Verdigris Cardinals 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 Verdigris Cardinals!   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/InYs1GOgYqw" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/InYs1GOgYqw">- Verdigris Video Preview With HC Justin Morsey</a>   Verdigris Cardinals   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #9 In Class 3A   Head Coach: Justin Morsey - 2nd Season - 6-4 Record At Verdigris   2025 RESULTS (6-4 Record - Missed Playoffs)   Aug. 29th - Beat Beggs 42-34 Sept. 5th - Beat Sperry 27-15 Sept. 12th - Beat Catoosa 41-12 Sept. 26th - Lost To Jay 12-9 Oct. 3rd - Beat Vinita 20-14 Oct. 10th - Beat Cleveland 49-14 Oct. 16th - Lost To Inola 34-14 Oct. 24th - Lost To Berryhill 21-12 Oct. 31st - Lost To Cascia Hall 42-14 Nov. 7th - Beat Claremore Sequoyah 35-0   2025 Offensive Scoring Average: 26.3 Points Per Game 2025 Defensive Scoring Average: 19.8 Points Per Game   We're not that far removed from the Verdigris Cardinals winning 11 games and making back to back semifinal appearances in Class 3A. But coming into 2025, the Cardinals were hopeful that turning a new page would get them closer to those winning ways. After going 0-10 in 2024, the Cardinals began a new era of Verdigris football with Justin Morsey taking over as head coach. He came to Verdigris from Owasso and he knew that it would be an uphill battle, taking over a program coming off a winless season. While they didn't make it back to the playoffs, they did go from a winless season to a winning season, finishing 6-4 in 2025. They started the season with a 3-0 record. But they lost the district opener to Jay by a field goal and that would end up being the decisive game that kept the Cardinals on the outside looking in on the playoffs. They beat Vinita and Cleveland in the next two weeks before dropping three straight to playoff teams Inola, Berryhill and Cascia Hall. There was a silver lining at the end of the regular season. They beat Claremore Sequoyah with a 35-0 victory to finish the season with a winning record in week ten. The Cardinals went through plenty of growing pains in 2025 but they certainly turned the page as a program and left the memories of an 0-10 season in the past. Now, as we start to turn the page again and look ahead to the 2026 football season, there is reason for even more optimism. Not only do the Cardinals look like a team that can take the next step in the win-loss column but they could end up being a true dark horse in the Class 3A state championship race.    2026 OUTLOOK   At this time last year, Verdigris basically brought back every starter from the 2024 season. Fast forward to 2026 and not much has changed. The Cardinals will bring back ten starters on the offensive side of the ball for a unit that averaged 26 points per game last season. The Cardinals will have one of the best running backs in Class 3A this season after a breakout season a year ago. They'll lean on that experience and overall production to lead the way on that side of the ball. The Cardinals also bring back their starting quarterback from last year and he'll have another year under his belt after starting as a freshman. We would be surprised if the offense didn't take a major step forward this season. On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals are nearly as experienced with nine starters returning on a unit that gave up just shy of 20 points per game last season. And just like the offense, we think that it's a safe assumption that this group will be more improved with the amount of production and overall talent they bring back this season. They do need to replace arguably their best player on that side of the ball but they are in a position to be really good on that side of the ball. The schedule will be interesting this season and the Cardinals will see a lot of new teams. Only one district opponent on the schedule from last year is still in Verdigris' district this season. And there are some perennial powerhouses in Class 3A in their new district. But for the Cardinals, they are expecting to get back to becoming one of those perennial powerhouses in the class so they'll be ready for the challenge.    KEY LOSS TO GRADUATION   Will Rogers - Defensive Lineman   PLAYERS TO WATCH    One of several threats returning in the pass game is 2027 standout [player_tooltip player_id='1166641' first='Bret' last='Schauffler'] at wide receiver but also as a defensive back. Last season, Schauffler emerged as the top target in the Verdigris passing game. He finished his junior season with just under 50 receptions for over 600 yards and a pair of touchdowns. At this time last year, we didn't know much about Schauffler but he absolutely exploded during the 2025 season. Defensively, he was also productive, finishing with a pair of interceptions on that side of the ball. Looking ahead to the 2026 season, it's hard to imagine that his production won't go up with another year under his belt.     This Verdigris linebacker group has the chance to be really special this season and in our opinion, it will start with the return of 2027 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1836712' first='Charter' last='Zeimet'] in the heart of this Cardinal defense. Last season, Zeimet exploded with over 100 tackles on the season and became one of the unquestioned leaders of this defense. He's also going to see some time at the tight end position and he can help out the offense. But don't get it twisted when it comes to Zeimet and the impact he can have on the football field. He has the chance to be really good this season and a big part of why the Cardinal linebacker group might be one of the more underrated units heading into 2026.     In these team previews, it's pretty easy to get carried away with what teams can be this season. But we do believe that Verdigris has the chance to be pretty good on offense this fall but it's going to start on the line of scrimmage. 2027 offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1760808' first='Dawson' last='Shanholtzer'] returns for another year on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Offensively, he's going to have an opportunity to pave the way for an offense that could take a huge step forward this season. Defensively, he'll also be a very important piece to what the Cardinals do in 2026. Last season, Shanholtzer finished the year with 18 tackles, including a handful of tackles for loss.     The 2025 football season saw quite a few freshmen starting at the quarterback position across the state and we saw some guys debuting in high school at a very high level. 2029 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1839512' first='Jensen' last='Underwood'] started for the Cardinals and he immediately got some eyeballs on him with his ability throughout his freshman season. First off, he's going to pass a lot of eye tests this fall, checking in at 6'2 and 185 pounds. Last season, he threw for just shy of 2,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. Like we've been saying throughout this preview, we think that the offense is going to take a major step forward. Underwood could emerge as one of 3A's better quarterbacks.     If Verdigris turns into a major player in the 3A state title hunt this season, we believe 2027 running back [player_tooltip player_id='1299977' first='Peyton' last='Stelling'] will be a big reason behind it. During his sophomore season in 2024, you could see flashes of what he was capable of. Last season, he had a complete breakout season, becoming one of the top offensive playmakers in 3A football. He ran for nearly 1,400 yards and also accounted for nearly 400 yards receiving. He finished the year with 11 touchdowns and we think that he's just scratching the surface on what he can be as an offensive weapon. Similar to a few of the other guys on this breakdown, we think Stelling blows up this fall.    (2025 All State Honorable Mention)    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   [player_tooltip player_id='1829581' first='Ayden' last='Collins'] - 2028 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1198335' first='Braxton' last='Dean'] - 2027 Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1829579' first='Brode' last='Fuller'] - 2029 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Ethan Haire - 2030 Athlete [player_tooltip player_id='1830411' first='Ethan' last='Hushbeck'] - 2027 Wide Receiver/Linebacker Jayton Roach - 2030 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='2220019' first='Kaison' last='King'] - 2028 Offensive/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1828127' first='Lincoln' last='Butler'] - 2028 Offensive/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1828068' first='Ryder' last='Smith'] - 2028 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1828071' first='Sebastian' last='Villalobos'] - 2028 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1757107' first='Tate' last='Roller'] - 2027 Tight End/Linebacker   2026 SCHEDULE   Sept. 4th - AT Sperry - The 2026 football season will kick off with a road game against Sperry in week one. These two have met early in the season every year since 2018. The Cardinals snapped a two-game skid to the Pirates last season, beating Sperry 27-15. Historically, this has been a series that has been completely even between the two teams.  Sept. 11th - Catoosa - Verdigris' home opener will be in week two against Catoosa. This has turned into a nice rivalry game between these two neighboring teams. They've met every year in non-district play since the 2022 season. And this year's meeting will be the grudge match. Verdigris won twice, including last year's 41-12 victory while Catoosa won in 2023 and 2024. Sept. 18th - Miami - The Miami Wardogs are back on the non-district slate as Verdigris will wrap up non-district play at home with this week three game. These two teams have met occasionally over the last decade in non-district play. However, they haven't met since the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Verigris has won the last four in the series.  Sept. 25th - Muldrow - District play will open up at home against Muldrow in week four. The Bulldogs are one of several new opponents on the Verdigris schedule after redistricting. Verdigris has no recent experience facing Muldrow so this will be an interesting match-up. The Bulldogs are coming off a 5-5 season where they came up short on the playoffs.  Oct. 2nd - AT Stigler - Verdigris goes back on the road in week five to face Stigler. The Panthers are another new opponent for the Cardinals this season and next. They haven't met in recent memory and the Cardinals will look to set the tone in this match-up. Stigler is coming off a tough 3-7 season last year so they'll be hungry to bounce back in 2026.  Oct. 9th - Locust Grove  - Verdigris hosts Locust Grove to kick off the second half of the regular season and their schedule really starts to kick into gear now. This is another new district series for the Cardinals as these two teams haven't met since 2018 and 2019. The last time they met, the Cardinals won with ease, beating the Pirates 62-14 Oct. 15th - AT Bristow - On a Fall Break Thursday night, Verdigris hits the road to face Bristow. This game kicks off a four-week stretch that could make or break their playoff hopes. They are facing Bristow for the first time since the two teams were district opponents in 2022 and 2023. During each meeting, they were low-scoring games that were decided by a field goal or less. Oct. 23rd - AT Perkins-Tryon - The Cardinals will go back on the road in week eight to face Perkins-Tryon in a massive district showdown. Both teams are ranked heading into the season and have high expectations for 2026. The last two times these two teams met on the gridiron was in the playoffs in 2022 and 2019. The Cardinals got the win in each meeting.  Oct. 30th - Inola - Verdigris hosts Inola in week nine and it's their lone home game in this four-week stretch. Inola is also the only district opponent that the Cardinals are familiar with. In fact, they've met every year since 2014. The Cardinals have lost the last two meetings, including last year's 34-14 loss but they are 7-5 against Inola since 2014. Nov. 6th - AT Heritage Hall - The regular season will wrap up with the longest road trip of the year. The Cardinals head to Oklahoma City to face perennial powerhouse Heritage Hall. They've met twice in the last six years with both meetings in the playoffs. The Cardinals went 0-2 but a win here could lock up the district title. The Chargers don't lose district games very often.    NOTABLE   The redistricting shuffle that took place earlier this year really put Verdigris in a position of “new” for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Looking at their schedule for this fall, they will only play three teams that they met last year. Catoosa and Sperry remain on the non-district slate but they're trading out Beggs for Miami this season for at least this season. And like we mentioned earlier in the preview, Verdigris only has one district opponent that they played last season and that's Inola in week nine. And you can make an argument that their two toughest games and possibly three are all going to be on the road. We mentioned how the Cardinals now find themselves in a district with a pair of perennial 3A powerhouses. Heritage Hall and Perkins-Tryon have both been consistent contenders for a while now and nothing changes as they head into the 2026 season. When you look at the district as a whole, it is all over the map. A few of the districts in Class 3A are like that but it's a brutally tough job to try and find the right mix between competitive and geographic balance.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2025 - 6-4 - Missed Playoffs 2024 - 0-10 - Missed Playoffs 2023 - 5-6 - Lost In Class 3A 1st Round 2022 - 11-2 - Lost In Class 3A Semifinals 2021 - 11-2 - Lost In Class 3A Semifinals   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   0 State Championships

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