From DeSales to Western, what to know about the Louisville area's Class 4A football teams

Here’s a look at the Louisville-area high school football teams in Class 4A:

DeSales

Coach: Mike Jackson (second season, 0-10)

Last season: 0-10, did not qualify for Class 3A playoffs

Offense (6 starters back): Peyton Molter returns under center after passing for 1,109 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. His backfield mate, Kaleb Adkins, and top receiving target, Garrett Price, need replacing, however. Jackson is especially keen on junior running back/wide receiver Brandon Williams, saying he's in "the top 5% of skill players I've coached." Williams (6 feet, 175 pounds) missed most of last season with a back injury, but Jackson said he's been clocked running the 40-yard dash in under 4.55 seconds at several camps this summer and will also make contributions on the other side of the ball. All-district selection Landon Blount, Kahlil Brock and tight end Reese Bizzell are back up front.

Defense (6 starters back): Blount, a senior, will pull double duty in the trenches, joining returning junior defensive end Desmond Richards. The unit also brings back Cole Mays (senior) and Aiden Lanham (junior) at inside linebacker and seniors Broderick Price and Evan Hoard in the secondary. Jackson said junior DaVon Martin, who runs point guard on the Colts' basketball team, will have a role to play as a "lock-down" defensive back and a wideout, having caught nine passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns last season.

Outlook: After a 15-26 run in Class 3A over the past four years, DeSales moves up to Class 4A looking for its first win since Oct. 15, 2021. Its best chances should come when District Three play begins Sept. 15 at Valley, kicking off a five-game stretch against teams that went a combined 11-42 during the 2022 season. In a preseason poll conducted by The Courier Journal, each of those teams' head coaches ranked the Colts No. 1 in the district when asked to take their squads out of the equation.

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Schedule:

Aug. 18 – at Seneca

Aug. 25 – North Oldham

Sept. 1 – Kentucky Country Day

Sept. 8 – at Lafayette

Sept. 15 – at Valley*

Sept. 22 – Western*

Sept. 29 – at Waggener*

Oct. 12 – at Jeffersontown*

Oct. 20 – Doss*

Oct. 27 – John Hardin

*Class 4A, District Three game

Doss

Coach: Paul Mandeville (first season)

Last season: 3-8, lost to Atherton 52-14 in first round of Class 5A playoffs

Offense (5 starters back): Mandeville is moving Doss' top playmaker, Quinten Shaw, to wide receiver after he passed for 1,488 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for another 536 and 10 as a junior. Fellow senior Terius Lewis is taking over the reins at quarterback; he attempted just four passes last year while rushing 30 times for 214 yards. A trio of juniors will also be crucial to the Dragons' success moving the ball: Jordan Robertson at running back along with Jameaze Hollis, an all-district selection, and Nasir McFadden on the offensive line.

Defense (2 starters back): Mandeville pegged juniors Bayrice Mears (defensive lineman) and Josh Decius (linebacker) as his lone returners on defense, but Doss' leading tackler from last season, Tyvon Betts, is also listed on its roster as a senior. Hollis and McFadden should be contributors, too, after they tallied a combined 50 tackles, 34 of which were unassisted, in 2022 and McFadden led the team with three sacks. Lewis, who picked off a pass last year, and Shaw, who had 10 tackles, are likely two-way players again this year.

Outlook: In The Courier Journal's preseason poll, head coaches at four of Doss' five District Three opponents voted the Dragons third or better after moving from Class 5A to 4A. Replacing wide receiver/defensive back Jerry Kpehe – an all-district punt returner who accounted for 12 touchdowns, 1,047 yards of offense and four interceptions as a senior – will be a tall task, but perhaps Shaw taking up the mantle at wideout means an even bigger 2023 campaign is in store. Doss will need to have a strong showing in district play, because it went 0-4 and got outscored 178-46 against Southern, Seneca, Atherton and Fairdale last year.

Schedule:

Aug. 18 – Southern

Sept. 1 – Seneca

Sept. 8 – at Atherton

Sept. 15 – Western*

Sept. 22 – at Jeffersontown*

Sept. 29 – Valley*

Oct. 13 – Waggener*

Oct. 20 – at DeSales*

Oct. 27 – at Fairdale

*Class 4A, District Three game

Jeffersontown

Coach: Donte Ellison (second season, 0-10)

Last season: 0-10, did not qualify for Class 5A playoffs

Offense (8 starters back): Senior Lukus McDaniels will line up primarily at tight end, Ellison said, after leading Jeffersontown in passing attempts (72), rushing attempts (65), rushing yards (343) and rushing touchdowns (four) last season. The Chargers' top receiver from 2022 (Cam'Ron McDaniels) is back and looking to build on an all-district sophomore campaign that saw him catch 21 passes for 475 yards and three scores. Four starters are returning on the offensive line — juniors Joe Bell (all-district) and Josh Poplin and seniors Ryan Moore and Camron Woods — to block for tailback Kaden Ruff, who as a junior carried the ball 41 times for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Last year's leader in passing yards, Marjon Pickett, graduated.

Defense (10 starters back): The lone starter who will need to be replaced is Deontraz Stoudemire, who tallied a team-high 56 tackles in 2022. In addition to his offensive skills, Lukus McDaniels is also Jeffersontown's top returning tackler with 47 (32 unassisted) during an all-district season at linebacker. He also intercepted three passes. Cam'Ron McDaniels, another linebacker, led the Chargers in sacks (four) to go along with 23 tackles. The rest of the returners — Bell and Moore at defensive line and Ruff, Jequay Beaver, Alazay Beckey, Damone Gidron and Ladarion Smith in the secondary — combined for 122 tackles.

Outlook: Having lost 31 of its past 38 games dating back to the 2019 season, Jeffersontown returns to Class 4A on the hunt for its first victory since Oct. 21, 2021. The Chargers open the 2023 campaign with three opportunities to get off the schneid — against Iroquois (1-9 in 2022), Shawnee (2-8) and Breckinridge County (0-10) — before ramping up for district play by hosting a team that reached last year's Class 1A semifinals, Holy Cross. Two of Ellison's five District Three head-coaching colleagues voted his team second in The Courier Journal's preseason poll, but there's a lot of work to be done after the 2022 squad averaged 9.2 points per game while allowing opponents to rack up 46.2 per contest.

Schedule:

Aug. 18 – at Iroquois

Aug. 25 – Shawnee

Sept. 1 – at Breckinridge County

Sept. 8 - Holy Cross

Sept. 15 – Waggener*

Sept. 22 – Doss*

Sept. 29 – at Western*

Oct. 12 – DeSales*

Oct. 20 – at Valley*

Oct. 27 – at Bullitt Central

*Class 4A, District Three game

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North Oldham

Coach: Brock Roberts (first season)

Last season: 5-7, lost to Central 31-7 in second round of Class 4A playoffs

Offense (8 starters back): The Mustangs' pass-happy offense remains mostly intact but lost top wide receiver Liam Hutson to graduation. Senior quarterback Jace Bullock, the most prolific passer in school history, connected with returning wideouts Mack Pyle (senior), Gray Schmittel (junior) and Luke Tompkins (sophomore, all-district) for a combined 761 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. Noah Leber will join Bullock in the backfield after carrying the ball just eight times but catching six passes for 114 yards and a score as a junior. All-district selection Gradey Anthony (junior), Wyatt Drury (senior) and Max Fadel (senior) are the returners up front.

Defense (4 starters back): Leber is on pace to become North Oldham's all-time leading tackler after he posted a single-season record 144 (41 unassisted) in 2022 to go along with four tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Pyle and Tompkins will also go two ways; they combined for 103 tackles in the secondary last year, while Pyle picked off three passes and returned one for a score. Hutson's absence will be felt on this side of the ball, too, after he tied for second across KHSAA in interceptions (eight) and ran more back for touchdowns (three) than anyone in the commonwealth. Charlie Bradley, an all-district tight end last year, returns on the defensive line after a 60-tackle junior season.

Outlook: Roberts replaces Jamie Brown, who in his second year leading North Oldham notched the school's first playoff win since its run to the 2014 Class 4A semifinals. Although the Mustangs averaged just 18.5 points per game in 2022, their core of offensive returners appears promising, especially if Bullock, a 49% passer in 288 attempts last season, can limit his interceptions (16 in 2022) during his final go-around. Some breathing room would be a boon to a defense that surrendered on average just 20.7 points per contest last year with seven new starters entering the fold. It'll be a team effort to account for the loss of Hutson's big-play ability — and to keep up with reigning state semifinalist Franklin County in District Four.

Schedule:

Aug. 18 – Fern Creek

Aug. 25 – at DeSales

Sept. 1 – at Tates Creek

Sept. 8 – South Oldham

Sept. 15 – Shelby County*

Sept. 22 – Henry County*

Sept. 29 – at Franklin County*

Oct. 13 – at Western Hills*

Oct. 20 – Spencer County*

Oct. 27 – at Oldham County

*Class 4A, District Four game

Shelby County

Coach: Marcus Harris (second season, 5-6)

Last season: 5-6, lost to Spencer County 56-28 in first round of Class 4A playoffs

Offense (8 starters back): Shelby County returns its top passer, senior Chandler Hill (60 for 120, 1,119 yards, 11 touchdowns), and its top rusher, junior Gianni Hunter (224 carries, 1,418 yards, 20 TDs), from an offense that averaged 26.2 points and 308.7 yards per game last season. Carter White needs replacing at wide receiver after catching a team-high 32 passes for 612 yards and six touchdowns, but the Rockets bring back seniors Landon Ford (18 catches, 345 yards, five TDs) and Bishop Bale (15 catches, 227 yards, one TD). Returning starters on the offensive line are: seniors Evelio Chun and Jarred Bradford and junior Adwin McDuffus.

Defense (8 starters back): Linebacker Isaac Estrada will look to follow up a stellar freshman campaign, during which he led Shelby County in tackles (111, 31 unassisted) to go along with four interceptions. Fellow sophomore Adavion Dale will try to do the same after he picked off a team-high six passes and totaled 24 tackles in the secondary. Hunter (59 tackles), junior safety Kobe Booker (54 tackles) and last year's sack leader, sophomore defensive end Donnez Marshall (four), are among the returning starters, too.

Outlook: Harris and a talented group of returners are poised to make a run at Shelby County's first winning season since 2019. The Rockets' schedule is getting more difficult — their 2023 opponents went a combined 56-61 in 2022, while last season's foes finished 47-71 — but only five teams on this year's slate posted records above .500. Two District Four matchups at home will serve as particularly telling barometers for the program's growth: Sept. 22 against Franklin County and Oct. 6 against Spencer County, which was four touchdowns better than Harris' inaugural squad in the first round of the playoffs last fall.

Schedule:

Aug. 18 – at Collins

Aug. 25 – at Oldham County

Sept. 1 – Mercer County

Sept. 8 – Paul Dunbar

Sept. 15 – at North Oldham*

Sept. 22 – Franklin County*

Sept. 29 – at Western Hills*

Oct. 6 – Spencer County*

Oct. 20 – at Henry County*

Oct. 27 – Atherton

*Class 4A, District Four game

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Spencer County

Coach: Mike Marksbury (12th season, 77-57)

Last season: 10-2, lost to Franklin County 40-14 in second round of Class 4A playoffs

Offense (3 starters back): Spencer County's potent Wing T attack ranked sixth in KHSAA with 3,794 rushing yards last season but lost a combined 2,365 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground between outgoing seniors Wade Hutt, Camden Cardwell and Gabe Bowling, who also threw for 944 yards and 14 scores. All-district selection Kellen Marksbury is the top returning skill position player after rushing for 1,073 yards and 12 touchdowns and catching 15 passes for 406 yards and eight scores as a junior. Conner Lawson (senior) and Tanner Shular (junior) provide continuity on an offensive line that lost two all-district players to graduation.

Defense (5 starters back): Three of the Bears' nine all-district selections from 2022 are back on defense: Marksbury and senior Ethan Hampton in the secondary and last year's leading tackler, senior middle linebacker Nick Stowe. The other two returners, seniors Jacob Blansett (defensive tackle) and Keenan Carnes (outside linebacker), combined for 111 tackles, eight tackles for loss and a sack. Working in tandem with a ball-control offense, the unit surrendered on average only 17.3 points per game and forced 23 turnovers.

Outlook: The only team to beat Class 6A champion Bullitt East in 2022, Spencer County gave what many consider the best squad in school history (2015) a run for its money last year. The Bears' stellar season came to an end at the hands of Franklin County, which stands to be their stiffest competition in District Four. They'll get a rematch with the Flyers on Sept. 15 after opening the 2023 campaign with games against four teams that went a combined 34-15 in 2022, putting their 14 new starters to the test right out of the gate.

Schedule:

Aug. 19 – vs. Hart County#

Aug. 25 – at Collins

Sept. 1 – South Oldham

Sept. 8 – Fairdale

Sept. 15 – at Franklin County*

Sept. 22 – Western Hills*

Sept. 29 – Henry County*

Oct. 6 – at Shelby County*

Oct. 20 – at North Oldham*

Oct. 27 – Nelson County

#Don Franklin Bowl at Nelson County

*Class 4A, District Four game

Valley

Coach: Robert Henning (second season, 4-7)

Last season: 4-7, lost to North Oldham 41-0 in first round of Class 4A playoffs

Offense (2 starters back): Aside from offensive linemen Logan Watanabe (sophomore) and John Whitely (junior), Valley is starting from scratch with a unit that featured three all-district selections but was shut out in four of its 11 games last season and held to an average of 12.7 points per contest. "We want to open the playbook a bit more this year," Henning said.

Defense (2 starters back): Senior outside linebacker Josh Coggins is the team's top returning tackler from last season (43). He also logged an interception, a fumble recovery and four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. Fellow senior Kendrall Hamlett added 36 tackles, picked off a pass and forced a fumble at cornerback. Valley's lone all-district departure is inside linebacker Terryohn Woods, who anchored unit that allowed 32.9 points per game with 90 tackles.

Outlook: Valley had just five wins dating back to the 2018 season before Henning led the team to four victories last fall, snapping a 10-game losing streak going back to Oct. 24, 2020, in the process. "We are very inexperienced," Henning said, "but we are working and learning diligently. We really want to build from our growth last year." There should be plenty of chances for the Vikings to do that considering their 2023 opponents had a combined record of 19-86 during the 2022 campaign, with no team on the favorable schedule winning more than four games last year.

Schedule:

Aug. 18 – at Washington County

Aug. 25 – Southern

Sept. 1 – at Shawnee

Sept. 8 – Breckinridge County

Sept. 15 – DeSales*

Sept. 22 – Waggener*

Sept. 29 – at Doss*

Oct. 13 – at Western*

Oct. 20 – Jeffersontown*

Oct. 27 – at Fort Knox

*Class 4A, District Three game

Waggener

Coach: Tye Lawson (fifth season, 10-27)

Last season: 1-9, did not make Class 4A playoffs

Offense (4 starters back): Like Valley, Waggener was shut out in four games last year and averaged less than two touchdowns (9.9 points) per contest. Starting quarterback Josh Steineker must be replaced, but whoever takes over under center will be working with junior tailback Jacobi Jones, who totaled 714 yards and six touchdowns on 110 carries last season while catching 15 passes for 157 and a score. Wide receiver Dayvonne Evans (three catches, 12 yards; four carries, 46 yards), tight end Ayden Owens (two catches, 31 yards) and tackle Arvon Roach round out the returners.

Defense (4 starters back): Junior defensive back Reginald Palmer returns after leading the Wildcats with 16 tackles in 2022. Owens (defensive end) and Evans (defensive back) will play both ways, and Jones could also see time on the other side of the ball considering he was one of just five players to total more than 10 tackles last season. Lawson said underclassman Jemal Wremeo, who appeared in eight games as a freshman, is in line to start in the secondary. The unit gave up 45.2 points per game in Year 4 under Lawson and allowed opponents to eclipse that mark in each of the final five weeks of the campaign.

Outlook: Since Lawson's five-win debut with Waggener in 2019, the Wildcats have gone 5-21 over the past three seasons. The group of mostly newcomers on both sides of the ball will try to work out the kinks during a 2023 slate that includes Grant County (0-10 in 2022), Iroquois (1-9), Jeffersontown (0-10) and Shawnee (2-8) instead of last year's gauntlet of Central (9-5), Fairdale (11-2), Franklin County (8-6) and Seneca (8-4).

Schedule:

Aug. 19 – vs. Grant County#

Aug. 25 – Iroquois

Sept. 1 – at Moore

Sept. 8 – at Williamsburg

Sept. 15 – at Jeffersontown*

Sept. 22 – at Valley*

Sept. 29 – DeSales*

Oct. 13 – at Doss*

Oct. 20 – Western*

Oct. 27 – Shawnee

#Eminence Bowl

*Class 4A, District Three game

Western

Coach: Michael Crowe (first season)

Last season: 3-8, lost to South Oldham 42-0 in first round of Class 5A playoffs

Offense (3 starters back): Junior tailback Xavion Ware, who in 2022 became Western's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017, headlines a small group of returners from a unit that averaged 15.4 points per game last year. Ware carried the ball 151 times for 1,192 yards (7.8 yard per carry) and seven touchdowns. Darrion Stringer is in line to start under center after completing 26 of his 51 pass attempts for 407 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman, but the Warriors lost their top four receivers to graduation. Sophomore Marquavion Sheckles is the lone holdover on the offensive line.

Defense (3 starters back): Western will lean on the linebacking duo of junior Ramont Freeman, who led the Warriors with 130 tackles (76 unassisted) and three forced fumbles, and senior Kilieon Jones, who chipped in 58 tackles (40 solo) and five sacks. Junior SeanTavis Davidson is returning to the secondary; he totaled 30 tackles, three going for a loss of yards, a sack and a forced fumble. The unit surrendered on average 21.5 points per game but allowed opponents to rack up 30 or more in four of its eight losses.

Outlook: Crowe inherits a program that is 7-41 over its past five seasons, but Western's three wins in 2022 were its most since an 8-5 run in 2017. Four of his five District Three head-coaching colleagues had the Warriors in the bottom two of The Courier Journal's preseason poll. They'll prepare to prove them wrong by cutting their teeth against four teams that posted winning records last year to kick off the 2023 campaign.

Schedule:

Aug. 18 – at Carroll County

Aug. 25 – at Seneca

Sept. 1 – at Holy Cross

Sept. 8 – Campbellsville

Sept. 15 – at Doss*

Sept. 22 – at DeSales*

Sept. 29 – Jeffersontown*

Oct. 13 – Valley*

Oct. 20 – at Waggener*

Oct. 27 – Moore

*Class 4A, District Three game

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA football: Season previews for Louisville-area Class 4A teams