Woodland Cougars 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 Woodland Cougars!   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/EiMFu9K3VEo" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/EiMFu9K3VEo">- Woodland Video Preview With HC Casey Goad</a>   Woodland Cougars   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #6 In Class A-2   Head Coach: Casey Goad - 7th Season - 63-24 Record At Woodland   2025 RESULTS (6-5 Record - Lost In Class A-2 1st Round)   Sept. 5th - Lost To Pawnee 34-20 Sept. 12th - Beat Morrison 14-12 Sept. 19th - Lost To Pawhuska 44-12 Sept. 26th - Beat Porter 52-6 Oct. 3rd - Beat Barnsdall 50-0 Oct. 10th - Lost To Hominy 32-16 Oct. 16th - Beat Afton 70-22 Oct. 24th - Beat Summit Christian 42-0 Oct. 31st - Beat Ketchum 44-16 Nov. 7th - Lost To Fairland 53-14 1st Round - Lost To Allen 31-26   2025 Offensive Scoring Average: 32.7 Points Per Game 2025 Defensive Scoring Average: 22.7 Points Per Game   The Woodland Cougars came into the 2025 season after a very memorable 2024 campaign. They went 14-0 and dominated their way to the state championship. But as the calendar turned to 2025, it was understood that things were going to look different for the Cougars in a new season. They lost a special senior class and they definitely had some growing pains along the way. They started 1-2, facing a very tough non-district schedule. They would then go on a run for the next six weeks. With the exception of a 32-16 loss to rival Hominy in week six, the Cougars were dominant throughout the month of October. But injuries started to mount up and depth issues began to become a big problem for Woodland late in the season. In week ten, they faced Fairland and fell to the Owls to finish third in the district. That put them on the road in the first round of the playoffs. They lost to Allen by five points and once again, it was a situation where the Cougars were not even close to 100 percent and while they went through the 2024 season with barely any injuries, that just wasn't the case in 2025. But it should also be mentioned that the losses they suffered were against some of the best teams in Class A-1 and A-2. Pawhuska made it to the A-1 semifinals. Hominy played for the A-2 state championship and Fairland and Allen each made the semifinal round. The competition was as tough as it gets in Class A football. But as the page turns to the 2026 season, the Cougars are determined to get back in the mix with some of the top teams in this class and contend for the state title.    2026 OUTLOOK   Woodland comes into this season as a borderline top five team in Class A-2 and they've typically been a top five team, no matter what class they found themselves in. The Cougars do have to replace some key pieces on both sides of the ball but they bring back the majority of their starters from last year's team. Offensively, six starters return on that side of the ball and the conversation is going to start with the offensive line and the quarterback. They bring back almost everyone on the line of scrimmage and after going through some growing pains last year as a sophomore, their QB1 has returned for his junior season. They'll be breaking in some new names in the skill department but that's a group of guys that Woodland's coaches are confident can make an immediate impact for the Cougars this season. Defensively, six starters return on that side of the ball and Woodland is definitely going to lean on their returning experience. As we head into the 2026 season, the expectation is that Woodland is going to start quite a few underclassmen on defense, including some freshmen. This group of players have talent but they are obviously going to be somewhat inexperienced as the Cougars go into the season. And when you look at the schedule, it's all going to come down to how quickly this team comes along this fall. The schedule is tough from start to finish. But if Woodland can gel together going into the final five weeks and go on a run, they will have a shot to contend for another district title. And winning the district is the first step to possibly going on another run in November and ultimately December.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Goob Kennedy - Offensive Lineman (2025 All State Honorable Mention) Jaston Terry - Athlete (2025 All State Honorable Mention) Khamden Patterson - Linebacker (2025 All State Honorable Mention)   PLAYERS TO WATCH    2029 running back and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='2255172' first='Carter' last='Long'] is one of several new additions to the Woodland roster. But when it comes to Long, it's expected that he's going to be an immediate impact player for the Cougars this season. This summer, Long was compared to former Woodland standout Jaston Terry when it comes to his overall versatility and athletic ability. He's going to be able to play in a number of positions for the Cougars this season and use that speed and overall athleticism to make a significant impact in his first season with Woodland this fall. When it comes to new faces we're excited to see this season, Long definitely belongs on that list.     2028 offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1834476' first='Joe' last='Kennedy'] is the first of a few 2028 prospects to keep an eye on heading into this season. And for Kennedy he's a guy to watch on the line of scrimmage. First off, he's a guy that's going to be able to help out the Woodland offensive line and that's a group that is a major strength for the Cougars heading into this season. But we're looking at Kennedy being a bigger impact player for Woodland on the defensive side of the ball. Last season, Kennedy got into games and found a way to be productive. You should see his production go up this season and like with all defensive linemen, he can impact the game beyond the stat line.     2027 offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1838812' first='Neils' last='Lockett'] returns for Woodland as one of their top two-way players on the roster. He's definitely the top two-way guy along the line of scrimmage coming into this season. Lockett is considered the top guy on an offensive line that will be really solid this season. When you combine what Lockett is able to do on both sides of the ball, it's hard not to be excited about his potential this season. Defensively, Lockett finished last year with nearly 50 tackles, a handful of sacks and also got his hands on the football and forced several turnovers. Lockett will go into this season as one of the top two-way players in Class A-2.     Woodland's skill players in 2025 mostly consisted of seniors that got a lot of the shine and spotlight. Because of that, the emergence of 2027 running back [player_tooltip player_id='1832568' first='Patrick' last='Freeman'] might have gone under the radar. This season, Freeman is expected to be a major part of what the Cougars do offensively and the production should explode. Last year, he finished with nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns on the ground while also producing as a receiver and on the defensive side of the ball. Freeman's touches are all but certainly going to go up in a major way this season. When we got a chance to see Freeman in person early last year, he produced when he touched the ball.     2028 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1702627' first='Peyton' last='Snow'] came into the 2025 season and stepped into a really tough position. He had to replace one of, if not the greatest quarterbacks in program history. But you could see throughout the season that Snow was getting more and more confident. And the thing that we really liked about his game was he took care of the football and there were rarely those careless mistakes that you see from a young quarterback. He finished with 12 passing touchdowns and five touchdowns on the ground. Similar to Freeman, we would be shocked if his production doesn't go up in a big way this fall. Snow will be asked to do more this fall and looks ready for the challenge.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   [player_tooltip player_id='1828310' first='Alex' last='Vance'] - 2028 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Bronxon Hazen - 2030 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Collin Brazee - 2028 Tight End/Defensive End Heath Williams - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back  Jason Yarber - 2030 Running Back/Linebacker Kuruk Williams - 2029 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1832569' first='Landon' last='Presson'] - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Matthew Bush - 2028 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Rylan Reyes - 2030 Athlete Wyatt West - 2030 Offensive/Defensive Lineman   2026 SCHEDULE   Sept. 4th - Morrison - The season opens up with a home game against Morrison in week one. These two teams have played every year since 2018. They were district opponents from 2018-2023 and began playing in non-district play when Class A was split into two divisions. Woodland has won four straight in the series, including last year's 14-12 win. Sept. 11th - AT Pawnee - The first road game of the season comes in week two when the Cougars go to Pawnee. Similar to the Morrison match-up, Pawnee used to be a district foe but when the Class A split happened, these two started playing in non-district play. Woodland had won four straight meetings before Pawnee beat the Cougars 34-20 last season.  Sept. 18th - Pawhuska - The Cougars wrap up non-district play with a home game against Pawhuska in week three. These two teams have been non-district opponents since 2022 and for the majority of the last ten years. The Huskies have a slight edge in the recent series, going 4-2 against Woodland since 2018. Woodland's two-game winning streak was snapped last year. Sept. 24th - Oklahoma Union - The district schedule opens up in week four with a Thursday night game against Oklahoma Union. And they are back on the schedule after not being district opponents in the last two seasons. These two met four straight years from 2020-2023 and Woodland was 4-0 in that stretch, including 45+ point wins in the last two meetings.  Oct. 2nd - AT Barnsdall - After two straight home games, Woodland goes on the road to face Barnsdall in week five. These two have been district opponents the last two seasons but before 2024, they hadn't played since 2019. The Cougars have dominated this series in the last two years. They won 62-15 in 2024 and followed that up with a 50-0 win last year. Oct. 9th - Hominy - Woodland hosts Hominy in week six in a match-up that we consider one of the best small school rivalries in the state. It has been a very back and forth series where games have gone down to the wire and is always very competitive year in and year out. Since they started playing every year in 2016, Hominy has a 6-4 advantage over the Cougars. Oct. 15th - AT Afton - Woodland goes back on the road on a Fall Break Thursday night in week seven to face Afton. These two became district opponents in 2024 and this series has not been a competitive one in the last two seasons. In that first meeting, Woodland won 68-0 in 2024. Last season, the Cougars rolled to a 70-22 victory.  Oct. 23rd - AT Quapaw - In week eight, Woodland heads to Quapaw for their second straight road game. Six of the seven district opponents are the same for Woodland heading into this season. The lone exception is Quapaw. These two teams have only met once in the past. Woodland beat Quapaw 52-18 in the first round of the 2021 playoffs.  Oct. 30th - Ketchum - Woodland returns home to host Ketchum in week nine and this will be one of the biggest games on their schedule this season. These two began playing district play in 2024. The Cougars have been dominant so far in this series. But the Warriors come into this season with high expectations with nearly everyone returning.  Nov. 6th - AT Fairland - For the third consecutive year, the regular season will come to an end with a game against Fairland in week ten. These two became district foes in 2024 and each team has had a blowout victory against the other. In 2024, the Cougars rolled to a 44-0 win but last year, Fairland was able to strike Woodland back with a 53-14 victory.    NOTABLE   The Woodland Cougars captured the 2024 Class A-2 state championship and have averaged ten wins per season in each of the last six years. They've done all of this despite being the smallest 11-man school in the state and it's not even close. When you look at the way the classes are set up, Woodland is one of several schools that continue to opt into being 11-man programs despite having the enrollment to be 8-man. But what is even more remarkable about Woodland's success in 11-man football is the fact that they are not only small enough to be an 8-man program, they have the enrollment to actually drop down two classes. Every school in Class B-1 is bigger than Woodland and if the Cougars were in the appropriate class, they would actually be in Class B-2. This is something that we continue to bring up because it deserves the recognition. Not only has Woodland become one of the marquee small school programs. They are a program that is determined to continue playing 11-man football in the future despite being outnumbered every single week.   LAST FIVE SEASONS   2025 - 6-5 - Lost In Class A-2 1st Round 2024 - 14-0 - Class A-2 State Champions 2023 - 12-2 - Lost In Class A Semifinals 2022 - 7-5 - Lost In Class A 2nd Round 2021 - 10-3 - Lost In Class A Quarterfinals   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   2 State Championships (6 State Championships Combining Fairfax & Woodland)   2024 - Beat Talihina 58-23 2010 - Beat Stratford 6-0 1986 - Beat Dibble 7-2 (As Fairfax) 1977 - Beat Okeene 13-7 (As Fairfax) 1976 - Beat Thomas 36-15 (As Fairfax) 1975 - Beat Ringling 20-14 (As Fairfax)

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