Herald-Leader Top 10: Kentucky Class 6A high school football preseason poll for 2021

Editor’s Note: This is the last in a series of stories ranking Kentucky’s high school football teams class by class, according to voting by the class’s coaches.

In the illustrious history of Louisville’s Male High School football program, it has never gone to four straight state championship games.

The eight-time champion lies on the cusp of that milestone and appears to be the favorite to claim its ninth large-school trophy. The Bulldogs won it all in 2018 during this stretch with everyone’s archrival Trinity taking the other two.

This year, Male returns as much or more experience as any team in Class 6A and, accordingly, garnered the most No. 1 votes (13) in the @HLpreps Preseason Football Survey of the state’s Class 6A coaches. But even with a new head coach and nearly every one of its 2021 title game starters graduated, Trinity came in at No. 2 and received nine first-place nods in the poll. St. Xavier got the other two No. 1 votes from the 24 coaches returning a list.

Here are the preseason top 10 teams in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Class 6A as voted on by coaches in the division.

1. Male

Head coach: Chris Wolfe (12th season).

Last year: 8-2. District 4 champs. Region champs. Lost 28-0 to Trinity in the state finals.

Quick look: Senior defensive lineman Selah Brown tops the list of a three-star studded set of top recruits for the Bulldogs. That list also includes wideout Vinny Anthony, a Wisconsin commit, linebacker Elijah Manning, set for Air Force, and junior cornerback Jeremiah Monroe, coveted by Kentucky and Louisville, among others. William Spencer, a 6-foot-5 junior linebacker, wrecks the theme by actually having four stars, according to 247Sports.com. But you get the idea. Male is loaded, and we haven’t even mentioned that all five of its starting offensive linemen return in front of senior quarterback Nic Schutte, a Western Kentucky baseball commit.

Marquee matchup: Male hosts this year’s regular-season tilt versus Trinity on Sept. 17. Male has two state titles in the last seven years. Trinity has the other five.

2. Trinity

Head coach: Jay Cobb (first season).

Last year: 10-0. State champions. Defeated Male 28-0 in the state finals.

Quick look: No one will feel sorry for the Shamrocks even after losing 21 of 22 starters off a team that helped give the program back-to-back state titles. But the school that’s won 27 state titles doesn’t do “rebuilding” years. Trinity reloads. And having leading rusher Armon Tucker back (819 yards, 13 TDs) is a good starting point. “Our players know the expectation and they are willing to do the work to get there,” said Cobb, who was defensive coordinator for hall of famer Bob Beatty before being named his successor. The expectation, of course, is a state title. “Obviously, the inexperience of our team will be the challenge.”

Marquee matchup: The annual game between Catholic-school giants St. Xavier and Trinity returns to Cardinal Stadium on Sept. 24.

3. St. Xavier

Head coach: Kevin Wallace (fourth season).

Last year: 6-3. District 3 champs. Region champs. Lost 31-0 to Trinity in the state semifinals.

Quick look: The Tigers return an experienced defensive front seven that was among the tops in the state in rushing yards allowed (81 per game) and sacks (25). That front is led by junior outside linebacker Jaxon Panariello who led the team in tackles with 49 and junior defensive lineman Micah Carter, a three-star recruit targeted by Kentucky. Mekhi Smith, a 5-11 senior, led the team in scoring (nine TDs) and receiving (419 yards), and could also run it out of the backfield.

Marquee matchup: St. X hosts Male on Sept. 3.

4. Manual

Head coach: Scott Carmony (sixth season).

Last year: 3-2. Lost 10-6 to St. Xavier in the first round of the playoffs.

Quick look: Manual will have some inexperience on both sides of the ball with only five returning starters on offense and six on defense, but the Crimsons have one of the state’s best running backs. Jawaun Northington, a three-star junior, has offers from six colleges including Kentucky, according to 247Sports.com. He averaged 117 yards per game and scored nine TDs in 2020. Senior linebackers Ramont Townsend and Tavon Johnson lead the defense and have experience behind them in defensive backs Amare Townsend and Bryce Yates.

Marquee matchup: Dating to 1918, the Old Rivalry with Male missed last year due to COVID-19. It resumes at Manual on Oct. 29.

5. Bryan Station

Head coach: Phillip Hawkins (second season).

Last year: 10-2. District 8 champs. Lost 21-16 to Paul Laurence Dunbar in the region finals.

Quick look: In his first year with the Defenders, Hawkins’ reset button turned a three-win team into a district champion. He knows this year’s team won’t sneak up on anyone. Running back Joey Bond went for nearly 1,400 yards as a junior and now has junior transfer Jeremiah Mundy-Lloyd as a backfield mate to alternate punishing defenses. Leading receiver AhTraivon Jenkins is back as a fifth-year senior. Terik Mulder, a 6-5 senior, has converted from quarterback to tight end as sophomore Trenton Cutwright comes over from the baseball team to take the snaps this year.

Marquee matchup: A region title rematch comes Oct. 29 as Station hosts Dunbar.

6. North Hardin

Head coach: Brent Thompson (10th season).

Last year: 9-1. District 2 champs. Lost 16-9 to St. Xavier in the region finals.

Quick look: Manie Wimberly begins his third year as starting quarterback for a Trojans team that will be looking for its next weapons around him. Senior athlete QueShaun Davis, junior wideout Shawn Rose and sophomore wideout Shaun Boykins will be stepping into those roles as an experienced set of trench players who include 6-7, 325-pound junior Trey Alexander and 6-3, 260-pound junior Demoni Taylor help set the tone. “A lot of people will consider this a rebuilding year at NHHS yet I am excited to see what this group of players is able to do on Friday nights,” Thompson said.

Marquee matchup: Class 4A defending champion Boyle County comes to Radcliffe on Sept. 24.

7. Ballard

Head coach: Adrian Morton (sixth season).

Last year: 2-2. Season ended prior to playoffs due to COVID-19 protocols.

Quick look: Morton likes the experience at his offensive skill positions even though the Bruins only got in four games last season. Ballard has seniors for most of those spots — Tristen Hawkins, quarterback, Keshawn Hargrove, running back, Chaunte Marrero, Emari Young and Jaden Minkins at wide receiver, and Malachi Farmer at tight end. Jadarion Smith, a 6-3 senior defensive lineman, is the team’s leading returning tackler and had a team-high six sacks in four games.

Marquee matchup: The west-side rivalry with Butler takes place at Ballard on Sept. 17.

8. McCracken County

Head coach: Marc Clark (sixth season).

Last year: 6-3. District 1 champs. Lost 40-13 in the region finals.

Quick look: Multiple-year starters return to the Mustangs’ defensive front seven led by Isaiah Keys, who had a team-high 70 tackles in 2021. Hunter Bradley rushed for 1,142 yards, and 13 TDs and returns as a fifth-year senior, but he’ll be behind a largely untested offensive line. Clark expects a big jump from quarterback Pryor Lamb, a 6-1 junior who started every game last year and threw for more than 1,100 yards and 14 TDs. He’ll have leading receivers Zander Mayes and Jeremiah Hughes running the patterns again.

Marquee matchup: The Mustangs travel to Apollo on Sept. 24 in an important district game.

9. Dixie Heights

Head coach: David Brossart (10th season).

Last year: 6-4. District 6 champs. Lost 56-0 to Trinity in the region finals.

Quick look: The Colonels return a roster full of playmakers including senior dual-threat quarterback Logan Landers (1,843 yards, 13 TDs passing/409 yards, seven TDs rushing), senior running back Pierce Rohlman (772 yards, 10 TDs) and senior wideout Devin Holbert, (923 yards, eight TDs). Senior offensive tackle Evan Wibberley ranks as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com and has multiple Division I offers, including Western Kentucky and Marshall.

Marquee matchup: The Colonels host district rival Ryle on Oct. 15 in a game that could decide home field early in the playoffs.

10. Paul Laurence Dunbar

Head coach: Wes Johnson (fourth season).

Last year: 7-3. District 7 champs. Region champ. Lost 49-9 to Male in the state semifinals.

Quick look: He took the Bulldogs from 0-10 before he arrived to a region title in his third season, and Johnson has no plans to let up now. Kamarion Robinson led Dunbar in rushing with 815 yards and five touchdowns and will have an experienced line in front of him including twins Sam and Sy Turley, who each check in at 6-2, 270. Sam earned all-state honors last year. Sophomore Cole Colony takes over at QB and will do double duty at corner. Fifth-year senior John Law comes back to lead the defense.

Marquee matchup: Dunbar gets Class 5A No. 1 Frederick Douglass at home on Sept. 10.

Others receiving votes

(In order of votes received)

Ryle, Henderson County, Fern Creek, Oldham County, Pleasure Ridge Park, Tates Creek, Simon Kenton, Central Hardin, Daviess County, Bullitt East, Meade County, Apollo and Madison Central.

Survey method: These rankings reflect the participation of coaches from 24 of the 33 Class 6A teams (72.7%). Every coach in the division was given the opportunity to participate in the @HLpreps annual survey emailed to their address listed on KHSAA.org. Multiple attempts were made to contact each coach.

This story was originally published August 14, 2021 at 6:30 AM.

Jared Peck

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-488-2883

Jared Peck, the Herald-Leader’s Digital Sports Writer, covers high school athletics and has been with the company as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. Support my work with a digital subscription