Clinton Red Tornadoes OK 2024 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 2024 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 Clinton Red Tornadoes!   Clinton Red Tornadoes   Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #10 In Class 4A Preseason Coaches Ranking: #7 In Class 4A   Head Coach: John Higbee - 7th Season - 48-20 Record At Clinton   2023 RESULTS (7-4 Record - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals)   Aug. 25th - Beat Kingfisher 20-0 Sept. 1st - Lost To Bishop McGuinness 28-0 Sept. 8th - Lost To Heritage Hall 50-43 Sept. 22nd - Beat John Marshall 58-18 Sept. 29th - Beat Elk City 21-7 Oct. 6th - Beat Weatherford 17-0 Oct. 20th - Beat Chickasha 48-7 Oct. 27th - Lost To Cache 7-0 Nov. 3rd - Beat Woodward 31-13 1st Round - Beat Bethany 28-25 Quarterfinals - Lost To Ada 21-9   2023 Offensive Scoring Average: 25 Points Per Game 2023 Defensive Scoring Average: 16 Points Per Game   The Clinton Red Tornadoes came into the 2023 season as a top ten team once again in Class 4A. After a 2022 season that featured both of their playoff games going to overtime, Clinton would look to get back to winning at a dominant level. Things looked good in the opener when they shut out Kingfisher. But they followed that up with two losses to perennial powers in Bishop McGuinness and Heritage Hall to wrap up non-district play. They began the district slate with a 4-0 record and that included some big wins over western Oklahoma rivals Elk City and Weatherford. But they tripped up in week nine, losing to Cache 7-0. They finished tied with Elk City atop the district standings but with their week five win, they captured another district championship. For the second straight year, Clinton would open up the playoffs at home against Bethany. And for the second straight year, it would come down to the wire. They went to overtime with the Bronchos in 2022. In 2023, Clinton would finish the job in regulation, winning 28-25. That set up a quarterfinal match-up with Ada. The Cougars would move on, winning 21-9 and Clinton's season came to an end in the quarterfinal round for the second straight year. And for the second straight year, Clinton finished the season at 7-4. Now, Clinton is ready to climb that 4A mountain once again but as we look ahead to the 2024 season, that mountain looks taller than ever.    2024 OUTLOOK   Simply put, Class 4A is absolutely stacked coming into this season. You have all your usual suspects like Clinton, Poteau, Tuttle and Wagoner. But then you have teams like Ada and Elgin that look very strong and of course Blanchard is holding the 4A crown. So to climb that 4A mountain, Clinton will have to put down some really good teams. The Red Tornadoes bring back about half of their starters from last season. On the offensive side of the ball, they bring back five from an offense that averaged 25 points per game. We really like the talent they bring back in the running game and anybody that follows high school football and knows Clinton football knows that when they are good, it's led by the running game. And that's what we have this year as their top two threats in the running game return. Defensively, they will be bringing back six starters and this was a defense that played really well in some of the bigger games of the season. They gave up just 16 points per game and having the majority of their starters back will certainly help. The district is a little different and it features the top-ranked team in Class 4A. But fortunately for Clinton, they won't see them until week nine. That allows Clinton to get warmed up and some of those new starters will have an opportunity to prove themselves prior to that week nine showdown. Nevertheless, this is a top ten team heading into the season and they expect to contend in 2024.    PLAYERS TO WATCH    We mentioned how we really liked Clinton's offense coming into this season because of the firepower they have in the running game. You start that conversation with senior [player_tooltip player_id='1088882' first='Kyn'Tavion' last='Hill'] who is absolutely electric with the football in his hands. He's a terrific part of what Clinton is able to do and he could end up being the home run hitter in this Clinton offense. Last season, Hill made big plays in their playoff win over Bethany. It seemed like every time Clinton scored, Hill was going 50+ yards for the score. We used the term “home run hitter” and that's what we're talking about. Not to mention, Hill can stand out in the return game as well as on defense.     If Hill is lightning in the backfield, that makes fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='901851' first='Zaedon' last='Collins'] the thunder. Collins is back for his senior season and he's a player that feels like has been a standout for Clinton for years now. Collins has been a standout on both sides of the ball, whether it's running back on offense or linebacker on defense, Collins can wear several different hats. Earlier this year, Collins was one of the top campers at our April camp and he was working on defense as a linebacker. For us, it doesn't matter where Collins is lined up on the field, he's going to make something happen. And when you're talking about the players to watch for this team, you have to start with Collins.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Aaron Ramirez - 2026 Tight End [player_tooltip player_id='1831508' first='Derren' last='Hester'] - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Joel Badillo - 2025 Offensive Lineman Malachi Lorne - 2025 Full Back/Defensive Lineman Marcus WIlson - 2025 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Marquis Martin - 2025 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Race Elliott - 2025 Defensive Lineman   2024 SCHEDULE/GAMES TO CIRCLE   Aug. 30th - AT John Marshall Sept. 13th - Kingfisher - After an early bye week, Clinton will open their home schedule this season in week two against Kingfisher. These two have opened the season against one another over the last two seasons. Clinton has gotten the best of Kingfisher in each but this year begins a new era of Kingfisher football. Former Weatherford head coach Reagan Roof has taken over the Kingfisher program and he's someone that's very familiar with Clinton after going back and forth with them in district play. Sept. 20th - Chandler Sept. 27th - AT Weatherford - In week four, district play opens up and games start counting towards playoff seeding. Clinton has a tough one to open the district slate as they hit the road to face a very experienced Weatherford team. The Red Tornadoes beat the Eagles last season but these two teams have been exchanging wins over the last several seasons. Clinton won in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Weatherford won in 2020, 2022 and hopes to win this season as well. The winner is in a good position moving forward. Oct. 4th - Bridge Creek Oct. 10th - AT Elk City Oct. 17th - Woodward Oct. 25th - Cache Nov. 1st - AT Elgin - You can certainly make the argument that the three toughest district games are away from the Tornado Bowl. And it's probably not an argument. In week nine, they hit the road again to face an Elgin team that is sitting on top of the Class 4A preseason rankings. The Owls weren't supposed to be in Class 4A this season until the emergency redistricting shuffle in April. But if Clinton finds themselves heading into this week with an unbeaten district record, this could be a head to head clash for the district title. Nov. 8th - AT Douglass   NOTABLE   Class 4A has some very successful coaches and Clinton's John Higbee definitely belongs on that list. When he took over the program in December of 2017, the Red Tornadoes had just missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly three decades. This was a program that was used to competing for state titles and they fell short of the playoffs altogether. In his first season in charge, Higbee took them to the 4A semifinals. They've been to the playoffs in every year of his tenure and that includes a state championship in 2021 and an appearance in the state championship game in 2020. In the last two seasons, the Red Tornadoes have made it to the quarterfinal round but have come up short on another semifinal appearance. This year, 4A feels deeper than it's been in the last several seasons. But Clinton is one of those teams that it would be foolish to write them off as a true contender. Higbee immediately turned Clinton around and has kept them as a winning program and that's what this community expects.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2023 - 7-4 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals 2022 - 7-4 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals 2021 - 13-1 - Class 4A State Champions 2020 - 8-4 - Class 4A Runner Ups 2019 - 6-5 - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   17 State Championships   2021 - Beat Tuttle 35-0 2012 – Beat Anadarko 21-14 2007 – Beat Kingfisher 21-16 2005 – Beat Wagoner 20-7 2004 – Beat Broken Bow 28-0 2003 – Beat Glenpool 28-7 2001 – Beat Sallisaw 41-23 2000 – Beat Sallisaw 41-6 1997 – Beat Elk City 31-13 1996 – Beat Weatherford 28-0 1984 – Beat Idabel 34-13 1982 – Beat Bristow 33-23 1978 – Beat Durant 12-0 1969 – Beat Muskogee Manual 55-6 1968 – Beat Wewoka 42-6 1967 – Beat Broken Bow 34-6 1965 – Beat Broken Bow 34-13

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!