With just four seniors, Shawnee has work to do to make another postseason appearance

By Ross Lovelace 

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 Shawnee Wolves. 

HEAD COACH

Jason Sexton

RETURNING STARTERS

2 defense, 2 offense

2021 AT A GLANCE

Overall record: 4-7

District record: 4-3, 4th in District 5A-3

Playoffs: Lost to Collinsville, 60-12, in the opening round of the 5A playoffs

PLAYERS TO WATCH

RB Landon Davis-Barkus, 6-1, 212, Sr.

Davis-Barkus is a Swiss Army knife for this Shawnee football team. At his size, he can pretty much play any position that’s asked of him, and that versatility will give him a great shot to play at the next level.

The team around him will be very young, and defensive coordinators will surely start to key in on Davis-Barkus as the player that leads the Wolves' offense.

He’s an elite athlete that can transition between outside linebacker, safety and running back, with skills to excel at every position. On the offensive end, Davis-Barkus rushed for 579 yards and three touchdowns last season and will have a much bigger role in 2022. He also notched 111 tackles and 14 sacks at linebacker.

If Shawnee can consistently put the ball in his hands, he will make good things happen.

DT Nalyshua Perez, 5-9, 262, Sr.

Perez is a unit on the defensive line and one of the few returning stars from last year’s team.

He was named to the District 5A-3 second team, and will look to turn more reps into more production this season. He’s short in stature, but don’t be fooled as Perez is one of the strongest players on the team.

Perez was shining in the weight room before the football field, showcasing his potential early on. He is one of the top powerlifters in the state and has used his strength in the weight room to help his team in the trenches. His head coach, Jason Sexton, is also the powerlifting coach, further connecting the two.

WR Ren Carter, 6-1, 178, Sr.

Carter will be an athletic wide receiver on the outside for the Wolves, and will be asked to step up into a bigger role on the offense. Carter will also enjoy an expanded role on the defensive side of the ball, which is where he flashed and showed serious potential last season. He recorded 21 tackles and six pass breakups for the Shawnee defense, helping out big time late in the season.

The coaching staff is hoping Carter can take that next step from being a role player to a star player for the Wolves.

OUTLOOK

After back-to-back playoff seasons, Shawnee will be incredibly young next year. The Wolves have experienced great success on the gridiron under head coach Jason Sexton over the past two seasons, but Shawnee has work to do in 2022.

They return just four seniors and will be relying on young talent to step up in big ways across the board. That young talent will certainly improve and develop as the season goes on, but the moment will be big early on for some of the fresh bodies.

The team will rely heavily on Davis-Barkus as an all-around star on both sides of the field. He will be the unquestioned leader on this team, and can help steady the Wolves in a transition year.

If Davis-Barkus explodes onto the scene with added workload and the Wolves have multiple people step up, they could be an under-the-radar team as the season goes on.

The Shawnee coaching staff also does an excellent job of developing players, and many of their potential starters this season are multi-sport athletes. This could be a learning year for a young Shawnee team, but early reps and breakout players could help this team find chemistry as the season progresses.

COACH SAID

"Young, talented, and lead well by our small but business minded handful of seniors! Really enjoy coaching these youngsters!" - Jason Sexton