Pocola Indians 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 Pocola Indians!   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/uHxlItHAeio" type="link" id="https://youtu.be/uHxlItHAeio">- Pocola Video Preview With HC Jason Parker</a>   Pocola Indians   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #3 In Class A-1   Head Coach: Jason Parker - 8th Season - 41-46 Record At Pocola   2025 RESULTS (10-3 Record - Lost In Class A-1 Semifinals)   Aug. 29th - Beat Antlers 42-7 Sept. 12th - Beat Spiro 72-12 Sept. 19th - Lost To Vian 41-20 Sept. 26th - Beat Warner 50-0 Oct. 3rd - Lost To Rejoice Christian 27-20 Oct. 9th - Beat Hulbert 60-8 Oct. 16th - Beat Chouteau-Mazie 70-8 Oct. 24th - Beat Hartshorne 44-3 Oct. 31st - Beat Panama 34-6 Nov. 7th - Beat Haskell 64-6 1st Round - Beat Pawnee 24-20 Quarterfinals - Beat Fairview 18-13 Semifinals - Lost To Tonkawa 37-12   2025 Offensive Scoring Average: 40.9 Points Per Game 2025 Defensive Scoring Average: 14.5 Points Per Game   Over the last several seasons, we've talked about the Pocola Indians as a team that has been knocking on the door of becoming a true state championship contender. In 2025, that got close to kicking that door in and winning the whole thing. Pocola came into the 2025 season as a top five team in the preseason and they certainly played like that throughout the year. They stumbled at the end of non-district play, losing 41-20 to Vian but that was honestly a step in the right direction when you look at the history of the series. They would then lose a hard-fought game at home to Rejoice Christian in week five but they didn't lose again in the regular season. In fact, they were absolutely dominant. Take out the losses to Rejoice and Vian and Pocola's closest game in the regular season was a 34-6 win over Panama in week nine. The Indians were rolling heading into the playoffs but they were hungry to go on a run that quite frankly, they hadn't been on before. They beat Pawnee 24-20 in the first round, setting up a long road trip to Fairview in the quarterfinals. They got out of there with a 18-13 win, punching their ticket to the semifinals. The season came to an end there as they lost 37-12 to Tonkawa. The season finished with a 10-3 record but they certainly took another positive step and are even closer to being that true state championship contender. The three losses they suffered in 2025 were to the two teams that played for the A-1 state championship and the 2A-2 Runner Up. Pocola is close and in a new look A-1, where a new state champion will be crowned in 2026, the Indians are looking to take that final step.    2026 OUTLOOK   Pocola comes into the 2026 football season looking to kick the door down after knocking on it last season. The Indians are a top five team in our preseason A-1 rankings for the third consecutive season and they look to capitalize on the momentum from last year. Pocola's 2025 squad became the first team in program history to win at least two playoff games. Heading into the 2026 season, they have what it takes to make even more history. Offensively, the Indians bring back five starters from last year's team. They averaged just over 40 points per game but they will have to replace the majority of their starters on that side of the ball. The strength of this unit is going to start on the offensive line. They bring back the majority of their starters up front and that should help a new quarterback feel comfortable while navigating the offense. Defensively, Pocola also brings back five starters. They had some very important pieces graduate but they will be in good shape with some of their more productive players returning for the 2026 season. We really like the pieces that the Indians bring back on both sides of the ball and the new additions to the roster and names coming up seem to be promising. If those two things can mesh well this fall, the returning production and new talent coming in, Pocola should be in a good spot when the playoffs roll around. The Indians will test themselves in non-district play before entering another tough district slate. They've nearly won the district title in each of the last two seasons but fell to Rejoice Christian each time. Now, Rejoice is up in 2A-1 but the new bully in Pocola's district could be familiar foe Vian as they drop down from 2A-2. But if Pocola wants to finish the job and raise the gold ball, those are games that you have to win.   KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Antwoine Thomas - Defensive Back (2025 All State Honorable Mention) [player_tooltip player_id='1838713' first='Jackson' last='Parker'] - Defensive Back (2025 All State Honorable Mention) Jarius Birdsong - Running Back (2025 All State Honorable Mention)   PLAYERS TO WATCH    2029 wide receiver and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1679361' first='Brody' last='Merritt'] is a player to watch, not only for Pocola but in the state's 2029 class. Merritt was one of the top freshman receivers in the state a year ago, finishing the year with nearly 40 catches for over 600 yards and eight touchdowns. The expectation for him coming into this season is that he could end up being their top pass catcher in this offense. And wide receivers have put up a lot of numbers in the Pocola offense over the last several seasons. Now, can Merritt double his production from a year ago? It's actually not that crazy of a thought. He's a reliable playmaker that appears to be ready to take the next step.     Pocola will have a new quarterback this season after losing a two-year starter to a move to Arkansas. They replaced him with a move-in from Arkansas as 2028 signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='1199802' first='Dabin' last='Gaines'] joined the Indians from Greenwood. There's obviously a limited sample size in Oklahoma for Gaines but all signs point to him being one of the breakout players in Class A-1 this season. Gaines was a highly thought of quarterback in Arkansas' 2028 class. We watched him in a limited capacity this offseason and he looked the part. He's going to have weapons around him and a very experienced offensive line. Don't be surprised if he emerges as one of A-1's top passers in 2026.     2027 running back and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1832468' first='Damir' last='Bruce'] is one of the players we're fired up to watch this season. Bruce has had a terrific offseason and has become one of the fastest players on this team. You don't see the RB/DL combination very often but Bruce was very productive on defense last season. He finished with nearly ten sacks and 15 tackles for loss. Needless to say, he's a nightmare for opposing offensive linemen when he's coming off the edge. Pocola will need some new names to step up in the run game and Bruce could end up being that guy. Between his physical play and overall speed, he could end up being a breakout star this fall.     2027 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1832463' first='Garrett' last='Bobst'] is another senior that we're looking forward to seeing this season based strictly on the amount of production he had last season. Bobst is a heat-seeking missile at the linebacker position and was incredibly productive during his junior season. He finished the year with nearly 140 tackles and 20 tackles for loss. He also finished the season with six sacks. If Bobst at the very least matches his production from last season, Pocola is going to be in a good spot defensively. But if he becomes one of the top tacklers in Class A-1, which is a very real possibility, they could very well turn into a true state championship contender this season.     Pocola is going to have quite a few new pieces at the skill positions this season. But having the majority of their starters back on the offensive line should help pave the way for this offense to once again be one of the top in Class A-1. 2029 offensive and defensive lineman Sherman Grey emerged last season to be an important part of their play on the line of scrimmage. Grey is another freshman that not only cracked the starting lineup but he excelled on the field. Offensively, Grey is going to be a foundational piece of this Pocola offensive line. And defensively, he provides the Indians with some potential depth if they need it down the line.     2027 wide receiver and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1530107' first='Ty' last='Jerrell'] comes into this season as arguably the most experienced starter returning for the Indians. It feels like he's either been starting or at least getting on the field for the last three seasons and now he's preparing for his senior campaign. Last season, Jerrell was an incredibly valuable piece to what Pocola did on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he finished with 37 catches for nearly 600 yards and seven touchdowns. Defensively, he also added nearly 90 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss and nearly ten sacks. Jerrell ultimately was featured as an All State Honorable Mention selection and is hungry for more in 2026.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Aiden Ritter - 2028 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Ashdon Morriss - 2028 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Bennett Rasauong - 2029 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1678725' first='Brady' last='Jones'] - 2028 Wide Receiver/Linebacker Charles McNeil - 2028 Offensive/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1829532' first='Cole' last='Paulson'] - 2029 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Ethan Hollon - 2027 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Isaac Lairamore - 2029 Running Back/Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='2105762' first='Jacob' last='Stacy'] - 2029 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1832465' first='Trapper' last='Grimsley'] - 2027 Defensive Lineman   2026 SCHEDULE   Aug. 27th - Heavener - The 2026 football season kicks off with a home game against Heavener in week zero. They are back on the schedule after not playing the last two seasons. These two teams met four years in a row from 2020-2023 and they split the series during that stretch. Heavener won the last meeting in 2023 with a 33-32 victory over the Indians.  Sept. 4th - AT Keys - The first road game in 2026 comes in week one as they'll travel over to Keys to face the Cougars. Pocola will look to turn things around in this series after not playing for the last few seasons. They were district opponents from 2018-2021 and the Cougars had a 4-0 record against Pocola during that stretch but both teams look very different in 2026. Sept. 11th - Salina - Pocola wraps up non-district play with a week two clash with 2A-2's Salina. This is a new match-up on the schedule for the Indians but it's also a Salina team that has been hit hard by departures this offseason. They're not lacking talent coming into this season but they definitely don't look like the same team from six months ago.  Sept. 25th - AT Vian - After a week off, Pocola begins their district schedule with the toughest game on the 2026 slate. They travel to Vian in week four and the Wolverines are expecting to be instant contenders in A-1 after back to back trips to the 2A-2 state title game. Vian has also dominated this series with Pocola but there is no doubt that the Indians are closing the gap.  Oct. 2nd - Hulbert - Following the week four showdown with Vian, Pocola returns home to host Hulbert in week five. These two teams have been district opponents since the split in Class A in 2024. It's also been a series that the Indians have absolutely dominated historically. In their last two meetings with the Riders, Pocola has scored 60 points in each game.  Oct. 9th - AT Coalgate - The Indians go back on the road in week six to face Coalgate in the first meeting between these two programs in recent memory. Coalgate, similar to Vian, is in their first season in Class A-1 this season after dropping down from Class 2A-2. This is a program that is hoping the drop down helps them turn things around moving forward.  Oct. 15th - Haskell - On a Fall Break Thursday night, Pocola will host Haskell in week seven. The Haymakers have been district opponents for the last four seasons and this is another series in which Pocola has a decisive advantage over their opponent. They've won all four meetings and three of those wins were by 40 points or more, including last year's 64-6 victory.  Oct. 23rd - AT Warner - Pocola travels to Warner in week eight and Pocola will look to continue their dominance in this series when they square off. Last season, Pocola won 50-0 and there was also a 46-22 win over Warner in 2024, when they met for the first time in nearly a decade. In the last 20 years, the Indians are 9-2 against Warner, one of their best records against any opponent. Oct. 30th - Okemah - The Indians return home for their final time during the regular season, when they host Okemah in week nine. This could end up being an interesting match-up as Okemah is a new district opponent and a new opponent in general for the Indians. They come over from another A-1 district but will also have a first year head coach this season.  Nov. 6th - AT Panama - The regular season wraps up with a road game against Panama in week ten. These two teams have been district foes since 2018 and the Indians have the advantage in this series since they started playing in district play. Since 2018, Pocola is 5-3 in the series, including wins in their last three meetings. They won 34-6 last season but Panama could be much improved this fall.    NOTABLE   Head coach Jason Parker has turned Pocola into a consistent playoff team and a winner in the last five seasons. It hasn't always been that way and in fact, it was rarely that way before he took over. It also wasn't an immediate turnaround and they've been building to get to where they are today. Parker is entering his eighth season as Pocola's head coach and in the Covid-impacted 2020 season, the Indians went 1-7. That was their last losing season. Pocola is 38-20 in the last two seasons and their record continues to improve. Last season, as we mentioned earlier, the Indians made history with their best season in program history. Pocola won ten games and became the first team in program history to make it to the semifinal round. Now, the question immediately turns to the 2026 squad. How can this year's team keep that momentum rolling and have Pocola in a place where they are contending for the state championship? They were knocking on the door to making a trip to Edmond last season. They've shown steady improvement year over year in the last five seasons. Perhaps, 2026 is the year where the door finally gets kicked down and Pocola is playing for a state championship.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2025 - 10-3 - Lost In Class A-1 Semifinals 2024 - 9-3 - Lost In Class A-1 Quarterfinals 2023 - 7-4 - Lost In Class A 1st Round 2022 - 6-5 - Lost In Class A 1st Round 2021 - 6-5 - Lost In Class 2A 1st Round   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   0 State Championships

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