Verdigris Team Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day as we release more individual team previews as we get closer to the start of the 2021 football season. In case you missed it, you can check out our Preseason Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/2021-preseason-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RIGHT HERE</a>. Overview (Class 3A Preseason Ranking: #2) Get used to seeing the Verdigris Cardinals at or near the top of the 3A rankings this year and even into 2022 as well. The Cardinals have a very special 2023 class, full of talented players on both sides of the ball. They got off to a great start as freshmen, making a run all the way to the 3A semifinals. Last year, the Cardinals kept their high expectations and had another solid year but fell short in the 3A quarterfinals to perennial powerhouse Heritage Hall. The Cardinals just lost one game during the regular season but that ended up putting them in second place in the district. The first goal in 2021 is to capture the district championship. To do that, they will more than likely have to take out the defending state champions from Holland Hall. A total of 13 starters return for the Cardinals with seven on offense and six on defense. The Cardinals will have to replace one of the better defensive ends in the state with [player_tooltip player_id="38651" first="Evan" last="Raines"] graduating in the 2021 class. However, with six starters returning on that side, including sack master [player_tooltip player_id="38813" first="Reese" last="Roller"] at linebacker, the Cardinals should have one of the better defensive units in the state. And the offense should be one of the more balanced units in 3A football. Check out the firepower they have returning in our "Players To Watch" feature below. If everyone remains healthy and on the field, which wasn’t always the case in 2020, the Cardinals might feature one of the highest scoring offenses in 3A football. They were one of the higher scoring offenses in the class last fall and should be able to take it to another level this season. However, with a group as special as this, the Cardinals have just one thing in mind and it’s not to lead the state in scoring, it’s to contend for and capture a state championship for the first time in school history. <hr /> 2020 Results (9-2 Record - Lost In 3A Quarterfinals) Sept. 4 - Beat Sperry 45-6 Sept. 12 - Beat Miami 49-10 Sept. 18 - Beat Victory Christian 55-14 Sept. 25 - Game VS Jay Cancelled Oct. 2 - Beat Berryhill 31-14 Oct. 9 - Beat Inola 38-10 Oct. 15 - Beat Central 56-34 Oct. 23 - Beat Mannford 56-0 Oct. 30 - Lost To Holland Hall 52-7 Nov. 6 - Beat Vinita 35-18 1st Round - Bye Week 2nd Round - Beat Berryhill 27-21 Quarterfinals - Lost To Heritage Hall 21-7 <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="132296" first="Dalton" last="Person"] - 2023 Wide Receiver I’ve gone on the record that Verdigris wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="132296" first="Dalton" last="Person"] is one of the most underrated receivers in the state. 2021 could be a huge year for Person, who’s recruitment might not ever take off the way it should because of questions about his height. Look, we see it every year where a player is one of the best at his position but questions about his size limit his opportunities. That doesn’t make it right but that’s recruiting in 2021. But I’ll say this about Person. We saw plenty of wide receivers this offseason at 7v7 tournaments and camps and very few receivers did a better job than Person. Expect a big and productive fall from him. [player_tooltip player_id="155876" first="Louie" last="Carlson"] - 2023 Athlete As if Verdigris needed any other talent in the 2023 class, now they add a very versatile athlete from Utah. [player_tooltip player_id="155876" first="Louie" last="Carlson"] is new to Oklahoma after playing high school ball in Utah last year. We don’t know very much about Carlson other than he’s yet another weapon for the Cardinals in the 2023 class. Carlson came to our Showcase Camp in early June and put up some big time numbers in the testing portion and also impressed our position coaches when he was taking reps at running back. If he takes that momentum to the field on Friday’s this fall, he will be giving the Cardinals another weapon to put up some big numbers and also give them a great balance on offense. [player_tooltip player_id="38813" first="Reese" last="Roller"] - 2023 Linebacker We go from a few players that CAN be breakout stars this fall to a linebacker who WAS a breakout star. Very few players had the season that [player_tooltip player_id="38813" first="Reese" last="Roller"] had for the Cardinals on the defensive side of the ball. Roller was near the top of the state in sacks as just a sophomore and according to his coaches, he’s gotten even better this offseason and we can expect more from him in 2021. Roller got on our radar in October of 2020 when he had back to back weeks of five sacks in each game. Two games, ten sacks. Not bad for a sophomore backer to burst on the scene. We’re looking forward to seeing what he does for an encore this fall. More Names Caden Parnell - 2023 Linebacker Dylan White - 2023 Quarterback Jimmy Weilert - 2022 Athlete Tyler Mitchell - 2023 Wide Receiver <hr /> Notable Verdigris is coming into the 2021 season with expectations of contending for a state championship. It’s well documented that the Cardinals have an incredibly young group of very talented players. It goes without saying that Verdigris is going to be a contender this year and next year in Class 3A. However, they’ll be experiencing something new if they truly contend for and make it to the championship. The Cardinals have made it to the semifinals only once in school history. That appearance came just two years ago in 2019. Verdigris fell short in their only semifinal appearance. However, the fact that it was just two years ago, when this special 2023 group were just freshmen should pay off. The Cardinals have the talent to be championship contenders this fall and then again next fall. But they will be entering unchartered waters for them if they make it all the way. <hr /> 2021 Schedule/Games To Watch Sept. 3 - AT Sperry Sept. 10 - Miami Sept. 17 - AT Victory Christian Sept. 24 - Jay Oct. 1 - AT Berryhill - When it comes to the 2021 schedule, all eyes are on the October 29th showdown with #1 Holland Hall and #2 Verdigris. If both teams win out, they’ll still be 1 and 2 and the district championship will more than likely be on the line. However, that’s the last Friday in October and if the Cardinals aren’t careful, they could trip up on the first Friday in October. In week five, they travel to face a Berryhill team that is ready to get back to normal in 2021. The 2020 season was anything but normal for the Chiefs and they’re ready to get back to not only playing consistent football but being one of the top teams in Class 3A. Oct. 8 - Inola Oct. 14 - Central Oct. 22 - AT Mannford Oct. 29 - Holland Hall - It goes without saying that Verdigris has had this date circled on their calendar for a while now. The Cardinals came to Tulsa for a showdown with Holland Hall in 2020 and they got absolutely smoked by the eventual state champion Dutch. The Cardinals were shorthanded as their quarterback was missing from the game. However, as we saw, nobody was touching Holland Hall last year and despite missing their QB, it appears that losing was inevitable. The Cardinals will certainly have revenge on their mind when they welcome in the defending champs in what will be one of the biggest games in 3A football this year. Nov. 5 - AT Vinita <hr /> Championship History 0 State Championships