Here’s a look at the Louisville-area high school football teams in Class 5A:
Head coach : Anthony White (sixth season, 30-24)
Last season: 11-2; lost to Owensboro in the Class 5A quarterfinals
Offense (7 starters back): The Ravens' run game, led by Micheal Curry, carried the offense last year. In seven games, Curry rushed for 1,124 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a team, the Ravens rushed for 2,728 yards, averaging 210 yards per game.
Defense (7 starters back): Return a lot of talent and experience. Atherton had the No. 2 scoring defense in Class 5A last season. Juniors James Briscoe and Quilshaun Baines were key contributors; the pair of defensive backs combined to grab six interceptions.
Outlook: White's focus is getting his players to understand that, in sitting atop the standings, they must be prepared to get each team's best effort on Friday nights.
Schedule:
Aug. 23 – at Kentucky Country Day
Aug. 30 – at DuBois
Sept. 6 – at Woodford County
Sept. 13 – at Doss
Oct. 11 – at Butler
Oct. 25 – at Fairdale
Nov. 1 – Shelby County
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Head coach : Marvin Lewis Clark (third season, 6-15)
Last season: 1-9
Offense (6 starters back): The Cougars were led by a freshman quarterback last season in AJ Lee. With a year under his belt, Clark expects Lee to have better command of the offense and for that to result in more wins.
Defense (6 starters back): Senior linebacker Blake Draper ranked seventh in Class 5A for tackles last season. His 114 tackles ranked among the top 20 in the state.
Outlook: "Depth is always a concern, even though it has improved for us," Clark said. "Our size is pretty good, but most of them are young. We are staying healthy, being prepared and playing hard the whole game, no matter who we are playing. We are working towards a winning season, towards the playoffs."
Schedule:
Aug. 24 – Spencer County (at Nelson County)
Aug. 30 – at Lincoln County
Sept. 6 – Garrad County
Sept. 13 – Bullitt East
Sept. 20 – at North Bullitt
Sept. 27 – at Grayson County
Oct. 4 – Eastern
Oct. 18 – Moore
Oct. 25 – at Seneca
Nov. 1 – at Jeffersontown
Head coach : Jacob Reynolds (second season, 4-8)
Last season: 4-8; lost to Atherton in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs
Offense (4 starters back): The return of three offensive linemen and running back Darryl Johnson should take some pressure off the passing game as Bears break in a new starting quarterback.
Defense (7 starters back): "Defensively, we return many players who played many significant minutes throughout the year last year," Reynolds said. "(We're) going to lean on those returning in trenches and at linebacker to help a young back end."
Outlook: Last year's squad had 22 seniors on the roster. With so many departures, a number of underclassmen will step into key roles this season.
Schedule:
Aug. 23 – Male
Aug. 30 – at Eastern
Sept. 6 – Central
Sept. 13 – Pleasure Ridge Park (at Charles W. Miller Complex)
Sept. 20 – Seneca
Sept. 27 – at Southern
Oct. 11 – Atherton
Oct. 18 – at Fairdale
Oct. 25 – at Iroquois
Nov. 1 – Holy Cross
Head coach : Jerry Lucas (14th season, 101-69)
Last season: 6-5; lost to Cooper in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs
Offense (7 starters back): The offensive line returns three starters and includes two other players who saw varsity action last year. Starting quarterback Kade Goodin, who had an exceptional freshman year, is also back. He threw for 2,071 yards, rushed for 1,100 yards and recorded 37 total touchdowns.
Defense (9 starters back): The defense is led by senior linebacker Joshua Lainhart, who has started each of the last three seasons and led the team in tackles last year. His 125 tackles in 2023 ranked fifth in Class 5A.
Outlook: "We are returning a lot of depth on both sides of the ball and adding some very talented young players," Lucas said.
Schedule:
Aug. 23 – at Shelby County
Aug. 30 – at Spencer County
Sept. 6 – Paul Laurence Dunbar
Sept. 13 – Oldham County
Sept. 20 – at Fairdale
Sept. 27 – Scott County
Oct. 11 – at Woodford County
Oct. 18 – at Anderson County
Oct. 25 – South Oldham
Nov. 1 – Great Crossing
Head coach : Louis Dover (eighth season, 49-32)
Last season: 7-6; lost to Bowling Green in Class 5A quarterfinals
Offense (2 starters back): The offense will look completely different without leading rushers Xavier Burks and Leedrick Washington. Washington transferred and Burks tore his ACL in camp. Dover said he plans to lean on senior wide receiver Kwame Anderson to lead the unit.
Defense (2 starters back): Anderson also played free safety for the Bulldogs last year and his six interceptions ranked second in Class 5A. He will anchor a young secondary this season.
Outlook: The Bulldogs are in a complete rebuilding phase, having to replace most of their starters. Leading such a young squad, Dover is focusing on the fundamentals and establishing a team culture and pride.
Schedule:
Aug. 24 – Elizabethtown
Aug. 30 – at Fern Creek
Sept. 6 – at Eastern
Sept. 13 – Spencer County
Sept. 20 – Collins
Sept. 27 – Frankfort
Oct. 11 – at Iroquois
Oct. 18 - Butler
Oct. 25 – Atherton
Nov. 1 – at Doss
Head coach : Keith May (second season, 0-11)
Last season: 0-11
Offense (9 starters back): Sophomore tight end Leron Jackson was second on the team in receiving yards last year and recorded the lone receiving touchdown for the Raiders in 2023.
Defense (7 starters back): Jackson is a threat on both sides of the ball. At linebacker, he recorded 66 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Outlook: The Raiders have a very young team but most of their returners started as freshmen last year.
Schedule:
Aug. 23 – Jeffersontown (at Ballard)
Aug. 30 – Waggener
Sept. 6 – at John Hardin
Sept. 13 – Frankfort
Sept. 20 – at Southern
Sept. 27 – Trimble County
Oct. 11 – Fairdale
Oct. 25 – Butler
Nov. 1 – Thomas Nelson
Head coach : Mekale McKay (second season, 6-5)
Last season: 6-5; lost to Butler in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs
Offense (5 starters back): Sophomore quarterback Javis Wallace started as a freshman last year. He passed for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns, on top of 525 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns. Senior Tristan Jackson is primed to be Wallace's No.1 receiver again this year.
Defense (5 starters back): Jackson is a difference-maker on both sides of the ball; he recorded 54 tackles with three sacks and three forced fumbles in 2023. Fellow senior linebacker Keyon Johnson will also be a leader on defense. He recorded 59 tackles and three tackles for loss last year.
Outlook: "We just want to embark on our winning culture here," McKay said. "'Change the culture' is kind of our slogan; we really want to turn around the Moore football culture to where it's a winning culture and a winning experience, to build up this community."
Schedule:
Aug. 23 – at Shawnee
Aug. 30 – at Frankfort
Sept. 6 – Waggener
Sept. 20 – at Grayson Academy
Sept. 27 – Lafayette
Oct. 4 – Seneca
Oct. 11 – at South Warren
Oct. 18 – at Bullitt Central
Oct. 25 - North Bullitt
Nov. 1 – Western
Head coach : Alex Carbello (second season, 5-6)
Last season: 5-6; lost to Fairdale in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs
Offense (5 starters back): Most of the skill players are back and Carbello believes junior quarterback Caden Dorsey is ready to step into the starting role. "Our offensive success hinges upon replacing four of our five offensive linemen," Carbello said. "It's been the biggest concern of the offseason. We are extremely thin at that position already, so developing some depth there as soon as possible is extremely important."
Defense (8 starters back): "Defensively, we should be solid with so much experience," Carbello said. "We moved some players around to new positions to help them find more success." Linebackers Garrett Coy, a senior, and Hunter Puckett, a junior, led the team in tackles last year.
Outlook: The Eagles are entering the season with a lot of experience. If they can establish the run again and improve their passing, they could be a real threat in the Class 5A playoffs. To contend for more in the postseason, they have to improve their defense. Their opponents averaged 29.7 points per game in 2023.
Schedule:
Aug. 23 – Holy Cross
Aug. 30 – Scott
Sept. 6 – at Bullitt East
Sept. 13 – at East Jessamine
Sept. 20 - Bullitt Central
Sept. 27 – at Seneca
Oct. 4 – Grayson County
Oct. 18 – at South Oldham
Oct. 25 – at Moore
Nov. 1 – at Southern
Head coach : Kenny Davidson (first season)
Last season: 4-6; lost to Atherton in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs
Offense (5 starters back): Dual-threat quarterback senior Jeremiah Townes will lead the Red Hawks' offense again this year. In 2023, he passed for 975 yards and led the team in rushing yards (592). Dereon Spencer emerged as one of the team's top pass catchers.
Defense (5 starters back): Spencer does most of his damage on the defensive side of the ball. At outside linebacker, he totaled 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions. Junior safety AJ Joway also recorded two interceptions from the safety position last year.
Outlook: "Anytime you have a coaching change, it can be a challenge for players and coaches," Davidson said. "We as a staff have to continue to do a great job of being great teachers, developing talent, and continue to develop positive relationships with our players."
Schedule:
Aug. 23 – at DeSales
Aug. 30 – at Western
Sept. 6 – Doss
Sept. 13 – at DuBois
Sept. 20 – at Butler
Sept. 27 – North Bullitt
Oct. 4 – at Moore
Oct. 18 – Grayson Academy
Oct. 25 – Bullitt Central
Nov. 1 – Elizabethtown
Head coach : Jonathan Sams (second season, 6-5)
Last season: 6-5; lost to Highlands in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs
Offense (6 starters back): Matthew Wells will be the cornerstone of the offensive line, which returns three starters. Wells earned honorable-mention All-State honors from The Courier Journal in 2023. The Dragons finished among the top five in Class 5A for rushing yards (2,696). They plan to build on that this season.
Defense (9 starters back): Sams said he expects the defense to set the tone this year. They return their leading tacklers from last year: seniors Parker Ellis (105), Davis Larsen (95) and Luke Hatcher (86) and juniors Juelz Davilia (89) and Sam Dawson (79). Davilia also led the team with four interceptions.
Outlook: With all of the Dragons' talent and depth, Sams expects them to be comfortable playing in big games.
Schedule:
Aug. 30 – Nelson County
Sept. 6 – Spencer County
Sept. 13 – North Oldham
Sept. 20 – at Oldham County
Sept. 27 – Anderson County
Oct. 4 – Woodford County
Oct. 11 – at Scott County
Oct. 25 – Bullitt Central
Nov. 1 – Elizabethtown
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: From Atherton to South Oldham, what to know about Louisville-area 5A KHSAA football teams
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