Cascia Hall Team Preview
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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 Cascia Hall Commandos. Cascia is moving up to Class 3A but they’re expecting to be one of the top teams immediately.
Cascia Hall Commandos (3A Preseason Ranking: #6)
The Cascia Hall Commandos are moving classes once again. They’ve been in Class 2A for a few years now and it’s back up to Class 3A. In the last decade, they’ve been in 4A, 3A and 2A. So finding consistency in district opponents has been impossible. Despite the constant movement, the Commandos always find a way to make the playoffs. Last year was no different in their final year in Class 2A. They went 9-4 on the season and would make it as far as the Class 2A quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Marlow. One of the toughest spots in the schedule featured back to back losses to Holland Hall and Berryhill by a combined score of 80-7. They play those two teams once again this season and again in back to back games, only this time, one of them is a district opponent.
The Commandos bring back plenty of players from last year’s quarterfinalist in Class 2A. The strength of the offense will definitely be their running game. They bring back three players that are all capable of being considered marquee running backs within the Cascia offense. They also bring back their experienced quarterback who is also a threat to run the ball out of the backfield. But when you talk about Cascia Hall, you can’t do it without bringing up the “Blue Swarm” defense. And the strength on that side of the ball will be the linebackers. The front seven in general could be pretty strong but the production they bring back from their linebacker group is outstanding. Class 3A will provide plenty of challenges, especially in the district that Cascia is in. But this is an experienced team that is ready to make another playoff appearance and they won’t be settling for just making it to the playoffs.
2021 Results (9-4 Record – Lost In Class 2A Quarterfinals)
Aug. 27 – Beat Victory Christian 28-13
Sept. 3 – Lost To Holland Hall 45-7
Sept. 10 – Lost To Berryhill 35-7
Sept. 24 – Beat Heavener 47-0
Oct. 1 – Beat Spiro 49-14
Oct. 8 – Lost To Vian 35-28
Oct. 14 – Beat Panama 49-7
Oct. 22 – Beat Pocola 40-8
Oct. 29 – Beat Roland 41-20
Nov. 5 – Beat Keys 42-22
1st Round – Beat Hugo 55-6
2nd Round – Beat Victory Christian 33-21
Quarterfinal – Lost To Marlow 38-7
Players To Watch
Baxter Robertson
Baxter
Robertson
5'11" | 180 lbs | WR
Cascia Hall | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 Athlete
Our first Commando player to watch is the first of a few Cascia players that are standouts on both sides of the ball. 2023 athlete
Baxter Robertson
Baxter
Robertson
5'11" | 180 lbs | WR
Cascia Hall | 2023
State
OK
is one of the more underrated players within this 2023 class. Granted, you could say that about a few Cascia players when you look at the production that they’ve had over the last few seasons. Robertson is listed as an athlete because he does a little bit of everything for Cascia. Running back, wide receiver and linebacker just to name a few positions that Robertson has not only lined up in but has had success. Cascia bringing back a versatile athlete like Robertson will help them.
Cooper Lai
Cooper
Lai
6'1" | 180 lbs | DB
Cascia Hall | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 Quarterback/Safety
One of the top stock risers in the recent 2023 ranking update within the state was Cascia’s 2023 quarterback and safety
Cooper Lai
Cooper
Lai
6'1" | 180 lbs | DB
Cascia Hall | 2023
State
OK
. He’s had an outstanding offseason and his recruitment has taken off because of it. He has power five programs looking at him to be a safety at the next level and the skills are certainly there. Cascia is hoping that in addition to his ball hawk skills on defense, he’ll be able to lead the Commando offense with efficiency at the quarterback spot. This is a team that has talent every where when it comes to running the ball, including Lai. But finding a balance between the pass and run will be important.
Ethan Clark
Ethan
Clark
6'0" | ATH
Cascia Hall | 2023
OK
– 2023 Running Back/Linebacker
It’s hard to say that anyone was more valuable than Cascia Hall’s
Ethan Clark
Ethan
Clark
6'0" | ATH
Cascia Hall | 2023
OK
last season. The 2023 running back and linebacker was outstanding on both sides of the ball and put up legitimate numbers for both positions. As a running back, Clark finished with nearly 900 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was scoring touchdowns around every fifth carry that he got which is an absurd average for someone who had over 100 carries. Then you turn around and Clark had 11 sacks on the defensive side of the ball. Lai might be the top prospect on this team but Clark was hands down the most productive and is primed for another big year.
Owen Pazzo
Owen
Pazzo
6'3" | DL
Cascia Hall | 2023
State
OK
– 2023 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker
Cascia Hall 2023 prospect
Owen Pazzo
Owen
Pazzo
6'3" | DL
Cascia Hall | 2023
State
OK
has been making plays since his freshman season. He started as a freshman on the defensive line. He’s been a standout there for the last three years but get ready to see a position change. Pazzo will be moving back and playing linebacker as well. He’s going to be a big linebacker but he’s already proven to the Cascia Hall coaches that he can run and he’s a good athlete. They expect and anticipate him to make the transition look easy. However, he still has the ability to move back closer to the line of scrimmage if needed later in the year. He’s going to be a mack truck playing linebacker.
More Names To Know
Aidan Hicks – 2023 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
Jayce Ward – 2023 Linebacker
Vincent Peters – 2023 Offensive Lineman
2022 Schedule/Games To Circle
Aug. 26 – AT Victory Christian
Sept. 2 – Rejoice Christian
Sept. 9 – AT Berryhill
– Cascia Hall’s schedule is a tough one and you can make legitimate arguments for quite a few games that should be circled here. But this road clash against Berryhill in week two is the non-district game we have our eye on. While the first two weeks will be good tests for the Commandos, this is the midterm exam before district play begins. Berryhill is a top ten team in Class 3A and another team that’s going to want to be considered a contender. In a five-game span, Cascia will be squaring off with three teams ranked in the top eight of Class 3A. This game will tell where Cascia is and what they need to improve on before a much-needed bye week.
Sept. 23 – Holland Hall
– Cascia Hall will immediately be tested on moving up to Class 3A in the first district game of the season and it’s a renewal of a very strong rivalry in Tulsa. They’ll host Holland Hall in the latest edition of the “Hall Brawl” and it’ll be the first time that these two teams square off while competing in the same district. These two programs absolutely get after it when they go head to head and now that they’re in the same district and both are top ten teams, this rivalry has a little added juice. The winner here will be in a good position moving forward while the loser is going to be in trouble when it comes to the district championship.
Sept. 30 – AT Central
Oct. 7 – Jay
Oct. 13 – AT Verdigris
– The Commandos will hit the road in week seven during Fall Break and face off with Verdigris. This is a Verdigris team that has been knocking on the door over the last few seasons in Class 3A but they’re hoping that 2022 is the year they finally capture that state championship. So needless to say, they’ll provide a big challenge for Cascia Hall. If the Commandos were able to win their rivalry clash with Holland Hall, they’ll be in a good position but they also need a win over the Cardinals, who are ranked in the top five of our preseason rankings. A win here on the road could put them in the driver’s seat to capture the district in their first year back in 3A.
Oct. 21 – Bristow
Oct. 28 – AT Inola
Nov. 4 – Dewey
Notable
Cascia Hall’s trip back to the playoffs in 2021 was their 35th consecutive trip. Yes, that is correct. The last time the Commandos did not make the playoffs in football, in 1986, Ronald Reagan was entering his second term as President of the United States. It is not often that we see stability like this at any high school program, much less at one in Oklahoma that has never played higher than Class 4A. When they made the playoffs last fall, Cascia Hall broke a tie with Davis and Thomas for the longest streak of consecutive playoff appearances in state history. For the Commandos, their stability and success since the turn of the millennium starts at the top with Head Coach Joe Medina. Cascia’s man in charge has won over 200 games and led them to four state championships, all while never missing the playoffs once.
Championship History
5 State Championships
2009 – Beat Berryhill 21-0
2008 – Beat Sequoyah Claremore 28-21
2007 – Beat Heritage Hall 20-13
1999 – Beat Bristow 31-0
1989 – Beat Okemah 21-7