Tahlequah Tigers are tuning up for the 2021 Season
Tahlequah, Okla. (BVM) – The Tahlequah Tigers Football Team has been working on conditioning and practicing for the upcoming season opener on Sep. 3 at Tulsa McLain. They are building on the success that they had a year ago that ended with their seventh consecutive trip to the Class 5A playoffs. With returning players, Coach Brad Gilbert, and his coaching staff working hard, fall camp has been a place of growth and tuning up for the Tigers.
Coach Gilbert has spent the last nine years as head coach of the Tahlequah Tigers Football Team. He was recently selected as an All-State Coach for the East Team and participated in the Oklahoma Coaches Association Football All-State Game. Coach Gilbert didn鈥檛 take the honor lightly or all the credit for being selected.
According to an August 3, 2021 Coach Gilbert said, 鈥淲hen they selected me and asked me to do it, it was an honor. It鈥檚 just a reflection, not of me, but our football program and how far it鈥檚 come. If you鈥檙e not part of a successful football program, I don鈥檛 know if you鈥檙e an All-State coach, so I think it鈥檚 a reflection upon all the young men and all the coaches that have been a part of this over the last nine years. It speaks to the program.鈥�
In addition to the honored coach and his staff, Senior Quarterback Tyler Joice is expected to be instrumental in the success of the Tigers this fall. He returns to the starting position where he completed a single-season school record 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,361 yards. He was credited with 14 passing touchdowns and six interceptions as a junior. Joice is quick on his feet. He accumulated 419 rushing yards and five additional touchdowns.
During Joice鈥檚 first year in the starting quarterback position, he was still learning to read defenses and to make adjustments from the line of scrimmage to make plays.
According to the Joice said, 鈥淚鈥檝e gotten better with just the general understanding of what I need to read, what I need to do to make a play successful.鈥� Experience from a year ago and practice during fall camp has helped Joice grow in his position. 鈥淚 feel like everything has slowed down, so now I can see things a lot easier. I always felt rushed last year,鈥� Joice said in .
Parker Lane is another senior leader for the Tigers. With the loss of the experienced Kobey Baker (the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State selection), Parker Lane will be given an opportunity to showcase his athletic talents. He is a versatile player and is projected to play both ways again this year. You can expect to see him all over the field. In the he said, 鈥淚 still move around at all the other positions because I know them all.鈥�
Lane鈥檚 versatility makes him a key player for the Tigers, and his stats from last year are impressive on both sides of the ball. On offense, he caught the ball 15 times as a junior and logged 241 receiving yards. His longest catch last year was 31 yards. While playing defense, Lane was credited with 36 tackles and a pass deflection.
With younger players stepping up into their new roles, there is a learning curve for the 2021 Tahlequah Tigers. Coach Gilbert said, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of areas where we鈥檙e inexperienced, but they鈥檝e shown that they understand what鈥檚 expected of them.鈥� This is a step in the right direction for another successful season for the Tahlequah Tigers.
The Tahlequah Tigers take on Hilldale during the final preseason scrimmage on August 27, 2021.
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