But following up a noteworthy 2016 season won’t be a cake walk for the Tigers. The campaign was an up-and-down journey, but one that resulted in Tahlequah notching its second straight winning season, third consecutive Class 5A state playoffs appearance and, most notably, its first playoff victory since 1992.
So, after doing all of that, what’s the goal for 2017?
Sixth-year head coach Brad Gilbert has his answer: Raise the bar some more, and hit that mark.
“Our purpose from day one has been to compete at a championship level,” said Gilbert, whose team has fallen one victory shy of a district title in each of the last two seasons.
“The long-term goal is to win a state championship, and our short-term goal is to win a district championship. You know, we’ve been knocking on the door for a district championship the last three seasons. But we don’t want to just play for it – we want to win.”
A championship season is the aim, but there are more immediate challenges Gilbert and his squad have been confronting in the weeks leading up to the season opener.
The Tigers will have several voids to fill after graduating a combined 11 positional starters, seven on defense and five on offense, at the end of last school year. All teams face similar issues to a varying degree at each season’s start, but few have managed player turnover as well as Tahlequah in recent years. The reason, according to Gilbert, is the culture within the program.
“We lost a lot of guys from last year, but it’s going to be interesting to see the new faces that step into those places and see what they do,” Gilbert said. “I don’t think there’s going to be a drop-off because of the culture that’s been created, but that has to be proven every Friday night. [The most important part] is understanding your role, understanding the expectation… Usually when that occurs, we come off the field with the outcome that we wanted.”
OFFENSE
Tahlequah’s ground-and-pound offense will again be led by quarterback Cayden Aldridge, a 1,300-yard rusher last season as a junior. He’ll be joined in the backfield by senior running backs Brian Resch and Seth Berry, who will share the work load on offense while also shouldering defensive responsibilities for the Tigers.
“I just like to be out on the field and I don’t care what I’m doing,” Berry said. “I could be playing center. But Coach Gilbert told me I’ll be playing both ways this year, and I expect to just knock them off the field and give it everything I’ve got each game.”
Tahlequah’s identity on offense is no secret, given the team’s 80-20 rush-to-pass ratio a season ago. But that doesn’t mean Gilbert doesn’t plan on throwing a few wrinkles into his playbook.
“You may see us this year put the ball in the air a little more than we have in the years past,” Gilbert said. “A few reasons for that is our quarterback play, but also I think we have the ability on the perimeter with guys making plays.”
Aldridge will have senior receivers Braxton Stopp, Luke Green and Derrick Morgado as primary targets, but Gilbert believes the passing game will hinge the most on the offensive front, which returns just one player, Nick Grasshopper, from 2016.
“A lot of [the pass game] has to do with the development of our offensive line,” he said. “I think we’ve got guys that are going to be able to do the job. And we’ve got a lot of new guys. I mean, we’re replacing four starters.”
Senior Anthony Nuendorf is one offensive lineman expected to take on a larger role, along with seniors Frankie Aispuro and Jesus Cerde.
“There’s a lot of new guys on the team and a bunch of guys who have to step up,” Nuendorf said. “And just seeing how much they can do and if they can do it for us [is one thing to look forward to].”
DEFENSE
Arguably the team’s biggest strength in the past three seasons, the Tahlequah defense will be relying on several new faces as it looks to repeat the successes of last year’s unit that limited opponents to a little more than 16 points per game.
The Tigers’ 3-4 scheme will be led by a quick and aggressive linebacker duo of Resch, who tallied 58 tackles in 2016, and junior Cole Goodnight, a 35-tackle performer a year ago. Senior Dalton Caldwell and junior Cade McCoy will also have LB responsibilities, while junior Nathaniel Justice, junior Brandon Davis, sophomore Blake Corn and junior Isaac Strain will make up the defensive front.
Coming off a 28-tackle, four-pick season in 2016, Luke Green will command the secondary, along with the sure-handed Stopp and Morgado.
“Defensively, we’re still going to be very active and run to the ball extremely well,” Gilbert said. “That’s just who we are. We believe in the principle of 9-5-9 – nine guys within five y... Click here to read full article
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