Wagoner Bulldogs 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 Wagoner Bulldogs!   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/oOwlqYdsy5E" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/oOwlqYdsy5E">- Wagoner Video Preview With HC Kimes Gilbert</a>   Wagoner Bulldogs    Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #9 In Class 4A   Head Coach: Kimes Gilbert - 2nd Season - 5-6 Record At Wagoner   2025 RESULTS (5-6 Record - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round)   Sept. 5th - Lost To Coweta 21-7 Sept. 12th - Lost To Tahlequah 38-31 Sept. 19th - Beat Bristow 21-20 Sept. 26th - Lost To Fort Gibson 47-25 Oct. 3rd - Beat Miami 38-16 Oct. 10th - Beat Catoosa 55-20 Oct. 16th - Lost To Cushing 35-14 Oct. 24th - Lost To Grove 50-20 Oct. 31st - Beat Skiatook 28-15 Nov. 7th - Beat Oologah 49-28 1st Round - Lost To Broken Bow 70-35   2025 Offensive Scoring Average: 29.4 Points Per Game 2025 Defensive Scoring Average: 32.7 Points Per Game   A new era of Wagoner football began in 2025 as Kimes Gilbert took over as head coach following two decades of championship-level success with Dale Condict. Following the guy who's name is now on the side of the stadium is never an easy task and there were definitely some growing pains throughout the 2025 season. The Bulldogs faced a very tough non-district schedule and stumbled in September, starting the season with a 1-3 record. They won their next two games before falling to Cushing and Grove in back to back weeks. At that point, Wagoner entered week nine with a 3-5 record and they were in danger of missing out on the playoffs if they lost another district game. They beat Skiatook on Halloween night and followed that with a 49-28 victory over Oologah to finish the regular season with a 5-5 record. But the 4-3 record in district play slotted them as the four seed going into the playoffs and they went on the road to face district champion Broken Bow in the first round of the playoffs. Both teams lit up the scoreboard in that first round game but Wagoner didn't have the firepower to keep up and the season came to an end with a 70-35 loss. It was the first time in over two decades that Wagoner ended the season with a losing record at 5-6. We knew that the Bulldogs were going to have those growing pains, starting a new era but there are reasons to be optimistic and frankly excited about the upcoming season. Wagoner is still one of the traditional powerhouses that you have to keep an eye on, year after year when it comes to Class 4A football.    2026 OUTLOOK   The Bulldogs are still a top ten team heading into this season and they expect to be in the mix in Class 4A this season. They bring back the majority of their starters on both sides of the ball and looking at this team on paper, they look like they have the potential to take a major step forward on offense this season. Six starters return on offense but they bring back a very dynamic athlete at the quarterback position, multiple offensive linemen and their top playmaker at the wide receiver position. In addition to the regular starters returning, they also have a very explosive running back that is returning from an injury and will come into this season with a big chip on his shoulder. Defensively, the Bulldogs also bring back six starters from last year's team and we think that the strength of this unit could be with the linebacker position. In fact, the front seven has the potential to be a big problem for opposing offenses week after week. We would be surprised if the Bulldogs don't take a step forward on both sides of the ball and show improvement this season. Now, the schedule will once again be a big hurdle for the Bulldogs to overcome but it's also set up for Wagoner to contend for the district championship. The non-district schedule features three teams in Class 5A so Wagoner will be battle-tested following non-district play. You can also make the argument that their three toughest district games are in the final three weeks. Wagoner can pick up momentum and, in theory, could be playing some of their best football by the end of the regular season. If they do just that, they will put themselves in a position to contend for the district title and much more when the playoffs begin.   KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Javon Smith - Linebacker Stavery James - Offensive/Defensive Lineman   PLAYERS TO WATCH    2027 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1833184' first='Elijah' last='Curtis'] returns as the top threat in the passing game for Wagoner this season. Curtis was incredibly dynamic for the Bulldogs last season. Looking back at our notes from this time last year, he was on our radar going into last season, but we certainly didn't expect him to have the kind of season that ended up happening. He finished with nearly 900 yards and ten touchdowns. All signs point to Curtis taking a step forward as an overall athlete and weapon in the Wagoner offense. He has good size, playmaking ability and he showed last fall that he's a reliable target in this passing offense. He seems like one of 4A's better pass catchers going into the season.     2027 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1325187' first='Karson' last='Klinger'] leads a very impressive linebacker group back to the field in 2026. Klinger was one of Wagoner's most dominant players on the defensive side of the ball last season. Similar to Love, we looked back at our notes from this time last year and we didn't find anything on Klinger. He was flying under the radar going into the 2025 season and absolutely blew up. He finished the season with well over 100 tackles and filled up the stat sheet in other categories. Now, as he heads into his senior season, all eyes are going to be on him to be one of the better defenders in Class 4A football this season. It would be surprising if he's not a 100+ tackles player again this fall.     There is no doubt that few players in Class 4A had a bigger breakout season. 2027 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1718189' first='Keyshaun' last='Brown'] emerged as QB1 of the Bulldogs and was absolutely dynamic in that role. He threw for over 2,000 yards and then added over 500 yards on the ground. Between throwing and running the football, Brown accounted for 25 total touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball and it feels like he's just scratching the surface on what he can be. When we caught Wagoner in person earlier this spring, it was hard not to be impressed with Brown's ability at the quarterback position. He has the potential to help lead the Bulldogs back to contending for the district title and more.     Wagoner has quite a few weapons on the offensive side of the ball to keep an eye on as we enter the 2026 season. But none of that is possible without the play on the line of scrimmage. Wagoner has 2027 offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1834365' first='Logan' last='Jones'] returning on the offensive line at the center position. Jones emerged last season as a very important piece of this Wagoner offense. When we talked with Wagoner's coaches this summer, they were excited about the potential of this offensive line and it starts with Jones, right in the middle of the action. They have some serious size up front but some of them are inexperienced. They'll lean on Jones to get this group together quickly.     2027 two-way starter [player_tooltip player_id='1830503' first='Noah' last='Peet'] is going to be an incredibly important part to what Wagoner does this season. First off, he is one of Wagoner's returning starters on the offensive line. He'll play on the interior of that offensive line and help set the tone on the line of scrimmage. But you can make a strong argument that he will be at his best and most impactful on the defensive side of the ball. Peet is a returning starter at the linebacker position. He finished last season with over 70 tackles on the year and is one of the team's leading returners in quarterback sacks. There is no doubt that he is going to be a very important piece to Wagoner's success this fall.     We mentioned earlier in the preview how Wagoner had a running back returning after an injury halted his 2025 season. 2028 running back [player_tooltip player_id='1834361' first='Prince' last='Austin'] is a playmaker that the Bulldogs will be excited to get back. And there is no doubt that he's going to have a major chip on his shoulder this season. Austin had very limited playing time last season and will be hungry to get back on the field this season. As he joins Brown in the Wagoner backfield, there's a potential for a very deadly 1-2 punch on offense this fall. As teams look to limit what Brown does, that is going to open things up for Austin in the run game and as a receiver out of the backfield.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Bobby Hendesron -2027 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1839431' first='Carter' last='Brown'] - 2027 Defensive Lineman Collin Moore - 2028 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1833183' first='Jonah' last='Smith'] - 2027 Wide Receiver Mark Goins - 2028 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1828423' first='Zion' last='Corey'] - 2027 Wide Receiver   2026 SCHEDULE   Aug. 28th - Coweta - The season kicks off with the annual rivalry game against Coweta in week zero. This series has been very competitive over the last five years. Prior to the 2021 season, Wagoner had won nine straight meetings. But starting in 2021, Coweta actually has a 3-2 advantage over the Bulldogs, including last year's 21-7 victory.  Sept. 11th - Tahlequah - After a bye week in week one, the Bulldogs will host Tahlequah in week two. These two teams started meeting in non-district action back in 2020 and have played every year since. This has been a friendly series for the Bulldogs, with Wagoner holding a 5-1 advantage over the Tigers. But Tahlequah won last year's meeting to snap that Wagoner winning streak. Sept. 18th - AT Bishop Kelley - The non-district slate wraps up with a road trip to Tulsa to face Bishop Kelley. It will be Wagoner's third straight game against a Class 5A opponent. But unlike the previous two opponents, Wagoner has no recent history with the Comets. You have to go all the way back to 1991 to find the last time these two faced off.  Sept. 25th - AT Miami - The district schedule kicks off with another road game, this time up to northeastern Oklahoma to face Miami in week four. These two teams have been district opponents for decades and the Bulldogs have absolutely owned the series in the last two decades. Last year's 38-16 victory over Miami was their 21st consecutive victory in the series.  Oct. 2nd - Skiatook - Wagoner returns home to host Skiatook in week five and this is another district series that has been one-sided in favor of Wagoner. The Bulldogs beat Skiatook 28-15 last season and that was their eighth consecutive win in the series, dating back to 2005. But Skiatook comes into this season with more momentum than the last few years. Oct. 9th - AT Cleveland - The only new district opponent (sort of) on the schedule this season is Cleveland and the Bulldogs will go there this season. The Tigers were in Class 3A the last two seasons but have returned to 4A football this year. These two were district opponents from 2018-2023 and Wagoner won all six meetings, with the closest game being a 27-point win. Oct. 15th - Oologah - On a Fall Break Thursday night in week seven, Wagoner hosts Oologah and this is another district series that has been going on for a very long time. And similar to the others, it's one that Wagoner has dominated historically. Wagoner has won seven straight in the series and 19 of the last 20 meetings, including last year's 49-28 win.  Oct. 23rd - AT Fort Gibson - We mentioned earlier how the final three weeks were arguably the three toughest district match-ups. It starts in week eight with a short trip over to Fort Gibson. These two became district opponents again in 2024 after not playing for five years. Wagoner won the first meeting by 40 points but the Tigers beat Wagoner 47-25 last year. Oct. 30th - Grove - Sandwiched in between two massive road games against top district contenders is a home game in week nine against Grove. The Bulldogs certainly can't overlook this match-up as the Ridgerunners took care of business against Wagoner last year. Grove won 50-20 and have won two of the last four meetings against the Bulldogs.  Nov. 6th - AT Cushing - The regular season comes to an end with a road trip west to face Cushing in week ten. There's a chance that if everything goes well for Wagoner, that the district title could be decided right here. These two teams have developed quite the rivalry with district and state championship meetings in this decade. Cushing won 35-14 last season.    NOTABLE   We mentioned how it's never easy to follow a legend and that was going to be the case for whoever took over as Wagoner's head football coach. Two unbelievable streaks came to an end last season and instead of framing it as a negative, we're hopeful that people will appreciate just how dominant Wagoner football has been and the level that Dale Condict elevated them to over the last two decades. We mentioned that last season was Wagoner's first losing season since 2004, a year in which the Bulldogs went 2-8. But they also had a postseason streak come to an end as well. Wagoner had won at least one playoff games in 20 consecutive seasons, coincidentally a streak that started in 2005, after Wagoner's last losing season. 20 consecutive years of winning at least one playoff game is absolutely unheard of. That streak began after Wagoner's last losing season. Perhaps history repeats itself and the Bulldogs begin a new streak of playoff success in 2026.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2025 - 5-6 - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round 2024 - 12-1 - Lost In Class 4A Semifinals 2023 - 13-1 - Class 4A Runner Ups 2022 - 11-3 - Class 4A State Champions 2021 - 9-3 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   6 State Championships   2022 - Beat Cushing 24-21 2020 - Beat Clinton 42-13 2016 - Beat Oologah 28-13 2015 - Beat Oologah 15-14 2014 - Beat Oologah 45-21 2011 - Beat Clinton 23-0

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