentum into the district slate.  Oct. 2nd - AT Weatherford - After a week off, Clinton opens up district play with a week five road game against Weatherford. This series has been very back and forth over the last six seasons. Each team is 3-3, with Clinton winning last year's meeting 22-21. The heat in this year's game will be ratcheted up as Clinton's former head coach is now on the Weatherford staff.  Oct. 9th - Woodward - Following the showdown with Weatherford, Clinton returns home to host Woodward in another series that the Red Tornadoes have absolutely dominated historically. Clinton won 14-3 last season and that was their eighth consecutive win in the series. These two teams have played in non-district play or district play every year since 2009.  Oct. 15th - AT Cache - On a Fall Break Thursday night in week seven, the Red Tornadoes will go back on the road to face Cache. Clinton is looking to turn things around in this series after losing two of the last three in the series, including last year's 45-42 overtime heartbreaker. Needless to say, a win here will have massive playoff implications.  Oct. 23rd - Bethany - Bethany is back on Clinton's district schedule after two seasons of not playing. These two were district opponents for four seasons from 2020-2023. Clinton had a 3-1 record, winning the last three meetings between these two teams. This is another game that's going to go a long way to deciding who the district champion is going to be.  Oct. 30th - AT Elk City - In week nine, Clinton will travel to Elk City to continue this district series that has been completely one-sided, in favor of the Red Tornadoes. Clinton won last year's meeting 17-12 in their third straight win and the eighth in the last nine meetings. Needless to say, these two teams are very familiar with one another.  Nov. 6th - Douglass - For the third straight season, Clinton will wrap up the regular season with a week ten game against Douglass. The Red Tornadoes have beaten the Trojans on the field in each of the last two seasons. Although last year's game ended up being somewhat controversial as Clinton won 48-16 but had to forfeit after using an ineligible player for less than a minute.    NOTABLE   There is no doubt that Clinton is a pressure cooker of a job. The Red Tornadoes have had a lot of success as a program and they've spent the majority of the last 12 years trying to replicate what legendary head coach Mike Lee built. In over 20 seasons as head coach, Lee won over 250 games and helped Clinton capture nine state championships. Since Lee stepped down prior to the 2014 football season, the Red Tornadoes have only one state title, that came in 2021. Phil Koons took over for Lee but only made it a few seasons before stepping down. John Higbee was a former Lee assistant and it's hard to say that his tenure was a failure. They made the playoffs every year and won the 2021 state title and played for the 2020 championship. Now, Powers steps into that pressure cooker, looking to turn Clinton back into that consistent powerhouse that dominated the state in the 90's and the 00's. As mentioned earlier in the preview, he helped turn Hooker into a consistent small school winner and now he'll look to do the same in Clinton and on a much bigger stage.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2025 - 4-7 - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round 2024 - 9-3 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals 2023 - 7-4 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals 2022 - 7-4 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals 2021 - 13-1 - Class 4A State Champions    CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   17 State Championships   2021 - Beat Tuttle 35-0 2012 – Beat Anadarko 21-14 2007 – Beat Kingfisher 21-16 2005 – Beat Wagoner 20-7 2004 – Beat Broken Bow 28-0 2003 – Beat Glenpool 28-7 2001 – Beat Sallisaw 41-23 2000 – Beat Sallisaw 41-6 1997 – Beat Elk City 31-13 1996 – Beat Weatherford 28-0 1984 – Beat Idabel 34-13 1982 – Beat Bristow 33-23 1978 – Beat Durant 12-0 1969 – Beat Muskogee Manual 55-6 1968 – Beat Wewoka 42-6 1967 – Beat Broken Bow 34-6 1965 – Beat Broken Bow 34-13

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