#RockNation

The Trojans jumped out to a 21-6 lead against Westfield but then fumbled away a few possessions and gave up the lead and Gabe McWilliams wasn't able to get them back on top. Last week against Carroll the Trojans got a quick lead again and storms pretty much wiped out the second half and the game was called 28-14. McWilliams (a senior) is a big guy that we saw late in the game last year after it was out of reach. Good arm but nothing like then-starter Tyler Cherry who is now at IU. Most all of their offense from last year is gone, but they return very good WRs in #9 Brevin Holubar and #1 Drake McClurg. Their style remains a shotgun spread RPO and the two defenses they have faced thus far have been very decent teams. Defensively, they rotate between a 3-4 Cover 2 base and a 4-2-5 set with more speed on the field to keep the edge. Top returning tackler DT Kobe Cherry has been sidelined so far this season with an apparent knee injury, so I am not sure if we will see him or not. He has been on the sidelines but has not dressed. Both lines are massive and will be a true test for the Rocks if OL Nate Shields is not able to go. I do feel like Ronan Byrne, Boyd Knoerr and the rest of the line did a great job against a very talented Douglass team last week in his absence. I know they want to get Jeremiah Lynn more touches in this one but Kaleb Warner and Nation McBroom have been great in the early going. JB Berry has been very steady as well and this young Rocks team is starting to callus up those knuckles. Overall I also think this could be a close game and will depend on taking care of the ball and keeping composure throughout. I don't think this game will be as chippy as the last two, but I'm sure several of the Trojans remember the double-OT thriller the last time they made the trip to St. Matthews. It will be a good measuring stick game for this team as it continues to grow and mold as a unit. Go Rocks! ☘️

Is there a correct/updated roster for FD anywhere?

It is kind of hard to comment on anyone other than Kalen Washington since I didn't have numbers to go on but the scrimmages show BSHS mostly in a one-back spread with a new QB, mostly running behind their massive OL. Washington is a dude and breaks arm tackles like cheap tissue paper. He's gotten bigger and faster and will be a load for the Rocks young-ish defense to handle. Defensively they are in a 3-4 base with a lot of cover two in front of who I assume to be the younger Haskins. There is good speed in the secondary and they did a nice job against LCA and their spread. Trinity is coming off a fast and furious offseason with many young guys getting a chance to show off in practice. I have mentioned several names on here and I believe all of them will get some playing time as Coach Cobb looks to find 22 guys who can bring home #29. Defensively, DB LA Evans and DL Sebastian Blue really stand out. Big, physical guys with relentless motors who are picking up the defense quick. Stopping KW and guys like Kamani Barbour and probably Haskins will be priority #1. Zane and the offense will have to rebound after last week's scrimmage against Springfield. They went hard in practice this week and with a revamped O-Line, Zane looked back to his usual self slinging it to his speedy receivers. Also, the TE room got a major upgrade with four guys all 6'2-6'4 getting in the rotation. With 6'1 230-pound JB Berry running behind that, I like our chances tonight! Go Rocks!

I'm sure theres a good reason for it...

I know they didn't have numbers on their jerseys against LCA or Great Crossing...?

Will share when I have confirmation ?

This has been an ideal matchup for us in the preseason the last few years. Springfield is extremely well coached and seems very adept at making changes on the fly. That being said, we had the same struggles as they did with some dropped passes, penalties, coverages, blocking, etc. Our OL was a little hampered from the offseason but it was good to see a few of them rotate in to get some work. Shields looked great from what I saw and hopefully the tape bears that out. Johnson had some difficulties throwing with the wind, as did Upshaw from SHS, but he connected on a tremendous hole-shot to Lynn for a huge gain. I would take throwing in rain and snow over wind any day. The Defense looked fantastic as other have mentioned and I was very impressed with the defensive line. Sebastian Blue is going to be a wrecker and his monster frame coupled with an all-out mentality is going to be fun to watch this year! JC Wilson did a nice job as well and Jahbarri Frost and Bailey Vance made some nice plays as well. KeAndre Thompson and Juleone Carney also had great games and really stifled the rushing attack. The staff mixed it up a bit in the secondary with LA Evans and Sonny Bratcher-Gray getting the starts. Sekou Kamara came in a drive later I believe and was solid in coverage as well. Will Ford and Caleb Ricks had nice games at safety and should compliment their younger teammates well on the edges this season. Also playing well were LBs KeAnthony Calloway, Luke Vise and Nick Lococo, DBs Elijah Burns-Crump and Grant Fitzpatrick. My player of the game was K/P Carson Hilbert. He had a huge opening kickoff that hit the back line of the end zone. Had two more booming punts to flip the field and scored the game's only points with his 40-yard field goal into a tricky wind in the second quarter. Overall it was a fun game to watch and I know the guys had fun hitting someone else for a change. I also like the fact that only a few guys on the team have earned their helmet stickers and Coach has made that an emphasis. Bryan Station is now less than two weeks away and have heard that a possible national audience could be seeing that one...?

Today's broadcast stream beginning at 11:30am: https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cirruscontent/WLGK?fbclid=IwY2xjawEkQb9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQfLTkl-Hug5hTH7WoCJ6hz_aZtszdPzPYdGb201jqxFGJTt0RLKJxCdIA_aem_VQZ_aKZDSjwA3VaylRuW2Q

A few notes: I got to hang at Marshall Stadium yesterday for an hour and I came away very impressed with this year's edition. Coach Cobb runs an extremely efficient practice, much like the heyday of Coach Beatty. Both offense and defense have direction, pace and guidance in every rep. Its very good to have both Jake Williams and Michael Fox back as coordinators. Each of them could be head coaches and they command a ton of respect out there from our young squad. Sophomore QB Zane Johnson has grown a few inches and put on some muscle in the weight room. He was letting it fly while keeping a very business-like approach to the day's work. He has a great relationship with WRs Jeremiah Lynn and Mason Scherer and young guys Kaleb Warner and Jason Hagan have immense speed and potential on the outside. The OL was a bit banged up but I was told its not too serious and we should be pretty close to healthy by Game 1. The guy on this side of the ball who appears to have made the biggest jump is junior LT Nate Shields. Outstanding footwork, good blitz pick-up abilities and he was playing multiple positions to help the team. Running backs JB Berry, Chris Wilson and Zach Floyd all return and will be dangerous in the open field. Each back split reps and appear to be vying for the top spot on the depth chart. The tight ends, while not as experienced give the most "wow factor" on offense. Holden Schoen, Jack Stivers, Johnny Dreisbach and AJ Green are all taller than 6'2 and seem to be a very important piece of Williams' thought process. Defensively the team makes the most turnover after losing Brady McEnaney (UofL), Dane Morrow (Tennessee) and Nate Tronzo (S. Illinois) among others. Starters CB Sekou Kamara, DL Bailey Vance and LB JC Wilson are all back, as are Senior DB Will Ford, Sophomore DL Juleone Carney, LB AJ Hughes and Senior CB Sonny Bratcher-Gray. Each of whom played a lot of snaps last year and will possess necessary game reps. Coaches are very high on 6'2 Sophomore DB LA Evans in the secondary and he picked up an offer from Coach Brohm and the Cardinals a few weeks ago to boot. Senior DB Caleb Ricks is back on the gridiron after baseball season and saw a lot of snaps. He will provide needed depth in the back end and possesses outstanding speed and coverage. LB's Nick Lococo and his brother Matthew, Luke Vise and Wilson all rotated in yesterday and will be a key factor in the Rocks' opportunity to repeat. DL should be stacked as well with Vance, Carney, Sebastian Blue and Jahbarri Frost all seeing action this year. There are justifiably several questions on this side of the ball, but Coaches Cobb and Fox have high hopes for the group and its easy to see why. Senior Carson Hilbert returns as one of the nation's top kickers. He picked up offers to UofL and EKU in the offseason and is one of the highest recruited at his position. He was a perfect 57/57 on extra points and converted 13 of 15 field goals, with a long of 47 while warming up between 55 and 60 yards. He will also do the punting where he carried a 40-plus yard average last year. He is joined by his younger brother Peyton who is the lone freshman currently on the roster. He is a 6'6, 230 pound behemoth and routinely hits from longer than 50 yards on field goal attempts and will see a lot of action between the different levels. In terms of size and speed, I am not sure I remember a team this physically blessed since maybe 2011. What they lack in experience, they more than make for in ability and I can certainly see why so many fans and the media are excited for this year's team. They will play a brutally tough schedule yet again, but I expect this team to be in every game and should have a shot to play the first weekend in December! ☘️

No order: Beatty, Lampley, Glaser, Mueller, Hilton, Haywood, Redman, Chuck Smith, Harp, Scroggins 5A is one of the weakest divisions in KY and really benefitted when the expansion happened. I know he has a ton of wins, but when you get nearly every kid in one of the fastest growing counties in the state its a bit different. It's even more different nowadays!!!

I like Wallace but he's not in my top 10 all time @theguru

Agree...but that would be tough, especially with the new OC...Its hard to believe Male would have trouble getting a QB

We had a kid practice with us on a Monday, enter a transfer on Tuesday and start at Eastern on Friday. Its a joke. Bulldogs will be tough again and if they can get the ball to Harris will be a problem to everyone in the state.

Saturday's scrimmage will be on the radio on 94.7 WFIA as well...I will try to post a streaming link on here if I get one from the station...No WDRB+ App though ?

no such thing in St. Matthews ?

The stats do not lie for Coach Glaser and his teams but we really took something away from them when Bob got to Trinity. They were still the hard-hitting, fundamentally sound team they were in his previous years but always seemed to lack the innovation and "clutch gene" in the fourth quarters needed to overcome. Coach Wolford seemed to open it up more and really had some dynamic players in his offenses but he had to deal with Rondale and Co. after losing close games his first two years to Male and Trinity in 13/14. Coach Wallace seems an improvement and the Sivori/Carter team was tremendous, but the lack of an influx of young players and the development at the QB position has really stifled their efforts at maintaining the highest levels of football within the Commonwealth. I will say, the 6A landscape is much better than in previous years due to the lack of COVID restrictions and kids returning to the classroom and vis-a-vis practice field. Also major facility upgrades at many schools (finally!) can't have hurt.

Next Saturday against Dayton Springfield at home beginning at 11:30 am.

Coach Cobb has elected to go primarily with early morning practices during the heat so I have not been able to get out there much for post-dead period action. Will try to get an update ASAP.

Trinity returns starters EDGE JC Wilson, CB Sekou Kamara, DL Bailey Vance and DB Sonny Bratcher-Gray...also returns DL Juleone Carney and LBs Will Ford and AJ Hughes who played a lot of snaps...Replacing 3 year starters and impact players like McEnaney, Morrow, Mitchell, Tronzo, et al will be tough, but not as insurmountable as it would seem!

Have heard a few rumblings about some transfers and whatnot, but nothing credible at this point. Spring Game was good for the guys to get out and go 1's vs. 1's for a bit and I agree with what was said above. Secondary will be very deep with Kamara, Ford, Bratcher-Gray, Ricks and maybe a few switches from the offensive side. The coaches are extremely high on FR corner L.A. Evans too. The LB's need to mature quickly and command the system, especially with 3-4 new starters. Luckily, Coach Cobb worked several of them into game last year and I can see FR Luke Vize and JR JC Wilson making a big impact. JR Finn Laskowski has a couple starts to his name and JR A.J. Hughes saw a lot of time as well. Sebastian Blue already has the physique (6'2, 215ish) as a current freshman and JR Nick Lococo was an exciting prospect before a season ending injury last year. Defensive line looks very solid if not deep. FR Juleone Carney probably starts at 99% of any other programs but was a backup for us and did a heck of a job. JR Bailey Vance is a returning starter and maybe was Trinity's most technically sound defender. JR Jahbarri Frost has NFL pedigree and looks tough in practice so far. There isn't much depth yet, but the freshman class was stout and should make some noise in the coming months. Have heard a huge name who could possibly be joining the staff in some capacity, but nothing solid on that front. Could be a complete game changer for the Rocks, but we will have to wait and see. Have also heard a (513) team may be coming to future schedules, but we shall see... ☘️

I think having a great rival is also what makes a job "good." I was raised by a St. X family (14 of em!) and was brought up in the rivalry. When I chose Trinity as an 8th grader, obviously I heard about it from all angles. It made me want to come in and dominate those guys right away. When I moved to the coaching side of things under Coach Beatty, the fire in me got so much more intense. Our administration, our alumni and our fans want nothing more than to beat the Tigers in all facets, not just on the gridiron. I know the feeling from over there is mutual and Coach Beatty (better than anyone ever in history, IMO) used that to his advantage. We have been in a facilities arms race with them for the better part of 25 years now and both schools have drastically physically changed and have continued to be the best schools in Louisville for young men to attend. There are so many more advantages now for young men, and not just football players. ACT scores are up, scholarship money is up and our population is as high as its ever been. The competitive fire gives alumni a lot to be proud of and is very encouraging for those who are able to give back to do so. All of that coupled with a football tradition that began with Quire, Kennedy, Moore and has continued with Lampley, Servino, Beatty and now Cobb makes Trinity the best job in the state. Are expectations high? Yes, but to beat St. X and win a state title, I can attest there is nothing better! ☘️

I am actually...

Not sure unbeatable is the word but after seeing these guys in the offseason, you can tell the love for football is really back in the building. The upperclassmen and their leadership was big for the '23 team and that was something that always set us apart from other programs I felt. The coaching staff was rejuvenated and they will have a great shot at a repeat next year. Nothing is ever set in stone though!

Trinity has not missed very often when it comes to choosing head coaches for any sport really, especially lately. When you have 1300-ish males who are astutely aware of the culture, it both creates a lot of pressure to succeed but also allows for that chance at greatness. I think that is why the jobs when offered are so desirable. Mike Szabo has come from the Northeast and been outstanding as the hoops coach. He's won 2 titles, put 3 of our guys in the NBA and his summer camps are legendary for the amount of kids that come to experience Trinity. Baseball's Rick Arnold came back to his alma mater to finish a job that Steve Tompkins and many before him started and won a title in '21, got Daylen Lile on the fast track to the MLB and countless others drafted or to D-1 programs. The other KHSAA programs have all seen similar success lately and for the first time I can remember (if ever), more young men have chosen Trinity over any of our rivals in Louisville. If you were a coach, wouldn't you want to come to Trinity and have all that at your fingertips?

Yeap...