Hollis Tigers 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 Hollis Tigers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Hollis Tigers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: UR</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: UR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hollis Tigers aren't far removed from being one of the better small school programs in the state and we got a glimpse of that last season. The Tigers have fully made the transition to 8-man football after several years of being independent and rejoined the OSSAA last season in Class B. It was met with some immediate success as they would go 8-3 and make it back to the playoffs for the first time since they were contending in Class A. They won their first four games and that included a 40-point win over a Class C semifinal team in non-district play. Their first loss in the regular season came in week six when they lost to eventual state champion Laverne 46-14. The other loss came a few weeks later when they fell to Balko/Forgan in a 32-28 close call. They would bounce back immediately, winning their final two regular season games. They would then shutout Cherokee in the first round before the season came to an end in the second round after losing to Seiling. But that was just their first season back after being independent for several seasons. We're looking forward to seeing what the Tigers do for an encore in 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As Hollis turns the page and starts looking ahead to this season, it should be an interesting one but one full of growing pains. The Tigers were hit hard by graduation as they lost the majority of their starters on both sides of the ball. They only return one starter on the offensive side of the ball and then only two starters return on defense. We mentioned how graduation really hit the Tigers hard and that was evident when you look at those numbers. But there is reason to be optimistic when you talk about the overall outlook for the Tigers going into this season. You can count on one hand the total number of starters returning but based on the info we got from the coaching staff, this is going to be a really young team. There is also a lot of talent that is ready to enjoy a breakout moment underneath the Friday night lights. So early on in the season, this team is going to go through some growing pains. But when late October and early November roll around, this is going to look like a totally different team. The Tigers will be tested by a difficult non-district schedule, featuring two top five teams in the preseason rankings. And two-time defending state champ Laverne is in the district. But the Tigers should be turning the corner in the second half of the regular season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (8-3 Record - Lost In Class B 2nd Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 2 - Beat Wilson 56-6<br>Sept. 9 - Beat Velma-Alma 8-6<br>Sept. 16 - Beat Mt. View-Gotebo 46-6<br>Sept. 23 - Beat Cyril 46-0<br>Oct. 6 - Lost To Laverne 46-14<br>Oct. 13 - Beat Beaver 15-0 (Forfeit)<br>Oct. 21 - Lost To Balko/Forgan 32-28<br>Oct. 27 - Beat Shattuck 36-8<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Turpin 36-14<br>1st Round - Beat Cherokee 50-0<br>2nd Round - Lost To Seiling 32-14</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>Braxton Whisenant - Fullback/Linebacker<br>Brody Shelby - Quarterback/Defensive Back<br>Kaden Rollins - Fullback/Linebacker<br>Rowdy Randall - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Zach Mefford - Athlete</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":["928518"],"_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":"As we mentioned before, losing a player like Brody Shelby at quarterback is not easy for an 8-man program and the Tigers are going to lean on the running game early on in the season. And they have a few different names that can get the job done. But 2026 running back [player_tooltip player_id='928518' first='Kreid' last='McQueen'] is a player that we're interested in watching this season because the expectation is that he will get quite a few carries this season as a sophomore. Last year, he wasn't involved in the offense that much as a freshman, but he was one of the team's leading tacklers with 80 tackles on the season. We said earlier how we really like some of the young and up and coming talent that the Tigers have coming into this season and McQueen is another example of that.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["928517"],"_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":"The Hollis coaches are very excited about the potential with 2025 offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='928517' first='Lucas' last='Morgan'] and specifically as an offensive lineman. It's easy to see why as Morgan is 6'3 and 280 pounds and you just simply don't see that kind of size in the 8-man game very often in Class B and Class C. One of the notes we have on Morgan is that he's “an outstanding offensive lineman prospect” and we can buy into that. And when you consider that he's going to be a big part of opening the running lanes for players like McQueen and some of the other Hollis skill players, Morgan could be primed to have a very special 2023 season. Only time will tell if Hollis big man truly becomes one of the better prospects along the offensive line.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64c5cf1d636f6"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wyatt Warren - 2026 Offensive/Defensive Lineman<br>Xavier Cervantes - 2025 Fullback/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>Sept. 1 - AT Wilson<br><strong>Sept. 8 - AT Velma-Alma</strong><br>- The first big test for the Tigers and their young squad this season will come in week two when they travel to face Velma-Alma. Last season, these two fought it out for all four quarters and it ended with an 8-6 victory for the Tigers. Velma-Alma is a preseason top five team in Class B this season and they have expectations of contending for the state championship. And there's no doubt that they remember last season's slugfest. Hollis and their young roster will have to grow up in a hurry if they are going to go on the road and pull off a win against a top five team. <br>Sept. 15 - Mt. View-Gotebo<br>Sept. 22 - Cyril<br><strong>Oct. 5 - Laverne</strong><br>- The Hollis Tigers want to get back to contending for state championships. In order to be the man, you have to beat the man. And the Tigers will get their crack at the man in week six when they host two-time defending champion Laverne. The Tigers are one of the top 8-man programs in the state, have one of the best players in the state and are coming off back to back state championships. Needless to say, this is the perfect definition of a “measuring stick” game as we're going to know where Hollis stands after this week six match-up. The district title will probably be on the line here as well. <br>Oct. 12 - AT Beaver<br>Oct. 20 - Balko/Forgan<br>Oct. 27 - AT Shattuck<br>Nov. 3 - AT Turpin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It wasn't that long ago that Hollis was a small school powerhouse in Oklahoma. They were perfect in 2013 and won the school's only state championship in football. The following three seasons after the title, they won at least ten games each season. But like many small towns in Oklahoma, population has been on a decline and so school numbers have followed. Following a two-year stretch in 2017 and 2018 when they were 2-17, the Tigers would petition to become an 8-man program. They were an independent 8-man team for several years before officially joining Class B last season. And as mentioned earlier, the Tigers were able to win some games and make it back to the playoffs for the first time since their dominant run we saw a decade ago. This might be the path for other programs in the future and it's hard to argue after watching Hollis have some immediate success while making the transition.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Championship History</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>1 State Championship</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2013 - Beat Ringling 29-12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->