Bullitt East, Fern Creek, Male, Southern football: What you need to know this season

Here's a breakdown of the high school football teams in Kentucky’s Class 6A, District Four:

Bullitt East (8-4 record in 2021)

Coach: Keegan Kendrick (first season)

Offense (10 starters back): The Chargers return all of the playmakers that helped them score 38.8 points per game last season, ranking third in Class 6A. Senior quarterback Travis Egan could be in the Mr. Football hunt after passing for 2,614 yards and 30 touchdowns and also rushing for nine scores last year. Senior wide receivers Nolan Davenport (69 catches, 1,143 yards, 19 TDs) and Camron Brogan (67 catches, 955 yards, eight TDs) both return, and don’t forget about senior running back Mason Gauthier (1,602 rushing yards, 23 TDs). Four starters are back on the line, led by seniors Peyton Stafford, Jacob Kaufman and Sebastian Espinoza.

Defense: (6 starters back): The Chargers lost three of their top four tacklers to graduation and will need to improve on this side of the ball after allowing 26.3 points per game last season. Senior linebacker Braxton Joslin is the top returning tackler (59 total, 11 ½ for loss), and junior end Isaiah Hare (44 tackles) showed promise with a team-high nine sacks and three fumble recoveries. Junior Jack Zwernemann (34 tackles, two interceptions) anchors the secondary.

Outlook: The Chargers enjoyed a breakout season in 2021 but then lost head coach Ethan Atchley, who first took the job at Lafayette and now is at Frankfort. Enter Keegan Kendrick, who was the Chargers offensive coordinator last season. Bullitt East figures to put up a lot of points, which will allow the newcomers on defense to figure things out by district play. It’s a district led by Male, which thumped the Chargers twice last season — 55-14 in the regular season and 56-8 in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. “We need to learn to not be satisfied with being just a good football team,” Kendrick said. “We need to crave a higher standard.”

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Fern Creek (4-7)

Coach: Josh Abell (ninth season, 58-33)

Offense (4 starters back): Junior Landon Edwards takes over at quarterback after starting four games last season, and senior Camren Trice is the top returning running back (259 yards, four touchdowns). The line will be anchored by senior James Malone and junior Tim Cherry, a 6-foot-2, 289-pounder whom Abell expects to have a big season. The Tigers managed just 25 total points in four games against district opponents last season, including a pair of shutouts against Male.

Defense (4 starters back): The Tigers lost their top eight tacklers from a defense that allowed 22.9 points per game. The top returning tackler is junior defensive back Landon Edwards (25 tackles). He also had two interceptions in 2021. Also back are senior lineman Javon Fisher (19 tackles), senior linebacker Elijah Weyrauch (13 tackles) and junior back Ramari Taylor (13 tackles). Taylor has offers from Eastern Kentucky and Murray State. Abell expects senior Kendrick Johnson (6-0, 305 pounds) to emerge as a leader on the line.

Outlook: The Tigers lost six of their final seven games in 2021 and posted their first losing record in a complete season since going 2-9 in 2012. They must improve on offense, and Trice showed some promise last season while averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Abell is hopeful a coaching staff that includes six of his former players can help turn things around.

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Male (13-1)

Coach: Chris Wolfe (13^th season, 127-32)

Offense (3 starters back): Senior Lucas Cobler and junior Kolter Smith are vying to replace Nic Schutte at quarterback. Wolfe said it’s possible both could see playing time early in the season until one emerges as the definitive starter. Whoever gets the job will hand off a lot to senior running back Daniel Swinney, who carried for 1,659 yards and 29 touchdowns last year. Junior wide receiver Max Gainey (39 catches, 571 yards, eight TDs) will miss the first half of the season with a broken collarbone, but Wolfe expects senior Matthew Hinz and junior Shammai Gates to have big seasons catching the ball. Senior Antonio Taylor is the only returning starter on the line.

Defense (4 starters back): The Bulldogs graduated eight of the top nine tacklers from a stingy unit that allowed just 9.4 points per game and posted five shutouts last year. All of the starters with experience are in the secondary, where senior safeties Romel Sheffield and Demetrius Dunlap, senior cornerback D.J. Cooper and sophomore cornerback Antonio Harris will lead. Sheffield missed all of last season with an injury. Harris has offers from the University of Louisville and Purdue. Junior lineman Bryce Strickland, sophomore linebacker Solomon Conley and junior linebacker K.J. Wilson will be playmakers in the front seven.

Outlook: There’s no “rebuilding” for a program that has played in four straight Class 6A championship games, but there will be plenty of new faces leading the purple and gold this season. While there are question marks on the offensive line, Swinney gives Male a bona fide star that’s missing from many of the top teams in Class 6A. Wolfe said his biggest concern is on defense, where the line and linebacking corps “is a work in progress.” The Bulldogs may not look like title contenders in September, but if Gainey comes back healthy and the defense finds some leaders, dismiss them at your own peril in November.

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Southern (6-4)

Coach: Justin Hatchett (first season)

Offense (4 starters back): Junior Calvin Kafando takes over at quarterback after transferring from Seneca, where he passed for 584 yards and 11 touchdowns in eight games last season. The Trojans are seeking a replacement for graduated running back T.J. Rogers, and the top candidate may be his younger brother as sophomore Timarsean Rogers is showing promise, Hatchett said. Senior center Shawn Montgomery, senior lineman Justin Ballard and senior tight ends Tahj Meadows and Jack Hethcox are the returning starters.

Defense (2 starters back): Ballard, a tackle, and Meadows, an end, are the returning starters for a unit that allowed 23.7 points per game last year. Hatchett expects Meadows to continue playing in college. “I think our defensive line will be our strongest aspect,” Hatchett said.

Outlook: Hatchett is the new coach after serving as both an offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator during his tenure as an assistant under Mike Gossett. The Trojans’ 6-4 record last year marked their first winning season since going 6-4 in 2003. Hatchett noted the program is rebuilding after losing 23 seniors to graduation. “Everybody is raw,” Hatchett said. “I’d say about 80% of our team has never had playing time on Friday or this is their first time playing football ever. … I’m looking for anybody to step up at this point. We’re truly a blank canvas … but I’m counting on us being able to run the ball and stop the run.”

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Class 6A, District Four poll

Coaches could not vote for their own teams. First-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.

1. Male (3)           9

2. Bullitt East (1)  7

3. Fern Creek       5

4. Southern          3

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.