Bulldogs Embrace Summer Grind In Quest For Gold

July Workouts Form Backbone of Sulphur Football Program

Many football games are decided in the closing minutes, while others are won long before the opening kickoff. More often than not, victories are built during the long hours in the weight room and through the grueling conditioning sessions that take place under Oklahoma’s July sun.

For the Sulphur Bulldogs, that work officially resumed Monday as players and coaches returned to the practice field following the Oklahoma Secondary SchoolActivitiesAssociation’s mandatory dead week surrounding the Fourth of July holiday.

After finishing as Class 3A state runner-up for the second consecutive season, head coach Corey Cole said the disappointment of falling just short of a championship has provided plenty of motivation throughout the offseason.

“Last year’s disappointing loss in the state championship has fueled the Bulldogs’ summer workouts,” Cole said.

The Bulldogs entered July after completing a productive spring practice schedule, competing at team camp in Durant and finishing their June Organized Team Activities (OTAs). Now, Cole said, the focus shifts to what he considers the most important month of the offseason.

“The football team had great spring practices, a very competitive team camp at Durant and completed June OTAs,” Cole said. “But now that July has hit, the 2026 season seems so much closer. July has, and always will be, a very important month for Bulldog football. We consider this month the backbone of our football program.

“The weight sessions are very intense and the conditioning program is brutally tough. We feel like if our kids can make it through July, they have a great opportunity to have a very successful football season.”

While the physical aspect of the workouts is demanding, Cole said July also serves another important purpose — building team chemistry and developing leadership.

“We use July as a huge team-bonding time,” he said. “It’s a time to get committed to the team and to each other and to form the Bulldog brotherhood.

“We lost a lot of really good football players in 2025, and they were also great leaders. The summer is when we must find the leaders of 2026.”

Rather than looking ahead to the season opener, Cole said the Bulldogs are concentrating on improving one day at a time.

“Right now, we are just focused on getting better each and every day and looking to embrace every challenge that is put forth each day,” he said.

Although the regular season is still two months away, Cole knows the calendar moves quickly.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how much this team grows together over the next couple of months,” he said. “September 4 will be here before you know it. We have a really tough non-district schedule with Washington, Davis and Gunter, Texas, and we know we must prepare each and every day to give ourselves a chance.

“The summer is a grind, and we have to accept it every day.” The Bulldogs have compiled an impressive 25-3 record over the past two seasons while reaching the Class 3A state championship game both years.

Last season was one of the most memorable in school history. Sulphur opened the year by snapping Washington’s 45-game winning streak before a packed crowd at Agee Field, then reeled off 12 consecutive victories to advance to the state championship game in Edmond.

The Bulldogs ultimately fell to Lincoln Christian for the second straight year, but that defeat has become motivation as another championship pursuit begins.

If Cole is right, the foundation for the 2026 season won’t be built under the Friday night lights this fall. It is being forged now, through countless repetitions in the weight room, demanding conditioning drills and the commitment required to endure another July together.