Inola Longhorns OK 2026 Team Preview

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!   Throughout the month of July and now into August, we are publishing 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 Inola Longhorns!   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/cKOoYRLXqUA" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/cKOoYRLXqUA">- Inola Video Preview With HC Jim Bob Ashley</a>   Inola Longhorns    Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: UR In Class 3A   Head Coach: Jim Bob Ashley - 1st Season   2025 RESULTS (9-3 Record - Lost In Class 3A Quarterfinals)   Sept. 5th - Lost To Adair 34-27 Sept. 12th - Beat Sperry 39-19 Sept. 19th - Beat Catoosa 40-2 Sept. 26th - Lost To Cascia Hall 34-7 Oct. 3rd - Beat Berryhill 24-17 Oct. 10th - Beat Claremore Sequoyah 46-6 Oct. 16th - Beat Verdigris 34-14 Oct. 23rd - Beat Vinita 54-14 Oct. 31st - Beat Jay 30-7 Nov. 6th - Beat Cleveland 35-13 1st Round - Beat Checotah 38-20 Quarterfinals - Lost To Heritage Hall 49-17   2025 Offensive Scoring Average: 32.6 Points Per Game 2025 Defensive Scoring Average: 19.1 Points Per Game   The Inola Longhorns came into the 2025 season completely under the radar. At this time last year, nobody was talking about the Longhorns after going 3-7 in 2024 and winning a combined eight games in the previous four seasons. That's not the case this year and it's because of what the Longhorns did in 2025. It was an up and down September for Inola as they lost a tough one in the opener to eventual 2A-2 champion Adair. But they took care of business against Sperry and Catoosa before losing the district opener to Cascia Hall to wrap up September at 2-2. From there, the Longhorns didn't lose again in the regular season. They got our attention right away in week five with a 24-17 win over Berryhill. They beat the rest of their opponents by 20 points or more and finished the regular season at 8-2 and finished second in the district. They qualified for the playoffs for the first time in a while and the headline of the season was the Longhorns got their first playoff win since 1994 when they beat Checotah in the first round. They had to go to OKC to face Heritage Hall in the quarterfinals and the season came to an end there with a 9-3 record. Inola won eight games in the previous four seasons combined. They won nine games in 2025 alone. Now, they look to carry that momentum into the 2026 season in an absolutely loaded Class 3A.   2026 OUTLOOK   The 2025 Inola Longhorns came out of nowhere and shocked a lot of people. This year, the spotlight is going to be brighter than ever before as they go into the 2026 season. But this Inola group will look significantly different with only a handful of starters returning on both sides of the ball. The Longhorns are going to be headlined by their star running back that burst onto the scene last year as a freshman. But he's one of only two starters that return on the offensive side of the ball. So there are going to be a ton of new faces on offense. There's good and bad with that. Opposing defenses are going to gameplan to slow down Inola's dynamic running back. But with that, things will open up for some of those new faces to make plays on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, the Longhorns also bring back a limited amount of starters. Only three starters return on that side of the ball. Now, those returning starters were among the top producing defenders on the team a year ago. So that's certainly a good start. But the Longhorns are going to have to grow up fast because they are in one of the tougher districts in Class 3A. However, the schedule works out well for them where their three toughest district games are in the final three weeks of the season. That means this team can grow up in the first two months and if they stay healthy going into those final three weeks, they will have an opportunity to make another playoff push. It will still be the regular season but it will feel like the playoffs started early.   KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Brock Landsaw - Defensive Lineman Caleb Helling - Wide Receiver/Defensive End Tyler Yoder - Offensive Lineman   PLAYERS TO WATCH    2027 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='2265059' first='Dior' last='Seji'] returns as a tackling machine from last year's defense. We mentioned earlier in the preview that Inola returns arguably their best defenders and Seji is certainly one of them from the middle linebacker position. Seji finished last year with just over 70 tackles and also had eight sacks on the season. But the thing that made Seji so important to Inola last year was his ability to separate the ball from the ball carrier. Seji forced four fumbles on the season and also recovered two of them. He's a heat-seeking missile coming in from the linebacker position.     2029 running back [player_tooltip player_id='1834732' first='Jayce' last='Kent'] was a big reason the Longhorns came from out of nowhere to be a 3A quarterfinalist. Kent was one of the top freshmen in Oklahoma last season. He finished the year with just shy of 1,000 yards on the ground and he also had nearly 250 yards receiving. Overall, he had 18 touchdowns and also had over 40 tackles and three interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. In our opinion, Kent was one of the better playmakers in Class 3A last season. At this time last year, we didn't know anything about him. That won't be the case moving forward.    (2025 All State Honorable Mention)     2027 tight end and defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1836696' first='Owen' last='Ellis'] has the potential to be the best two-way player on the team for the Longhorns this fall. First of all, he brings that senior leadership on a team full of new starters. Offensively, Ellis was productive last season in the Inola passing attack. He caught 24 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown. It wouldn't be surprising to see all of those numbers go up this season. Defensively, he was an absolute monster for the Longhorns. Finishing with over 50 tackles and ten sacks. He's being recruited by local D2 schools to play defense at the next level.     2028 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1828141' first='Yeshua' last='Rachele'] returns for the Longhorns after getting thrown into the fire during his sophomore season. Rachele was Inola's starting quarterback on the JV team until a knee injury sidelined Inola's varsity starter. Rachele came into the lineup at the end of the 2025 season. So when the pressure was at its highest, Rachele was under center and he performed well given the circumstances. So now that he's the full time starter heading into this season, that should help the Longhorns knowing their quarterback has some experience when the lights are brightest.     Inola has to replace a lot of pieces along the line of scrimmage. But the thing we like about this group is they have seniors that have been patiently waiting their turn to step into those roles. 2027 offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='2265062' first='Zane' last='Gregory'] is one of those players to keep an eye on this season at the left tackle position. Gregory is also one of those senior leaders that will be chomping at the bit to get onto the field this season. He has a very important role as this Inola offensive line comes together to help pave the way for some talented skill players in the Longhorn backfield.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Cooper Thompson - 2030 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Gavin Campbell - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1830399' first='Jarrett' last='Diacon'] - 2027 Offensive Lineman Lane Padgett - 2028 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back   2026 SCHEDULE   Aug. 28th - Claremore Sequoyah - The season opens up at home in week zero against Claremore Sequoyah. This game goes from being a district game the last two seasons to kicking off the year in 2026. These two teams have played every year for decades, whether as district or non-district opponents. Last year's 46-6 win over the Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak. Sept. 4th - AT Adair - The first road game for Inola comes in week one when they head up to Adair to face the defending 2A-2 state champs. These two have played in each of the last two years and the Warriors won both meetings. But last year's game was much closer than the 2024 meeting. Adair is once again a top contender in their class this fall. Sept. 18th - AT Catoosa - After a week off in week two, the Longhorns go back on the road to face rival Catoosa in week three. These two have started a rivalry known as the “Battle Of The Ports” and it started in 2024. Inola lost the first match-up by a field goal but came back and dominated last year, beating the Indians 40-2 in their 2025 meeting.  Sept. 25th - Bristow - The district slate opens up with a home game against Bristow in week four. These two teams were district opponents in 2022 and 2023 but haven't played in the last two seasons. When they were in the same district, Bristow dominated the series. Winning both match-ups by 25 points or more. This kicks off a very tough district schedule for Inola. Oct. 2nd - AT Locust Grove - The Longhorns go back on the road to face Locust Grove in week five. The Pirates are another new district opponent for the Longhorns. These two haven't played since 2019. They were district opponents for the majority of the 2010's but haven't played since 2019. Inola has won two straight in the series and three of the last four meetings. Oct. 9th - Stigler - For the third straight week, Inola plays a new district opponent when they host Stigler in week six. These two teams haven't faced off in over two decades. 2002 and 2003 were the last (and only) meetings between these two teams. Stigler won the 2002 meeting while the Longhorns bounced back with a win in their last meeting in 2003. Oct. 15th - AT Muldrow - On a Fall Break Thursday night in week seven, the Longhorns will go on the road to face Muldrow. Not only is Muldrow a new district opponent for Inola but they are a new opponent altogether. Based on everything we've looked up, these two teams have never met on the gridiron. So this year's meeting will be the first one. Oct. 23rd - Heritage Hall - Week eight kicks off the make or break stretch of Inola's schedule. They host Heritage Hall and the Longhorns are very familiar with the Chargers, although this year will be the first time they've ever met in the regular season. Inola went to OKC and had their 2025 season come to an end with a 49-17 loss to the Chargers in the quarterfinals.  Oct. 30th - AT Verdigris - In week nine, Inola makes the short trip over to Verdigris to play the Cardinals in another pivotal district contest. Verdigris is the only district opponent that returns on the schedule this season. These two teams have played every year since 2014 and it's been a back and forth series. Inola has won the last two meetings and they are 5-7 since 2014. Nov. 6th - Perkins-Tryon - The regular season comes to an end in week ten with a home game against Perkins-Tryon but it will feel like the playoffs have already started considering the heavy hitters Inola is playing in the final three weeks. The Demons are another new district foe and it's been over 15 years since these two have met on the football field.    NOTABLE   Inola had to hire a new head football coach this offseason after Brett Thomas stepped down as head coach but remained with the school as athletic director. The Longhorns would officially promote offensive coordinator Jim Bob Ashley as their next head football coach. He was the offensive coordinator for the Longhorns the last two seasons and has been on staff for the last four years. For Ashley, this will be his first year as a head coach. He inherits a program that has a ton of momentum right now. In 2024, Inola won the T-Mobile national campaign that awarded them $2,000,000 in upgrades to their field and stadium. In 2025, they had their best season in the last three decades. Now, as the new season is less than a month away, it's going to be fun to see how the Longhorns continue to climb the mountain in Class 3A football.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2025 - 9-3 - Lost In Class 3A Quarterfinals 2024 - 3-7 - Missed Playoffs 2023 - 2-7 - Missed Playoffs 2022 - 0-10 - Missed Playoffs 2021 - 3-7 - Missed Playoffs   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   0 State Championships

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