Blanchard Lions OK 2025 Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 2025 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 reigning Class 4A state champion Blanchard Lions.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Blanchard Lions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #6 In Class 4A</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach: Lance Manning - 1st Season&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2024 RESULTS (9-2 Record - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 6th - Beat Noble 49-0<br>Sept. 13th - Beat Newcastle 14-10<br>Sept. 20th - Beat Guthrie 33-24<br>Sept. 27th - Beat Harrah 21-7<br>Oct. 4th - Beat Bethany 48-44<br>Oct. 10th - Beat Tecumseh 34-7<br>Oct. 17th - Beat Ardmore 56-20<br>Oct. 25th - Lost To Tuttle 28-7<br>Nov. 1st - Beat Madill 49-0<br>Nov. 7th - Beat Chickasha 46-12<br>1st Round - Lost To Clinton 21-20</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>2024 Offensive Scoring Average: 34.3 Points Per Game<br>2024 Defensive Scoring Average: 15.7 Points Per Game</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blanchard came into the 2024 football season looking to defend their state championship. It was pretty obvious from the start of the year that Class 4A was going to be incredibly top-heavy, with the contenders emerging early on. But still, the road to the 4A title still went through Blanchard and the Lions played accordingly. They opened up the season with a non-district schedule that featured three 5A programs. They went 3-0, beating Noble, Newcastle and Guthrie. Newcastle would make the 5A semifinals and Guthrie was the 5A Runner Up. The Lions opened district play and started rolling from there. They had a close game with Bethany in week five but they started 7-0 and all eyes were on the week eight showdown with Tuttle. The Tigers got the best of the Lions, winning 28-7. The Lions closed out the regular season with two straight wins to go into the playoffs with a 9-1 record. They squared off with Clinton in the first round of the playoffs and this game went down to the wire. Trailing 21-14 with under a minute to play, Blanchard scored to make it 21-20. They opted to go for two but came up short. They had another opportunity after recovering the onside kick but simply ran out of time. The champs were knocked out in the first round and the season ended at 9-2. While the way the season ended was pretty surprising, it wasn't as surprising as what happened following the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2025 OUTLOOK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A new era of Blanchard football begins in 2025. Longtime head coach Jeff Craig stepped down this offseason to accept the head coaching position at McAlester. The Lions hired Lance Manning in February and he takes over a Blanchard program that has been among the best in Class 4A and they don't plan on slowing down anytime soon. They come into this season as a top ten team once again and will be looking to climb to the top of the 4A mountain for the second time in three years. Seven starters are back on the offensive side of the ball. The strength will come from the line of scrimmage as the Lions are incredibly experienced on the offensive line. QB1 wasn't the main starter last season but he did get plenty of playing time and a handful of starts while filling in for the original starter. The Lions will need new names to step up at the skill positions as they lost two electric playmakers to graduation. Defensively, the Lions will bring back five starters and that might be the area that's more of a work in progress throughout the season. They'll need those new faces on defense to grow up pretty quickly because they'll be thrown into the fire early on. The Lions once again face three 5A programs before going into district play. That baptism by fire should toughen up those new starters for district play. On paper, it looks like this district will once again come down to that week eight showdown with Tuttle. Either way, Blanchard will be ready for that fight and expect to compete for the 4A title this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brayson Carter - Athlete - All State 2nd Team Selection<br>Coric Pierce - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back - All State 3rd Team Selection<br>Gage Ellison - Linebacker</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1683955"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68767c5eb7b75"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Blanchard has had a decent run recently of putting out big linemen that simply move their opponent in the blink of an eye. Senior offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1683955' first='Brayden' last='Heffernan'] is the next guy that we'll have our eyes on this season. Heffernan really impressed us back in the spring at the same team camp that we watched Young at. Heffernan reminded us of former Blanchard OL Ross Johnston from their state championship season in 2023. And like we mentioned earlier in the preview, we think that the Lion offensive line will be able to set the tone for this Blanchard offense. And Heffernan is a guy that could be setting the tone for them on the line of scrimmage.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1232542"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68767c5eb7a0b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sophomore lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1232542' first='Christian' last='Young'] is going to be one of those young defensive players to keep an eye on this season. Young is a 2028 prospect that we've known about for a while now but this spring was our first chance to really watch him go to work in person and with the pads on. Young was really impressive at one of the team camps in May and there were definitely signs there that pointed to him being a breakout player for the Lions this season. Granted, he has to now go out and prove it Friday night but we think he will. It might take a few weeks because of how tough the non-district slate is. But we think Young and the rest of the defense will step up in a big way.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1304611"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68767c5eb7aa0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">We mentioned earlier in the preview that Blanchard was going to need some new players to step up in the skill departments as they lost two electric playmakers at wide receiver. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1304611' first='Cole' last='Watkins'] is a prospect that we think could be primed for a monster season in 2025. When you're watching Blanchard in person, it doesn't take long to figure out which one is Watkins. He has good size and reliable hands so it wouldn't be surprising if he ends up as Blanchard's top target in the passing game. Watkins can move around to go with that length and that makes him a fun player to watch on the defensive side of the ball as well. All in all, we think that Watkins will be one of the breakout players this fall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1307135"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68767c5eb7b0c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1307135' first='Noah' last='Smith'] steps into his first full season as QB1 of the Blanchard offense. Last season, Smith would fill in for their original starter at various times throughout the year. He definitely passed the eye test when we watched him in person earlier this year. Smith will now take the keys to this Blanchard offense and looks to have a breakout season. Last year, Smith would throw for just shy of 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns. His best game came against 5A runner up Guthrie in week three. If that's a sign of what's to come, Blanchard's offense should be in good shape this season. They averaged just shy of 35 points per game last season and could be around that mark if not higher in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>MORE NAMES TO KNOW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Braxton Rinken - 2026 Offensive Lineman/Linebacker<br>Gavin Rich - 2026 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Jaxon Oliver - 2026 Defensive Back<br>Reston Vickery - 2026 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2025 SCHEDULE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sept. 5th - Noble</strong><br>- For the sixth consecutive year, Blanchard will open up the regular season against Noble. This is a series that began in 2020 and Noble won the first three meetings. But it's been all Blanchard ever since. They won 49-0 last season and they also won 61-18 in 2023. The Lance Manning era officially begins here.&nbsp;<br><strong>Sept. 12th - AT Newcastle</strong><br>- It doesn't matter if they are in the same district or the same class, Blanchard and Newcastle will play on a regular basis. It's been a solid series for the Lions. They beat Newcastle 14-10 last season and that was their fourth straight win in the series and their eighth win in the last nine meetings.<br><strong>Sept. 19th - AT Guthrie</strong><br>- Blanchard wraps up their non-district gauntlet against 5A programs with a road game to face last year's 5A Runner Ups. The Lions travel to Guthrie to face the Blue Jays. They won this meeting 33-24 last season. Both teams expect to contend for the state championship this fall.&nbsp;<br><strong>Sept. 26th - Harrah</strong><br>- After three straight match-ups against 5A programs, Blanchard will open up district play against Harrah, at home, in week four. The Lions beat the Panthers 21-7 last season and this has been a one-sided series over the last decade. They've met eight times and Blanchard has won all eight.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 3rd - AT Bethany</strong><br>- Blanchard goes on the road to square off with Bethany in week five and it's a rematch of last season's highest scoring match-up. The Lions would outlast Bethany, winning 48-44 last season. It was Blanchard's second consecutive win and the third in the last four seasons.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 10th - Tecumseh</strong><br>- The second half of the regular season begins with a home game against Tecumseh. These two teams have been district opponents since 2016 and it's a series that heavily favors Blanchard. The Lions beat Tecumseh 34-7 last season and they've won nine of the last ten.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 16th - AT Ardmore</strong><br>- On a Fall Break Thursday night, Blanchard hits the road to square off with Ardmore. Last season was the first meeting between these two in recent memory as Ardmore was one of a handful of new district opponents. Ardmore comes into this season as a preseason top ten team.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 24th - Tuttle</strong><br>- All eyes will be on this week eight clash as Blanchard hosts Tuttle and the district title could certainly be on the line. Tuttle prevailed 28-7 last year but Blanchard had won the previous two. This match-up has become one of our favorite 4A rivalries. It's been incredibly competitive and should be again this fall.&nbsp;<br><strong>Oct. 31st - Madill</strong><br>- On a Halloween Friday night, Blanchard hosts Madill for their final home game of the regular season. Their 49-0 win tied the Noble win in week one for their largest margin of victory in 2024. Last season's meeting was the first between these two since they were district opponents in 2018 and 2019<br><strong>Nov. 7th - AT Chickasha</strong><br>- The regular season will come to an end in week ten with a road game against Chickasha. The Lions closed out their 2024 regular season with a 46-12 victory over Chickasha last year. And despite only being about 20 miles away from each other, last year was their first meeting in recent memory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>NOTABLE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Jeff Craig moved on after nearly two decades as Blanchard's head coach, nearly 200 victories and a pair of state championships, all eyes were on the Lions and how they would replace their longtime head coach. There was no doubt that this offseason was one of the craziest in state history when it came to coaching changes. All over the state, marquee programs were introducing new head coaches. In February, Blanchard made it official that Lance Manning was the next guy to lead the Lions. Manning had a lot of success at the state's highest level but he also hasn't coached in a decade. Manning was most recently at Edmond Santa Fe with stops at Norman North and Deer Creek before that. He was 31-14 in four seasons at Santa Fe but stepped down following the 2014 season and has been working in the financial business ever since. But Manning didn't retire and he felt like this job and this opportunity was the right time for him to step back into the coaching business. He's taking over a program that has high expectations and has become one of the more consistent 4A programs in the state. He's not your typical first year head coach but Blanchard wasn't a typical job opening.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>LAST FIVE SEASONS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 - 9-2 - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round<br>2023 - 13-1 - Class 4A State Champions&nbsp;<br>2022 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals<br>2021 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 4A Quarterfinals<br>2020 - 10-3 - Lost In Class 4A Semifinals</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>3 State Championships</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 - Beat Wagoner 19-14<br>2012 - Beat Kingfisher 28-21<br>1979 - Beat Hartshorne 37-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->