With Greater Miami Conference games taking up nine of the regular season’s 10 weeks, the Lakota West Firebirds need to fill their Week 1 with a dynamic opponent. They got that with a visit from the St. Xavier Bombers, last season’s Region 4 champs.
To get prepared for the Bombers, though, Lakota West needs to brush up with some hard practices and scrimmages. They got that with a trip to The Pit and the Elder Panthers on Aug. 6.
“It’s great for us,” Lakota West head coach Tom Bolden said. “They’ve got a phenomenal quarterback so it is about as good a scrimmage as you can get early on.”
The Firebirds have an experienced quarterback of their own returning for 2026. Jackson Smith, a senior, originally started as a freshman and got varsity experience his first two years before taking over the starting role again as a junior last season.
Smith was 137-for-225 passing for 1,959 yards and 20 touchdowns to five interceptions.
The Firebirds have some other returning names who have drawn eyes around the country. Senior offensive lineman Reilly Newman is a four-star University of Iowa commit who is ranked as the No. 11 player in Ohio for his class, according to 247Sports. Newman will block for Smith and Northwestern University-committed running back Kenyon Norman.
Norman had 915 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns a year ago and also added 311 receiving yards on 29 catches. In the Elder scrimmage, he broke off several long runs and receptions, which showed off his state champion track speed.
“You see Kenyon Norman, who I can say is the best running back in the state of Ohio,” Bolden said. “I think he had an 80-something-yard touchdown run and an 80-something-yard touchdown catch. He’s the guy, as they say.”
Junior linebacker Judah Blair is another four-star recruit. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 4 player in Ohio in the 2028 class and the No. 4 linebacker in the nation. He’s received offers from University of Cincinnati, Indiana University, University of Kentucky, University of Michigan and University of Oregon among others.
“Defensively, Judah flies around and he does what he does,” Bolden said.
A 33-14 loss to Moeller in the second round of the postseason ended Lakota West’s season with a 7-5 overall record. Bolden called it his worst season, not reaching the standard he has historically reached with his Colerain and Lakota West teams. He trusts the seniors to lead the program back in conference and playoff championship contention.
“The kids have understood that challenge after last year,” Bolden said. “We’ve got phenomenal, phenomenal senior leadership.”
Bolden said the captain voting was tight and with many players deemed worthy of the role, nine players were voted captain for the year.
“Those nine young men are phenomenal kids who have earned that right,” Bolden said. “We’ve got a great group of seniors. We have a great group of younger kids. I like our chemistry. We’ll get better.”
The Firebirds open their season with two home games, beginning with St. Xavier on Aug. 21 and then rival Lakota East flying in on Aug. 28.
GMC rival Middletown back in Region 4
Middletown, last year’s Region 2 champion, was moved back to Region 4 along with Springboro and Lebanon for the 2026 season. The move made an already difficult region even harder to reach and advance in the postseason.
“It’s fun and that’s what’s great about it,” Bolden said. “It makes it that much more competitive in Region 4. Really, really excited about it to have them back.
“It’s definitely the toughest region for sure to get out of. You’ve got to bring it. You’ve got to get lucky and you’ve got to stay healthy and all that kind of stuff.”
Middletown went 11-3 a year ago, losing to St. Xavier in the state semifinals. Lakota West beat Middletown 27-13 in Week 6, giving the Middies the first of two conference losses they suffered.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Lakota West football chemistry could propel Firebirds atop GMC
Reporting by Alex Harrison, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alex Harrison, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
