EDMOND NORTH HUSKIES
Coach: CARTER WHITSON
3-8
The 2026 Edmond North Huskies see this fall as the payoff for a multi-year rebuild under third-year head coach Carter Whitson. After going 3-8 in 2025, North brings back “a ton of experience” on both sides of the ball and believes this season will showcase the veteran leadership it has been developing for three years. In rugged 6A-I, the Huskies view 2026 as their opportunity to take a meaningful step forward and “make a run” with a mature roster.
Offensively, eight starters return in an 11-personnel, up-tempo spread system built around RPOs and attacking defenses both vertically and horizontally. Senior quarterback Chauncey Cravens (5-10, 175) is back for his third year as the starter after throwing for 1,976 yards and 12 touchdowns and adding six rushing scores in 2025. He is joined by his top two receivers: senior Reece Fisher (5-11, 185), who logged 578 yards and four touchdowns, and junior Tripp Jones (6-3, 180), who produced 485 yards and five scores. The backfield is deep with seniors Zay Roberson (360 yards, four touchdowns) and Owen Murrell (135 yards, two scores) among the leading rushers returning, while rising sophomore tight end Parker McMahan and senior Owen Hughes are expected to emerge at tight end. Junior tackle and D1 prospect Wyatt Knol (6-6, 255) and junior lineman Jake Herndon will anchor a retooled line replacing three graduated seniors.
Defensively, coordinator Tyler Caid enters his second year with 10 returning starters and a multiple-front scheme that moves standout edge rusher Kaden Collins around to create matchup problems. Collins (6-3, 225), a senior Division I recruit, posted 35 tackles and five sacks last season, while sophomore nose guard Rhodes Molenda (6-4, 265) had 37 tackles and six sacks as a freshman and is expected to be a force in the middle. At linebacker, seniors Brayden Hock (55 tackles, two sacks) and Spencer Nowlin join junior Hudson Hunter (80 tackles, two sacks) in a productive and physical group. The secondary features returning starters in senior Ayden Brown (6-3, 215) at free safety/outside linebacker, senior Deuce Martin and junior corner Peyson Roberts (21 tackles). The defensive philosophy is to be “fast and physical,” pressure the quarterback and stop the run while using veteran experience to disguise looks and disrupt offensive rhythm.
Cravens is Edmond North’s Top 100 nominee and epitomizes the program’s resurgence as a rare dominant dual-sport athlete in 6A. Whitson notes that Cravens is a three-year starter at quarterback and point guard, leading the school in passing, rushing, basketball scoring, assists and rebounds, which underscores his competitiveness and leadership. Molenda, meanwhile, is a player to watch after starting at nose tackle as a freshman and serving as the heavyweight wrestler on the school’s powerhouse wrestling team, finishing as the second-leading defensive lineman in sacks in 2025. With that blend of star power, depth and experience, Edmond North believes it is ready to show the rest of 6A-I that the rebuild is complete.
8-28 – vs. Santa Fe
9-4 – at Deer Creek
9-11 – at PC North
9-25 – at Memorial
10-2 – vs. Norman North
10-9 – at Mustang
10-15 – vs. Westmoore
10-23 – vs. Bixby
10-30 – at Southmoore
11-5 – vs. Broken Arrow
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