Ballard, Eastern, Oldham County, Trinity: What to know about 4 high school football teams
Here’s a look at the high school football teams in Kentucky’s Class 6A, District Five:
Ballard
Coach: Adrian Morton (seventh season, 41-26)
Last season: 11-3, lost to Male 24-20 in Class 6A semifinal
Offense (6 starters back): The graduation of Tristen Hawkins left big shoes to fill at quarterback, and Morton is still deciding among senior Rashad Nash, junior Noah Barnett and sophomore Larry Irvin as the new starter. Job No. 1 will be getting the ball to senior running back Journey Wyche, who rushed for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. “He’s not a 4.3 kid, but if he breaks it he’s tough to catch,” Morton said. “He’s very explosive. I expect him to have a really, really good senior year.” Junior running back Will Elliott (288 yards, five TDs) and 6-foot-3 junior wide receiver Maurice Stephens (seven catches, two TDs) will be other key weapons. Morton is pleased with a line that returns three starters – juniors Logan Russell, Christian Clark and Ricky Wilson.
Defense (5 starters back): The Bruins will be looking for new leaders after producing one of the state’s top defenses last season, allowing 10.6 points per game with three shutouts. Ballard lost its top four tacklers to graduation. The top returning tackler is senior linebacker Davon Rudolph (76 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks). The line returns three starters – junior Quordair Atkinson (67 tackles, five sacks) and seniors Kaden Lewis (61 tackles, two sacks) and Mikel Clack (55 tackles, five sacks). Senior Montel Campbell (76 tackles, three interceptions) leads the secondary.
Outlook: Morton admitted it took “a couple of months” to get over last year’s season-ending loss to Male in the state semifinals. “You just have to learn from it,” Morton said. “It’s a reset this year. Last year was last year. The good thing is that the kids who’ve been there understand the work it took to get to that point.” With the quarterback spot unsettled, Wyche will have to carry the load on offense and has an experienced line to run behind. Despite the graduation losses, the defense is full of playmakers and should be solid. “They feel like they can compete with anybody now,” Morton said. “I’m proud of where we’ve come with the program since my first year here.”
Schedule:
Aug. 18 – vs. Southwestern#
Aug. 25 – at Male
Sept. 1 – Pleasure Ridge Park
Sept. 8 – Bryan Station
Sept. 15 - at George Rogers Clark
Sept. 22 – Tates Creek
Oct. 6 – Trinity*
Oct. 13 – at Oldham County*
Oct. 20 – at Eastern*
Oct. 27 – at Woodford County
#-Forcht Bank Bowl at Campbellsville
*-Class 6A, District Five game
Eastern
Coach: Ken Whalen (first season, second stint)
Last season: 4-7, lost to Ryle 42-12 in Class 6A first round
Offense (4 starters back): The unit must find a new leader after junior quarterback Kedon Ward transferred to Silver Creek (Indiana). Junior Zane Wagner is in line to be the new starter. Whalen expects junior running back Nathan Wagner - no relation to Zane - and senior wide receiver Josh Shipley (13 catches, 149 yards, two TDs) to be playmakers. Senior Josh Sallaberry and junior Will Bird return on the line.
Defense (6 starters back): Senior linebacker J’Cory Points returns after posting a team-high 96 tackles (49 solo) last season. Shipley (56 tackles) and Wagner (51 tackles) also will be anchors at linebacker, along with junior Will Bird (10 tackles). Sallaberry and senior Tyler Tribble (14 tackles) anchor the line.
Outlook: Whalen returns as the Eagles head coach after an eight-season stint from 2004-11. He posted a 47-43 record in that time, and his 2008 and 2011 squads both reached the third round of the playoffs. Whalen inherits a program that hasn’t had a winning season since going 11-3 and reaching the Class 6A state semifinals in 2012. He will need some time in order to be competitive with the top teams in this district.
Schedule:
Aug. 18 – Tates Creek
Aug. 25 – at Butler
Sept. 1 – at Fairdale
Sept. 8 – Manual
Sept. 15 – at Fern Creek
Sept. 29 – Bullitt Central
Oct. 6 – Oldham County*
Oct. 13 – at Trinity*
Oct. 20 – Ballard*
Oct. 27 – at Paul Dunbar
*-Class 6A, District Five game
Oldham County
Coach: Sean Little (first season)
Last season: 0-11, lost to Paul Dunbar 48-34 in Class 6A first round
Offense (9 starters back): Junior Kingston Dugan returns at quarterback after passing for 276 yards and two touchdowns and also rushing for a score last season. The Colonels averaged just 10.4 points per game, but the offense showed some promise in a 48-34 loss to Paul Dunbar in the first round of the playoffs. Other returning playmakers are senior running back Caden Sheppard (155 yards, three TDs), senior wide receiver Isaac Bowman (seven catches, 50 yards) and senior tight end Zach Hohman. Four linemen return, led by senior Mason Music (6-3, 250).
Defense (8 starters back): The top three tacklers return in junior safety Miller Brown (41, one interception) and senior linebackers Trent Lambert (34) and Josh Soeder (32). Little expects senior linebackers Tyler Roark (20 tackles) and Luke Shatzer to be leaders as well.
Outlook: The Colonels went from 8-3 in 2021 to 0-11 in 2022 and now have a new coach in Little, the former offensive coordinator at Ballard. After escaping east to a district with Lexington-area schools for four seasons, Oldham County is back in the Louisville area with the new KHSAA alignment. At the very least, Little has some experience to work with in the form of 17 returning starters. But there’s work to do to be able to compete with district powers Trinity and Ballard.
Schedule:
Aug. 18 – vs. Lafayette#
Aug. 25 – Shelby County
Sept. 1 – at Fern Creek
Sept. 8 – Collins
Sept. 15 – at South Oldham
Sept. 22 – Atherton
Oct. 6 – at Eastern*
Oct. 13 – Ballard*
Oct. 20 – at Trinity*
Oct. 27 – North Oldham
#-Mingua Beef Jerky Bowl at Henry Clay
*-Class 6A, District Five game
Trinity
Coach: Jay Cobb (third season, 14-13)
Last season: 8-5, lost to Bryan Station 10-7 in Class 6A third round
Offense (6 starters back): Senior Jackson Hepner and junior Will DeSensi are in the running for the starting quarterback spot. Both got playing time last season along with Drew Allen, who graduated. “DeSensi’s arm talent is really good,” Cobb said. “He can make some throws the other guys can’t. Jackson Hepner is one of the hardest-working kids I’ve ever been around.” Junior wide receiver/running back Jeremiah Lynn is the spark plug. He accounted for 853 yards (486 receiving, 367 rushing) and 11 touchdowns (five rushing, three receiving, two punt returns, one kickoff return) last season. Seniors Clint Sansbury (520 yards, four TDs) and Luke Sasser (394, two TDs) return to lead the rushing attack. Senior left tackle Matt Higgins and senior Gabe Kays anchor the line.
Defense (8 starters back): The Shamrocks allowed a respectable 14.8 points per game last season, but Cobb said he wants to see more turnovers in 2023. Senior linebacker Brady McEnaney (6-2, 219) is the top returning tackler (73) and added 9 ½ tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles last year. Other senior leaders include safety Gabe Mingus (60 tackles, one interception), lineman Dane Morrow (56 tackles, eight tackles for loss), safety Lincoln Mitchell (42 tackles), linebacker Drew Davis (40 tackles) and end Nate Tronzo (23 tackles, two sacks).
Outlook: In two seasons under Cobb, the Shamrocks have been eliminated from the playoffs in the third round and in the state semifinals – fine finishes for most programs, but Trinity isn’t most programs. Cobb said he knew his first two seasons would be tough, but the program now is where he expected it to be in Year 3 in terms of roster numbers and talent. Priority No. 1 this season will be finishing drives, as the offense sputtered time after time in the red zone last season and averaged 25.1 points per game. The Shamrocks showed promise in impressive victories over Center Grove (Indiana) and Cincinnati St. Xavier. But this season will be about beating Kentucky opponents in November and – Trinity fans are hoping – in December.
Schedule:
Aug. 18 – Bryan Station
Aug. 25 – Frederick Douglass
Sept. 1 – at Center Grove (Ind.)
Sept. 8 – Carmel (Ind.)
Sept. 15 – at Male
Sept. 22 – vs. St. Xavier (at U of L)
Sept. 29 – at Cincinnati St. Xavier
Oct. 6 – at Ballard*
Oct. 13 – Eastern*
Oct. 20 – Oldham County*
*-Class 6A, District Five game
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA football: Ballard, Eastern, Oldham County, Trinity 2023 previews
