Welcome football fans one and all to Class 4A-District 1 — home to both Cache and Elgin where both the Bulldogs and the Owls will be tested week in and week out this fall.
Cache welcomes a new coach, former Walters coach Farron Griffin, who is getting his crew to buy into a new system and a fresh start.
Meanwhile, at Elgin, Jason Cunningham enters his 12th season at the helm and returns a bevy of talent and experience on both sides of the ball.
It's a loaded district — one that continues to be one of the toughest in all of 4A — but Cache and Elgin will both be battle tested should they make the playoffs.
"Every one of them stands out," Griffin laughed, masking the woes of a district that will provide plenty of hard hitting and highlights when the season kicks off. "This district is really, really tough. Clinton, Heritage Hall are really good. Newcastle has had some move-ins that will make them tough. Weatherford is really good; Elk City is always tough. Top to bottom, our district is really hard."
Chickasha is the final team in 4A-I joining Cache, Elgin and the highly-touted aforementioned teams.
"Competition is good to have," Cache senior linebacker and wide receiver Landen Abbott said on the challenging district. "Some teams don't see good competition until the playoffs and then they're not ready for it. If you're ready for it every Friday night, you'll be ready for when it really matters."
Cache made the playoffs last season, but the Bulldogs are hoping for a deeper run this time around after suffering a 38-25 loss to Tuttle in the first round.
Elgin went 4-6 last season, but the Owls, backed by a tight-knit group that has been gelling well together in the preseason, hope to return to the playoffs and make some noise.
"State," Elgin running back and defensive end Pepper Ferrell (6, 224, Sr.) said. "That's our main goal; we're trying to go all the way.
"Considering it's our last year of high school football, it's most important to us to work as a team and play as hard as we can to get as far as we can and beat the teams we couldn't beat last year."
Both programs show significant promise for this season. Here's a deeper look at each squad and what it will take to reach their goals.
New beginning for Bulldogs
Taking over a new football team is never easy, but Farron Griffin is having a smooth sailing transition at Cache.
He didn't take the job until late this spring after finishing at Walters. Despite little time, he has resonated with his new squad which is buying into what he's selling.
"The kids are pretty well disciplined — the roots they had before I got here is the reason behind that," Griffin said. "They are doing a great job of buying into our system. This is a really good group of kids."
Landen Abbott is one of many players who has bought in to a new chapter at Cache. That new chapter has an expiration date though for Abbott and other seniors.
"It's just a new beginning," Abbott said. "He (Griffin) is a real fun coach to play for, and he mixes discipline well. It's the last year so it's been a lot more effort putting into it because it means a lot to you at this time."
One thing Griffin has enjoyed the most since his arrival in Cache has been more personnel at his disposal. More staff equals more player development and progression to hone each of their skills.
"You get more one-on-one coaching at this level," Griffin said. "You can split staff so I feel like the kids get coached better at this level because of that."
Two areas Griffin is most excited about include his junior-heavy class and his multitude of standouts at the skill positions of receiver, running back, defensive back and linebacker.
As far as numbers go, the Bulldogs are thin numbers-wise in the trenches on both the offensive and defensive line, but they make up for it at the skill positions.
"We've got several key skill positions where we are two or three deep, and they are all going to rotate in there," Griffin said. "We're going to try and get as many kids on the field as possible with the offense we run. I want our players playing."
That includes at quarterback, where the starting QB spot is wide-open between senior Jayden Garcia and junior Payton Hunt. Still, a two-quarterback system seems unlikely at this point, Griffin said.
"We've got two really good quarterbacks who've been battling for the job," Griffin said. "I'm not real fond of the two quarterback system, but we're gonna let these kids scrimmage and see how it goes and we'll evaluate from there."
Some skill position players who have stood out to the coaching staff so far in the preseason include Abbott and senior linebacker Josh Swanson.
"We have an abundance of skill kids," Griffin said. "Abbott played really well on both sides of the ball in our inter-squad scrimmage and Swanson played really well at linebacker."
While Griffin has had to adapt on the fly, so have the players. But just like they are students in the classroom, they are also students of the game.
And the Bulldogs are learning their lessons quickly.
"Practices and scrimmages have gone really well considering we put in a new offense and defense," Abbott said. "Everybody has picked it up pretty well so it should be a good season."
One of the many reasons implementing a new system has gone off without a hitch is because of the ground work laid before Griffin's arrival. He's just happy to pick up where the Bulldogs left off.
"I'm excited that these kids have a good foundation," Griffin said. "They were coached well before I got here and because of that they have great fundamentals coming in."
Cache had its final scrimmage against Tuttle last Thursday and opens up its season at home against Lone Grove this Friday at 7 p.m.
Improving Owls keying on friendship, communication
They say confidence is key. This year's Elgin squad has plenty of that.
It's all about the brotherhood as this group, which has been playing together since junior high, has come together like few have in years past.
"These kids are confident and excited after a great summer," coach Jason Cunningham said. "We are having better practices than we've ever had before because they gel better. There's no fighting and their attitudes are unbelievable. They're all buddies now."
Team chemistry is awfully high and that all stems from their communication — which has improved significantly on the field.
"A lot of us are so close so we don't fight with each other," linebacker and wide receiver Isaac Garrett (6'4, 194, Sr.) said. "So we tell each other to do this or that and then we do it. We execute really well together."
Constructive criticism and learning from one another on the field while motivating teammates has not only sky rocketed team chemistry but also the little things that win teams football games.
Garrett said one such area the team has made significant strides with defensive coverages and getting to zone assignments better.
Offensive execution has been sharper too. To top it all off, the players feel they've improved the most with their conditioning.
Elgin also returns a host of starters, and with it, plenty of experience. Coach Cunningham is most excited about his offensive line — which only replaces one guy.
In addition to a solid offensive line, one area Elgin will be dominant is in the backfield where the Owls are three deep at running back.
While the depth will provide a rotation to keep legs fresh, it's all about the sheer talent.
In addition to Ferrell, Elgin will tout fellow seniors Jonathon Brown (5'11, 204, Sr.) and Lewis Shepherd (5'10, 178, Sr.). Ferrell (DE), Brown (LB) and Shepherd (DB) will all start on defense as well.
The explosive Shepherd, who played his freshman year at Elgin before his family moved to Baltimore during his sophomore and junior year, returns for his senior campaign.
"He's gonna make some noise," Cunningham said of Shepherd.
Shepherd said that during his time playing out on the east coast, the scheme changes developed him into more of a complete player.
Since there's a lot of skill rushing used, pass blocking is a priority for tailbacks. Shepherd had to learn how to do so more effectively and also catch passes in traffic while being used as an outlet in more spread heavy offenses.
Now he returns to Elgin with his old friends and teammates having touched up on little elements of his game.
"It means the world to me," Shepherd said. "Coming back to family with all my brothers and to finish off my high school career here is special. To do so with these guys is one of the best feelings ever."
The Owls also return quarterback Braeden Shackelford (6'1, 152, Sr.) who made four starts last season and will take the reins of a bulldozing offense this year.
One area the Owls are still unsure with is the secondary as they are looking to find a player who steps up to the plate, mainly at safety as a defensive anchor for the back end.
But the rest of the defense should be stout as Cunningham will rely on his two best defensive players from a year ago — Ferrell and Garrett. Cunningham called Ferrell the best player on the team.
After a 4-6 campaign a year ago, the sky is a limit for an Elgin team that is sprinkling talent all over the field.
"We're gonna get in the playoffs," Cunningham said. "We're gonna see what we do when we get there, but for now it's one game at a time."
The 'one game at a time' mantra starts with a bang as the Owls kick off their season with a tough road trip to last season's Class 3A state runner-up Plainview.
"I told the guys that will help us see where we are early on going against some adversity," Cunningham said. "We'll see how we stack up against a team like that."
It's a difficult opening task, but it's one the players know will pay big dividends as the season progresses.
"It'll give us a mental place of where we are at," Ferrell said. "I think this is one of our most experienced years with all the guys we've got coming back."
Elgin has its final tune-up this Thursday, Aug. 24, when it hosts Eisenhower.
4A-1 Crystal Ball Prediction
1. Heritage Hall 2. Clinton 3. Newcastle 4. Elgin 5. Cache 6. Weatherford 7. Elk City 8. Chickasha