Football time is right around the corner and it can’t come fast enough for Sulphur.
The Dogs will start football practice in just about a month, as they look to build off a very successful 8-4 season that ended in the Class 3A state quarterfinals.
Sulphur returns many starters, as the Dogs look poised to make an even deeper postseason run. The Dogs were 6-1 in district last year, finishing as runner-up to Heritage Hall, who lost in the state championship game.
Sulphur fell in the quarterfinals to eventual state champion Lincoln Christian. After losses to Washington and Davis to open the season, the Dogs responded with six straight wins and eight victories in nine games, including a 42-7 win over Kingfisher in the first round of the playoffs.
Sulphur returns almost all its talent on both sides of the ball, as expectations are high once again. As we near the season and practice is just less than two weeks away, we wrap up our summer preview coverage with a look at the defense, after breaking down the offense last week.
The Dogs will open practice on Monday, Aug. 12. The high school will practice from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, before going back to the normal schedule on Thursday, when school starts.
The junior high will practice from 2:30-4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, before going back to the normal schedule on Thursday, as well.
The Dogs return many starters on both sides, as they look to challenge for the District 3A-2 title and a deep playoff run.
Up next, the defense.
DEFENSIVE PREVIEW
As was the case on the offensive side of the ball, Sulphur returns many starters and even more contributors from a year ago.
Sulphur was rock solid on defense last year, as the Dogs allowed just 17 points per game, leading to the 8-4 record.
Sulphur was +5 in the turnover margin, forcing 22 turnovers in 12 games. The Dogs held their opponents to 14 points or less in seven of the 12 games in 2023. Sulphur head coach Corey Cole feels that the Dogs have a great chance to be even better this year. “Defensively, we have a chance to be really good,” he said after the Dogs were at team camp at Southeastern earlier this spring.
“Of course our front seven gets a lot of credit but the secondary was very aggressive, they challenged people, we mixed some coverages and just made it hard on the opposing offenses. I thought our guys back there competed really, really well.” During team camp, the Dogs back end allowed just one big play during a slew of snaps, which gives Cole a lot of confidence to go with the rest of the defense and all of the returners in the front seven. “We gave up only one big play the entire night and we played about 100 snaps defensively, so that is pretty good,” he said. “On the first snap of the scrimmage, Eli Vinson picked a pass off and that sort of set the tone for us back there and on defense.” Cole hopes to have two separate units, three when you include special teams, for as long as possible, aside from a few that will be going both ways. “We really feel like we can play multiple guys and have a special teams crew and then a core on offense and a core on defense,” he said. “We will have five or six that are going back and forth, but we feel really good at linebacker, in the secondary and really good with our guys on the defensive line. We just need to develop that quality depth behind them and that’s the only thing we are missing.”
DEFENSIVE LINE
Cole welcomes back many familiar faces on the defensive line, led by seniors Baer Webb and Justus Gilliam - both individual state champions in wrestling.
“Our defensive line has a chance to be really, really good,” Cole said after team camp a few months ago. Gilliam had 82 tackles a year ago and will bump out to defensive end in the Dogs 4-3 scheme. He added 15 tackles for loss, had five sacks, recovered two fumbles and had a pass breakup. Webb returns at defensive end after having 42 stops a year ago. He added six tackles for loss, had five sacks, recovered two fumbles and forced another fumble.
Seniors Caden Cole and Gideon Peterson will play inside for Sulphur, as the Dogs will have some serious size up front.
Cole had 44 tackles in 2023, to go along with seven tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup. Peterson, who recently just started playing football, is back on both sides of the ball up front, as well. He finished 2023 with 28 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss. The Dogs will need depth, however, as three of the starters mentioned will lead the way on the offensive line.
“We will really need to not only be able to utilize our depth, but count on those guys to play for significant stretches to give those guys a break,” Cole said. “We have some depth but that will be one of the biggest keys for us to achieve our goals.”
Senior Nash Williamson and junior Brody Wallace will be counted on as very important depth pieces inside for Sulphur up front, while juniors Grady Hardoin and Cooper Cole will contribute quite a bit at defensive end for the Dogs.
“We feel really good about our eight we have there, and we can even play Colten (Cole) there some if we need to, as he is about as technically sound as anyone,” Cole said. “But we really have to count on some of those guys to come through and give the guys playing on the other side of the ball some rest.”
LINEBACKER
The Dogs welcome back all three starting linebackers, as well as a key contributor from a year ago, to bolster another strong group.
Senior Austin Garrett is back to lead the way at middle linebacker, as the leading tackler from 2023 is looking to build on an impressive junior season in his final campaign as a Bulldog.
Garrett led the team with 125 tackles a year ago. He also had four sacks, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, a blocked extra point and four pass breakups.
“He has had an outstanding career thus far and will lead us once again on defense,” Cole said. Senior Cash Matlack is also back for Sulphur at outside linebacker after a breakout junior year, Matlack had 75 tackles, nine of which were for loss. He also contributed two sacks, an interception and two pass breakups.
Maddax Mobly started at the other linebacker spot for Sulphur last year and is back, but banged up and may play less on defense than a year ago.
Mobly finished his sophomore season with 67 tackles, five for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and a pass breakup.
Senior Jett Runyan will play a lot at outside linebacker for Sulphur, after playing strongly for the Dogs a year ago.
Kaden Seitz and Madden Duck will also play for Sulphur in the rotation at linebacker in 2024. “We have a great group of guys that are extremely tough and seasoned, and that’s what you have to have at this spot,” Cole said. “We feel really good about our group at linebacker.”
SECONDARY
The Dogs will have great team speed again in 2024, as the secondary may be the strongest group on this side of the ball for Sulphur.
Cole was impressed with the bunch at team camp, as returning starters in juniors Briar Davenport and Maddax Boyd, along with sophomore Bridge Barrett and senior move-in Eli Visnon impressed.
“You have to have a great secondary and it has to be a confident group,” Cole said. “Coach (Aury) Barrett and the kids did a tremendous job. Our corners were aggressive, the safeties played great.”
Davenport, one of the faster players on the team, returns at one corner, along with Barrett, who looks to break out on both sides of the ball, on the other side.
“I thought Briar had an outstanding camp at corner,” Cole said. “He is a ball hawking safety that has played a lot in his career already. I think Bridge will have a huge year at corner and receiver and feels really comfortable out there with another year under his belt. He can go get the football.”
Boyd is a two-year starter who returns and should be the leader on the back end for Sulphur in his junior campaign.
“He is a tremendous leader for us that has been really good for two years and can be even better this season,” Cole said.
Boyd had 68 tackles as a sophomore, to go along with two tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and one pass breakup. Vinson moved over from Madill, where he starred on both sides of the ball for the Wildcats. He should provide stability and playmaking ability from his safety spot. “I thought Vinson and Boyd both played well,” Cole said. “Vinson is going to be very dynamic for us back there and makes that unit even stronger.” Sulphur will also have Nick McGill returning from injury after missing the last two years with shoulder issues. He, along with Luke Linville and Drake Wood, will provide solid depth in the back end for Sulphur. “We are getting Nick McGill back after being out for a couple of years. He has settled in nicely,” Cole said after team camp. “And then I thought Drake both did a good job with Bridge being out due to injury.” Cole was most impressed with his secondary’s ability to play the run during team camp, as well as being physical and coming up to make plays near the line of scrimmage. “It’s often easy to blame the secondary for big plays but I was very pleased with the way they played,” said Cole. “They were screaming to the ball and were coming up to make plays on passes that were completed short. They weren’t passive at all.”
