A 15-0 season capped by the program’s first state championship in 15 years and a No. 8 national ranking put Male on the mountaintop of Kentucky high school football last year.
But as kickoff approaches for the 2016 season, a simple question surrounds the Bulldogs: Can they stay on top?
Consecutive state titles are hard to come by in Kentucky’s largest class, as Trinity and St. Xavier are the only schools to accomplish the feat since Male went back to back in 1963 and 1964.
MORE COVERAGE | Photo gallery from Male practice
And with 32 seniors gone and just two starters back from last year, many prognosticators are looking elsewhere for their favorite to take the 6-A crown this season. Male coach Chris Wolfe even joked his team might be picked to finish last in its five-team district.
But Wolfe also noted the high bar that has been set in the program and the success this year’s seniors have experienced as underclassmen.
“We feel like there’s a momentum in the program,” Wolfe said. “The guys have seen what it takes to win a state championship. They’ve seen what it takes to go 15-0. They know the kind of work ethic it takes. … The theme has been for these guys to leave their legacy and leave their mark.”
The Bulldogs’ quest for a second straight state title will begin next Friday at Floyd Central, and their opener will come with a slew of questions.
Who will replace Hayden Shelton at quarterback? Who will be the next big-play guy to fill the shoes of Zackery Smith and Keion Wakefield? Can the defense possibly come close to approaching last year’s statistic of allowing just 6.2 points per game?
Wolfe isn’t predicting a loss in the early part of the season, but he knows there will be growing pains.
MORE COVERAGE | Ten games to watch in 2016
“Last year’s team was talented and experienced from the very beginning,” he said. “This team is talented, but it’s not experienced. We’re going to see a real growth factor with this team. It’s exciting to see what we might be (when the playoffs start).”
What Male will be in Week 1 is still uncertain.
Senior T.J. Thomas and junior Cam Chesher are battling to be the starting quarterback. Thomas (5 feet 10, 193 pounds) started two playoff games last season when Shelton was injured and for the season completed 71 percent of his passes for 627 yards and six touchdowns.
Thomas is likely to earn the starting nod, but Wolfe said, “We feel like you have to have two quarterbacks at our level in 6-A. Cam is going to get some reps and valuable experience also.”
Junior Dayveon Higgs (6-0, 200) rushed for 324 yards and eight touchdowns and will take over as the main running back. Wolfe described him as a downhill runner.
“He can really pound the ball, and he’s improved his hands,” Wolfe said. “We’re throwing the ball to him out of the backfield more.”
Senior B.K. Smith emerged as a top receiver during the summer, earning a scholarship offer from Eastern Kentucky University, and senior center Andrew Arnold (5-10, 250) is considered the anchor of the offensive line.
Senior linebacker Stephon Mayes (45 tackles) and senior cornerback Nathan Hobbs (29 tackles, three interceptions) are the returning starters on defense. Hobbs reportedly has scholarship offers from Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Southeast Missouri State, Tennessee Tech and Tennessee-Martin.
“I think we’re coming back just as strong as last year,” Hobbs said of the defense. “We have depth at all of our positions. We don’t have a lot of experience, but we have a lot of talent and put in a lot of hard work. I think we’re going to cause problems for offenses this year.”
After the Bulldogs’ huge off-season turnover – including 16 players now with college teams – Wolfe said he’s hoping to follow the model of a University of Alabama program that loses the majority of its starters to graduation or the professional ranks on a yearly basis.
“Alabama is always the least experienced team, and somehow they always end up at the top of the SEC and playing for a chance at a national championship,” Wolfe said. “We’re hoping we can do a little bit of that, too.”
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.