Lakota West returns three Power Five commits, a 1,959-yard quarterback and a first-team All-GMC running back for 2026. But head coach Tom Bolden says none of it matters without the one thing last year's 7-5 team lacked: chemistry.

"I hate losing more than I enjoy winning," Bolden told The Report on Aug. 19. "That's kind of sad if you think about it, but it helps drive me."

Bolden enters his eighth season at Lakota West and 20th overall as a head coach, carrying a 68-18 record with the Firebirds. The program won three straight outright Greater Miami Conference titles from 2020 to 2022 but slipped to 6-3 in league play last fall, its first season under Bolden without multiple playoff wins.

The Firebirds open Friday, Aug. 21, at home against St. Xavier, last season's Region 4 champions.

The backfield

Senior quarterback Jackson Smith starts his third year under center after throwing for 1,959 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions on 137-of-225 passing in 2025. That yardage ranked third on the program's single-season list. He added 154 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.

Senior running back Kenyon Norman, a Northwestern commit since June 12, earned first-team All-GMC honors last season with 915 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 29 receptions, 311 receiving yards and three receiving scores. Norman collected 25 offers in all, including 16 from Power Four programs, and ran on Lakota West's state champion 4x100-meter relay team with a 4.43-second laser-timed 40-yard dash.

College-bound size up front

Louisville-committed tight end Xavier Ratica (6-6, 247) caught eight passes for 114 yards but made his biggest impact as a blocker, according to Sports Illustrated. Iowa-committed lineman Reilly Newman (6-6, 290) logged 48 tackles and seven tackles for loss while playing both sides of the line.

Senior center Carter Brueshaber said the team has addressed last year's internal divisions head-on.

"Last year, the team was kind of divided," Brueshaber said. "... This year, it's not about individuals. It's not about how your stats are. It's about how do we get better as a team?"

Defense reloads

Senior linebacker Andrew Fryer anchors the unit after a 107-tackle season that included 21 stops in the playoff loss to Moeller. Junior Judah Blair, rated a top-five player in Ohio's Class of 2028 by the Cincinnati Enquirer, posted 16.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore. Roman Combs (21 tackles, 2 interceptions, 6 pass breakups) moves to safety to shore up a secondary that lost several starters.

The Firebirds did lose standout linebacker Cam Thomas, now at Illinois.

What's ahead

Bolden intentionally scheduled preseason scrimmages against Elder and Winton Woods to stress-test his roster before the St. Xavier opener. He said he'd rather discover weaknesses early, before good coaches expose them in games that count.

After St. Xavier, Lakota West hosts rival Lakota East on Friday, Aug. 28, then travels to Mason on Sept. 4 to open GMC play.