Verdigris 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, we are publishing 100 team previews to get you ready for the 2022 season. This is something that began last year and has become even bigger and better this year. We’re looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state. From defending champs, to top contenders and dark horses, we’ll have complete coverage every single day with new teams from Class 6A down to A. In this post, we take a look at the Verdigris Cardinals. Verdigris has been building to this and appears ready to take the final step with a state championship. Verdigris Cardinals (3A Preseason Ranking: #2) The Verdigris Cardinals have been knocking on the door of Class 3A supremacy for the last few seasons. They’re ready to kick the door in this fall. Verdigris comes into a year once again with just about everyone back and high expectations as they come in as the #2 team in our 3A preseason rankings. Last year, the Cardinals were knocking on that door once again when they made it to the 3A semifinal round but would fall to district foe Holland Hall, who would go on to win a second straight state championship. The Cardinals lost after beating the Dutch late in the regular season. Fast forward to today and the Cardinals haven’t forgot how last season ended. And with so much experience returning on both sides of the ball, it’s easy to see why the expectations are what they are. On offense, the Cardinals will return nine starters and on defense they bring back another nine from last year’s semifinal team. And here’s the thing about those returning starters. Not only did they start last year, but some of these players have been starting since they were freshmen. It would be interesting to go down the roster and point out how many three and four year starters the Cardinals will have taking the field this fall. They might have the most experienced team in Oklahoma. They’re at least in the conversation and one team you have to mention immediately. Verdigris is ready but the hurdles still remain the same. The private schools have dominated Class 3A over the last several years and they could dominate again this year with four of the top five teams being private schools. The only exception? Verdigris. <hr /> 2021 Results (11-2 Record - Lost In Class 3A Semifinals) Sept. 3 - Beat Sperry 28-0 Sept. 10 - Beat Miami 56-0 Sept. 17 - Beat Victory Christian 24-21 Sept. 24 - Beat Jay 40-12 Oct. 1 - Lost To Berryhill 28-10 Oct. 8 - Beat Inola 46-6 Oct. 14 - Beat Central 48-6 Oct. 22 - Beat Mannford 49-6 Oct. 29 - Beat Holland Hall 12-7 Nov. 5 - Beat Vinita 43-12 1st Round - Beat Seminole 41-33 Quarterfinal - Beat Plainview 37-20 Semifinal - Lost To Holland Hall 35-6 <hr /> Key Losses To Graduation Evan Anderson Isiak Layton Jimmy Weilert <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="378271" first="Caden" last="Parnell"] - 2023 Running Back/Linebacker Each year when we go over stats going into a season, there’s a few players where we have to do a double take when we see the production. And this year, one of those players was Verdigris 2023 standout [player_tooltip player_id="378271" first="Caden" last="Parnell"]. Last year, Parnell was incredibly productive on both sides of the ball. He finished with over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground and added over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns receiving. Then Parnell finished with 64 tackles and 7 sacks on defense. He was incredibly versatile last year. [player_tooltip player_id="132296" first="Dalton" last="Person"] - 2023 Wide Receiver We’ve written about Verdigris 2023 wide receiver quite a lot over the last six months and it’s pretty simple on why. He has the best hands in Oklahoma. He catches everything that is thrown his way and it doesn’t matter how you defend him or who you defend him with. Person was Verdigris’ leading receiver a year ago and we are expecting for a much bigger year in terms of production from him. He’s also going to give the Cardinals versatility as an overall playmaker within the Verdigris offense. [player_tooltip player_id="231978" first="Dylan" last="White"] - 2023 Quarterback We mentioned all of that experience that the Cardinals bring back and it can start right here with Verdigris’ 2023 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="231978" first="Dylan" last="White"]. The QB1 for the Cardinals has been in that spot since he was a freshman and is going into his fourth season as their starter. Last season, he threw for nearly 2,500 yards and 19 touchdowns and also added over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. And as you can see on this part of the preview, White is going to have plenty of weapons around him this fall. [player_tooltip player_id="38813" first="Reese" last="Roller"] - 2023 Linebacker Similar to [player_tooltip player_id="132296" first="Dalton" last="Person"], we’ve written about 2023 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="38813" first="Reese" last="Roller"] quite a bit and how we don’t really care about the questions with his size when it comes to the next level. Look at the production. As a sophomore, Roller had a breakout year with over 20 sacks, including a two-week stretch where he had 10 sacks in 2 games. Then last season, with everyone ready for him, he still had over 100 tackles and 15 sacks. Roller is one of the most productive linebackers in the state over the last two years. [player_tooltip player_id="299729" first="Tyler" last="Mitchell"] - 2023 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back We mentioned Person at the wide receiver position and he won’t be alone in terms of making plays. Fellow 2023 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="299729" first="Tyler" last="Mitchell"] is a prospect that we really like moving forward after getting to check him out in person this spring. Mitchell has gotten bigger and just looks much stronger than the last time we saw him. He’s definitely making himself one of the better wide receiver prospects to look out for in the 2023 class. He’ll also be splitting his time on the field by playing safety on defense. More Names To Know Drache Marveggio - 2023 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="222808" first="Mason" last="Mittasch"] - 2023 Running Back Mason Young - 2023 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Tripp Fuller - 2023 Linebacker Yale Gray - 2023 Offensive/Defensive Lineman <hr /> 2022 Schedule/Games To Circle Sept. 2 - AT Sperry Sept. 9 - Catoosa Sept. 16 - AT Beggs - The final non-district game takes place in week three for the Cardinals as they’ll hit the road and face off with 2A’s #2 Beggs. if the rankings hold between now and then, this match-up will feature the #2 teams in 2A as well as 3A. Both teams have state championship expectations and both teams bring back just about everyone from last year. The Cardinals will certainly be challenged by Beggs as this is a team that can compete with just about anyone in the lower classes. The running game in particular will be something that the Cardinals will have to contend with as it’s one of the absolute best in the state. Sept. 23 - Central Sept. 30 - AT Holland Hall - Verdigris got their first taste of success last year when reigning champion Holland Hall came to their place in late October and the Cardinals handed them a loss. However, The Dutch would get the last laugh in November during a semifinal meeting when they beat the Cardinals in a game that simply was not competitive. Verdigris will have had this one circled for a while and they’ll be ready in late September when they face the two-time champs. This will be a huge district match-up, the first of several in a row for the Cardinals as they’ll also be facing 3A newcomers Bristow (4A) and Cascia Hall (2A) in the following two weeks. Oct. 7 - Bristow Oct. 13 - Cascia Hall Oct. 21 - AT Jay Oct. 28 - AT Dewey Nov. 4 - Inola <hr /> Notable As we mentioned above, this 2023 class for Verdigris is special and they’ve been special since they entered high school. It was apparent that this would be a special class even when these players were in middle school and they were dominating everyone they faced. And over the last three seasons, they’ve turned the Cardinals into a team in contention every year in Class 3A. In the three seasons prior to 2019, the Cardinals went a combined 12-19. In the last three years, the Cardinals are 30-8 and have made it to the semifinal round on two occasions. This senior class won’t be satisfied with another semifinal appearance. They’re looking to capture the district title first and then go contend for the 3A state championship. <hr /> Championship History 0 State Championships