Colcord Hornets OK 2023 Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></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 into August, we are publishing well over 100 in-depth team previews to get you completely ready for the 2023 football season. This is something that began in 2021 and has continued to get bigger every single year. We're looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state. From defending champions, to top contenders and plenty of dark horses, we'll have complete coverage every single day with new teams from Class 6A, all the way down to the addition of 8-man coverage this year with Class B and C. In this post, we take a look at the Colcord Hornets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Colcord Hornets&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #1<br>Preseason Coaches Ranking:&nbsp;#2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For us, the Colcord Hornets were one of the biggest surprise teams in Class A and across the state. The class was headlined by Fairview and Gore all season, the two teams that would go head to head for the state title. But we also saw the emergence of a Colcord team that would go all the way to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Fairview. And sometimes we're incredibly late to the party and when it comes to the 2022 Colcord Hornets, that was the case. We went back and looked prior to writing this preview and despite being undefeated throughout the regular season, it wasn't until late October and specifically heading into week nine that we put Colcord in the Class A rankings. Now hindsight is always 20-20 but also in hindsight that was a big mistake on our part. We won't be making that mistake again as the Hornets are firmly a top five team and you can certainly make the argument that they are one of the top contenders for the gold ball.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First year head coach Ryan Keenom inherits a Colcord team that has a ton of talent on both sides of the ball and they certainly have earned their way into the conversation as one of the top teams in Class A. Seven starters come back on the offensive side of the ball, including their star quarterback and running back. So there aren't many questions around the offense heading into this season. Then you turn around and look at a defense that was dominant last season and they bring back seven starters on that side of the ball as well, in addition to Keenom taking over as head coach after being the defensive coordinator for Wagoner, where he had a lot of success. This was a defensive unit last year that shut down opponents, specifically in district play. The Hornets might have snuck up on some teams and even us last season, but as we head into the 2023 football season, they have earned their way to the top. Now they want to end the 2023 season on top in December.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (13-1 Record - Lost In Class A Semifinals)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 1 - Beat Kansas 46-33<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Stroud 45-15<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Oklahoma Union 48-0<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Quapaw 35-13<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Ketchum 46-7<br>Oct. 7 - Beat Commerce 35-6<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Wyandotte 55-7<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Fairland 50-6<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Hulbert 56-0<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Afton 61-0<br>1st Round - Beat Haskell 47-0<br>2nd Round - Beat Tonkawa 35-14<br>Quarterfinals - Beat Ringling 48-6<br>Semifinals - Lost To Fairview 38-22</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>Ian Williams - Tight End/Linebacker<br>Jesse Martinez - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Sawyer Sherrell - Offensive/Defensive Lineman</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":["473068"],"_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_0_evaluation":"2025 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='473073' first='Cade' last='Linn'] is the first of three 2025 prospects that return and have bright futures with the Hornets. Linn was Colcord's leading tackler last season as he racked up the numbers on the defensive side of the ball. He finished with just over 170 tackles on the season and was one of the top tacklers in Class A as just a sophomore. Linn is also listed as a tight end so it's going to be interesting to see how the Hornets use him on the offensive side but he has really blown up for what he's able to do on defense. Linn was one of the standouts at linebacker during our April prospect camp and we're really looking forward to seeing if he's able to replicate the production we saw from him a season ago. He's one of many reasons why we think this Colcord defense could be stout.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["806156"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"2025 running back and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='806156' first='Cooper' last='Mott'] is another 2025 prospect that we'll have an eye on this fall as he was incredibly productive on both sides of the ball last season. On offense, Mott was the second part of the dynamic duo in the Colcord backfield. He ran for just over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season. And on defense, he was apart of another dynamic duo as he joined Linn as a linebacker and finished the season with well over 100 tackles, just like with Linn. The fact that opponents are going to have to worry about Mott and Linn for two more seasons seems unfair for Class A. But just like our next two players to watch, Mott is going to be one of the top two-way players in Class A this season, and Colcord has a few more that you need to know about before this fall.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["572034"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"2024 quarterback and safety [player_tooltip player_id='572034' first='Gabe' last='Winfield'] is the other part of the dynamic duo in the Colcord backfield and we cannot wait to see what he does for an encore this fall. Last season, Winfield was one of the more explosive and productive athletes in Class A. He threw for 2,400 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing nearly 65% of his passes. But he was also dangerous on the ground as he led the team in rushing with nearly 1,050 yards and would reach the end zone 22 times on the ground. We think the duo of Winfield and Mott in the Colcord backfield is going to be incredibly explosive. You throw in the fact that Winfield has an experienced and talented offensive line in front of him and the sky's the limit. It seems crazy to think when you see some of his numbers from last fall but he could be even better.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["474063"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"2025 offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='474063' first='Khaleeal' last='Penn'] first got on our radar back in January when he dominated our prospect camp and earned MVP honors for his work as a defensive lineman. Penn was dominant once again on both sides of the ball at our April camp and was one of the top performers from start to finish. This was no surprise to anyone in Colcord as he was a dominant force for the Hornets last season as just a sophomore. Penn was one of Colcord's top offensive linemen in terms of grading out well and he was productive on the defensive side of the ball. He would finish with 55 tackles and ten sacks on the season and when you look at the style that Penn plays with as an interior defensive lineman, that kind of production is incredibly impressive.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64a22c6f0d6ec"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reed Williams - 2024 Offensive Lineman<br>Tony Perez - 2024 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Treyden Larmon - 2024 Wide Receiver/Linebacker</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2023 Schedule/Games To Circle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 31 - Kansas<br><strong>Sept. 8 - Stroud<br></strong>- Just like with Colcord, we did not see Stroud being as good as they were in 2022. And as we head into the 2023 season, most coaches agree that both Colcord and Stroud are going to be top ten teams in Class A once again as we start the season and probably throughout the fall. So when these two teams link up in week two, this could very well be a preview of a match-up we see later on in the playoffs as both teams are ranked heading into the season. The Hornets got the best of Stroud last season with a 45-15 victory but this year's match-up could be much closer.&nbsp;<br>Sept. 15 - AT Oklahoma Union<br><strong>Sept. 22 - AT Quapaw<br></strong>- As we head into the 2023 football season and look at each district and how we think it will play out, Colcord is a fairly heavy favorite within their own district. They were dominant last season and we anticipate that they'll be just as, if not more dominant this time around. The game against Quapaw last season was a 22-point win for the Hornets and that would end up being the closest game that Colcord had within district play all year. It's only week four and it's the first district game of the year but if Colcord rolls here, that's bad news for the rest of the district.&nbsp;<br>Sept. 29 - Ketchum<br>Oct. 6 - AT Commerce<br>Oct. 12 - Wyandotte<br>Oct. 20 - AT Fairland<br>Oct. 27 - Hulbert<br>Nov. 3 - AT Afton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As mentioned earlier, Colcord is going to start a new era with first year head coach Ryan Keenom taking over the Hornet football program. Keenom is an alum of Colcord, having graduated back in 2007. He played quarterback and safety for the Hornets before going to college at NSU. He's had a few coaching stops since college but most recently he was the defensive coordinator for the Wagoner Bulldogs. He was a part of teams that won state championships in 2020 and then last year as the Bulldogs stunned heavy favorite Cushing. Keenom earned various honors for last season as Wagoner held one of the top offenses in the state to just 21 points in the championship game, exactly half of what Wagoner gave up to them during the regular season. Keenom inherits a good football team and brings a winning mentality from Wagoner. That could be a combination that results in a potential trip to Edmond in December.&nbsp;</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>0 State Championships</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->