Tecumseh seeking improvement but confident in taking a step toward playoff contention

Defense might be key for Savages to get more wins in 2022.

By Nate Aker

Photo of Marquan Krush courtesy of Marquan Krush's Twitter page 

Over the next few weeks, SBLive Oklahoma will break down high school football teams from the four largest classifications in the state in anticipation of the upcoming 2022 season. Here's our look at the Tecumseh Savages. 

HEAD COACH

Ty Bullock, 6th season (26-29 at Tecumseh)

2021 AT A GLANCE

Overall record: 3-7

District record: 2-5, 6th in District 4A-2

Playoffs: Did not qualify

PLAYERS TO WATCH

QB/SS Marquan Krush, 6-2, 170, Jr.

Krush enters his junior season without much experience at the quarterback position. He only competed at the position in one game last year, but this upcoming season will reveal how the three-sport athlete will handle being the primary signal-caller of the offense.

Defensively, Krush will look to add a sense of protection in the secondary as a strong safety.

RB Connor Barksdale, 5-9, 190, Sr.

Barksdale will be a vital player this upcoming season at tailback for the Savages. Last season, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound back had to split a lot of his carries, but he still accumulated 275 yards on the ground.

Barksdale will also hope to bring some value on the defensive front to go along with his offensive benefit.

In 2022, he’ll share the touches at running back with sophomore Shaun Hill as Barksdale looks to close out his high school football career in positive fashion.

DE Wyatt England, 6-2, 235, Sr.

England was an immense contributor last season along the defensive line for the Savages. At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, England is a huge obstacle to get through and is a mobile disruptor in the backfield with his size and tackling prowess.

In 2021, the then-junior defensive lineman posted 53 tackles, but more impressively, England got into the backfield to bring down the quarterback 10.5 times. He will work alongside junior defensive end Keegan Plumley with seniors Brody Moody and Justice Romena playing defensive tackle.

OUTLOOK

As Bullock prepares for his sixth season leading the Savages, he’ll look to push this team over the edge and get past the middle-of-the-pack status which they’ve held for some time.

In 2021, Tecumseh found themselves in a hole after a five-game losing streak, but there were still glimpses of promise throughout the season. With three wins throughout the season, one of them came against an athletic and talented John Marshall team in a 31-30 overtime victory.

While the Savages do return multiple talented starters from last year, they will need to hone in on the defensive side of the ball to put them in better winning positions throughout the season. In every loss last year, the Savages gave up 32 or more points while averaging 11 points themselves in those defeats.

Their hindrances more than likely won’t stem from the offensive side, as the short length of the defense’s field time due to opponents scoring touchdown after touchdown puts more weight on the offense and simultaneously drains them of energy. This is even worse for the large amount of two-way players for the Savages since they must compete non-stop.

But, Tecumseh has some budding defensive talent to help mitigate that issue next season in sophomores Braxton Meier at linebacker and Shaun Hill at defensive back, along with junior safety Marquan Krush. They also have some veteran leadership on that defense in senior defensive end Wyatt England as well as senior linebackers Hunter Hadsall and Jace Frazier.

It will be a season of improvement next year, but it could be a major stepping stone to help this Tecumseh football program compete for future state championships in Class 4A.

COACH SAID

“(Marquan Krush is) a great kid, a tremendous athlete and true leader of our team who will be big time for us on and off the field." - Ty Bullock