SEQUOYAH — Sequoyah spent last season learning how to survive with youth.
Now, the Eagles want to see what that experience can do with room to fly.
After battling through a three-win rebuilding season, coach Rob Gilbreath welcomes back a much more seasoned roster, adds several potentially impactful transfers and is overhauling an offense that intends to get its athletes into space rather than simply pounding away on the ground.
Depth remains a concern, and a loaded Class 2A-I District 4 provides little margin for error, but Gilbreath said he believes the Eagles have considerably more tools at their disposal this fall.
“We played a lot of young guys and had a very small senior class last year, and our experience was almost zero,” Gilbreath said. “This year we're returning some of those players back, so we’ve got a little more knowledge.”
OVERVIEW
Those struggles could pay dividends now.
Sequoyah brings considerably more varsity experience into the season, supplemented by six recent transfers who could provide immediate help. The question is whether the Eagles have enough depth behind them.
An injury or two at the wrong position could quickly become problematic for a roster that Gilbreath believes has quality at the top but not necessarily an abundance of experienced replacements.
That is one reason Sequoyah is changing how it utilizes its personnel.
Rather than relying as heavily on a run-first approach, the Eagles plan to spread the field more this season, incorporating run-pass option concepts and multiple formations designed to create space for their athletes.
“We're going to try to spread it out a little bit and be more not so much one-sided because we don't have all those Jesses and Joes where we can just run the ball every play,” Gilbreath said. “So we're going to implement some RPO stuff, some different sets and try to get our best athletes out in space a little bit more than we have in the past.”
Transfer quarterback Gunner Allison, who arrives from Catoosa, will be at the center of that transition.
The goal is to turn last season's lessons into something more tangible.
After two seasons competing in Class 3A, Sequoyah returns to 2A, but Gilbreath doesn't necessarily view that as a reprieve. Classification changes have placed private-school powers back into Class 2A-I, creating a daunting path to the postseason.
“We were fired up when it was determined that we were going to move down to 2A, and then the OSSAA came out and said, ‘Hey, all private schools are gonna go back to their original classification,’ which means they are all in 2A with us. That makes 2A a lot tougher than what it would have been without them.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sequoyah's new offensive approach starts with Allison.
The Catoosa transfer takes over at quarterback and gives the Eagles a player around whom they can build their expanded RPO attack.
“He’s looking really good at quarterback, as far as running the offense and throwing the ball and taking charge of things,” Gilbreath said.
He will have an established backfield threat alongside him.
Bryson Nichols returns at tailback and figures to remain an important piece of the offense even as Sequoyah diversifies its attack.
Mason Weeks also returns after leading the Eagles at receiver and should remain one of Allison's primary weapons after catching 32 passes for 661 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2025. His importance extends to the other side of the ball, where he is transitioning from cornerback to safety.
Gilbreath said he hopes the move will allow Weeks to provide leadership in the middle of the secondary and become an even larger presence defensively.
“He's really looked good in practice, making sure everybody's lined up, making the calls, helping the younger kids out on what they should do and being a good leader on both sides of the ball,” Gilbreath said. “That ought to show dividends.”
John Hull and Silas York give the Eagles additional athleticism at the skill positions and should benefit from an offense specifically designed to create favorable matchups in space.
Sequoyah also added help at linebacker.
Parker Dowell and Wyatt Mullins, both transfers from Claremore, are expected to factor prominently into a defense that will need to withstand several explosive offenses during district play.
Up front, Jace “J.J.” Johnson returns as the starting center and provides an experienced anchor for the offensive line. Asher Mader is also expected to return to the trenches after dealing with an injury.
Sequoyah believes the time for rebuilding is over. Now comes the test of how high the Eagles can fly.
“We’ve got some young kids that are really athletic,” Gilbreath said. “Once they learn the scheme and learn what's going on, I think they'll be really good.”
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