Chickasha Team Preview

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> 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"><strong>RIGHT HERE</strong></a>. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Overview </strong></span>After rebounding in 2019 following a few losing seasons, the <strong>Chickasha Fightin’ Chicks</strong> took a bit of a step back in 2020. They started off with a win over rival Altus whom they had not defeated in four seasons. In fact, the victory was the largest one in series history with a final score of 47-14. You can’t win them all if you don’t win the first one but unfortunately for the Chicks, that saying did them no good in 2020. After their win over Altus, Chickasha went on to lose 6 straight games. Most of their losses were by double digits but they had a few close ones against some of the better teams on their schedule such as Marlow and Newcastle. They took Newcastle into the 4th quarter and wound up only losing by a touchdown. That effort perhaps showed Chickasha that they had what it takes to compete when they stay together because they turned around the next week and <span style="font-size: 1rem;">dropped a season-high 59 points on Elgin</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;"> to end the regular season with a blowout victory. Due to playoff expansion in 2020, Chickasha got a spot in the 4A bracket but they were unable to move past Tuttle in the first round. Coming into 2021, Chickasha returns 5 offensive starters which includes an experienced and athletic offensive line, as well as one of the top running backs in Class 4A. On defense, the Chicks return 6 starters including a few of the offensive linemen who double down on defense as well as a few defensive backs who the coaches have high hopes for this season. Perhaps a return to normalcy in 2021 will allow Chickasha to get back on the track they were on after the 2019 season when they finished 6-5.</span> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2020 Results (2-7 Record – Lost In 4A 1st Round)</strong></span> <strong>Aug. 28 – Beat Altus 47-14 </strong> <strong>Sept. 4 – Lost to Marlow 24-21 </strong> <strong>Sept. 18 – Lost to Anadarko 36-19</strong> <strong>Sept. 25 – Game VS Weatherford Canceled</strong> <strong>Oct. 2 – Game Vs Clinton Canceled</strong> <strong>Oct. 10 – Lost to Elk City 41-28</strong> <strong>Oct. 15 – Lost to Cache 31-0</strong> <strong>Oct. 23 – Lost to Bethany 40-12</strong> <strong>Oct. 30 – Lost to Newcastle 27-20</strong> <strong>Nov. 6 – Beat Elgin 59-14</strong> <strong>1st Round – Lost to Tuttle 42-14</strong> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="57161" first="Malek" last="Murphy"] - 2023 Running Back</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="57161" first="Malek" last="Murphy"] is the highest-rated prospect on this Chickasha team and we are really excited to see him take the next step as a running back in 2021. Murphy ran for nearly 600 yards and recorded 5 touchdowns on the ground last season, and his coaching staff believes he is due for a breakout season as a Junior. Murphy is a powerful runner who has no issues running through arm tackles and has shown some impressive burst and straight-line speed at the point of attack. We also got to see Murphy in person at the Prep RedZone Showcase in early June and he looks like he has grown a little and has bulked up since the end of 2020, so big things may be on the horizon for him. <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Noah Flores – 2022 Wide Receiver/ Defensive Back </strong></span>Though he is a bit undersized at 5’9" 160, don’t let his measurables fool you. Noah Flores is a vital piece to Chickasha’s defense. Flores is one of 6 returning starters on that side of the ball where he recorded 29 tackles and a handful of pass breakups in 2020. Noah has good vision out wide at Corner and was at his best in 2020 in off-man or zone coverage where he showed a nice ability to locate and close in on the ball to make a play before the receiver could. He will certainly be mismatched with a lot of receivers in their district this year, but Flores has plenty of athleticism and instincts to win a fair share of battles in one on one scenarios in 2021. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>More Names</strong></span> <strong>Ronald Givens</strong> <strong>– 2022 Wide Receiver/ Defensive Back </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160853" first="Aidan" last="Gonzalez"]<strong> - 2022 Offensive/ Defensive Lineman</strong> <strong>Xavier Copeland-McFadden</strong> <strong>– 2022 Wide Receiver/ Defensive Back</strong> <strong>Christian Larsen – 2023 Offensive/ Defensive Lineman</strong> <strong>Ty Rayburn – 2023 Offensive/ Defensive Lineman</strong> <strong>Cade Rayburn – 2024 Quarterback</strong> <hr /> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Notable</span> </strong> The 2021 Chickasha Fightin’ Chicks have not had a wealth of success lately but they still have a chance this season to accomplish something for their program that has not been done in nearly two decades. 2019’s playoff appearance was their first since 2013, and although they got in thanks to expansion rules in 2020, it was the first time that they had reached the playoffs in consecutive years since 2002. If Chickasha goes on a run and makes the playoffs for a 3rd straight year in 2020, it would be the first time they’ve done so since 2002 and would be only the 5th time in school history that such a feat was accomplished. The Chicks were once a perennial playoff contender in Oklahoma with multiple semi-final appearances and a pair of runner-up finishes from 1997-2002 but they have not won a playoff game since that 2002 season where they fell to Guthrie by 3 points in the 5A semi-finals. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2021 Schedule/Games To Watch</strong></span> Aug. 27 – Altus Sept. 10 – AT Marlow Sept. 17 – AT Anadarko <strong>Sept. 24 – AT Weatherford </strong><strong>- </strong>This game was canceled last year but perhaps that was for the better as 2020 was not Chickasha’s year. Weatherford still remains a top 10 team in the class for us heading into the year, but they will have to replace a lot of key starters from 2020 such as OU signee [player_tooltip player_id="38500" first="Ethan" last="Downs"]. This game also marks the start of a 6-week stretch where Chickasha will face 4 top 10 teams in a span of six weeks if our rankings hold. Their matchup the following week with Clinton might be a little tougher than this one. So a win here would give them a little breathing room before heading into their gauntlet of a district. Oct. 1 – Clinton Oct. 8 – AT Elk City Oct. 14 – Cache Oct. 22 – Bethany <strong>Oct. 29 – AT Newcastle </strong>- Weatherford marks the beginning of the gauntlet and this game will mark the end of it. Chickasha struggled through the heart of their schedule in 2020 but this game was the closest they got to turning the corner last season other than their blowout win over Elgin. They kept it within one score last year, so they’ll be looking to finish the job this year. It is a big if after going 2-7 just a year ago, but a win here would potentially solidify a playoff spot for Chickasha if they can take care of the lower teams in their district and get maybe one or two wins between the quartet of Weatherford, Clinton, Bethany, and Newcastle. Nov. 5 – Elgin <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Championship History</strong></span> <em><strong> 0 State Championships</strong></em>