Lafayette football eyes title with all eyes on them

Synopsis

Coach: Eric Shaw (fourth year)

Last season: 12-3 (lost to Male in the finals of Class 6A playoffs)

Outlook: No public school in Lexington got closer to tasting a championship than the Generals, who were the final victim of Male’s impressive run to an undefeated big-school title. Gone are names like Mason Alstatt and Landon Young, but back are Mr. Football hopefuls Jedrick Wills and Walker Wood, along with a host of players who know what it takes to make it to Bowling Green. No city team will have a bigger target on its back.

Other expected contributors: Will Bischoff (sr. OL), Quinten Brown (sr. WR), Xavier Douglas (sr. DT), De’Kwan Edwards (jr. WR), Matthew Guilfoil (jr. WR), Branden Layne (sr. LB), Cameron Morgan (jr. DB), Ean Shaw (jr. LB), Alex Simpson (sr. OL), Jordan Thomas (sr. DB)

Senior spotlight

Brown, who led Lafayette with more than 1,200 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2015, takes strength and conditioning seriously.

“I feel like if you lift hard and you go hard in the weight room, it prevents injury. We want to be able to play all 15 games but you can’t do that without taking it serious in the weight room.”

Brown was recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association for his work ethic. He was named a 2016 All-American Athlete by the organization in June.

For a player to be considered, they must be nominated by a certified strength coach who possesses a college degree in a related field. Lafayette assistant Ed Towle fit that criteria; in more than 20 years of coaching, Brown was only the third nomination he made.

“He had a great (2015) season and it was because of all the hard work he puts into the weight room as well as working on his flexibility, speed, agility and conditioning,” Towle said.

Coach’s corner

Shaw: “I tell my sons all the time, we can’t worry about what happens and what people think outside of the circle. When you start paying attention to that you kind of lose yourself and lose your identity. So our focus is what we believe in, what we need to do to get better and that’s gonna be the goal this season.”

Fightin’ words

Junior linebacker Ean Shaw: “I’m just trying to come out and hit somebody pretty much. I’m ready to play. I’ve been waiting since last year after we lost when we went to Bowling Green.”

This story was originally published August 19, 2016 at 6:56 AM with the headline "Lafayette football eyes title with all eyes on them."