DAPHNE, Alabama - Coach Phil Lazenby and the Bayside Academy Admirals are coming off a historic run last fall with a perfect 10-0 regular season record and a 3A, Region 1 title.

Repeating that success and adding to it is the ultimate goal, Lazenby said. But classification and region realignment, along with graduation of several starters has complicated that challenge — especially for a small program with limited numbers available to play.

He added that graduation took its most devastating toll on the starting offensive line. A front that helped lead his squad to a 13-1 finish last year with only one returning (Michael Daves) inside. And at a small school with only about 120 eligible high school boys including freshmen, the rebuilding challenge is compounded. But his players are used to picking up slack every year since they are one of the smaller 3A schools. Bayside returns 11 starters overall, including five on offense and six on defense.

“We took the biggest hit on our O-Line,” Lazenby said. “Lost four out of the five interior starters. We always have limited numbers to start with so we rely on players to go both ways and cross-train positions. So we’ll have less experience across the front except for Michael Daves who we are moving to center. He’ll be a senior and will be a solid anchor there for us.

“We all have extra duties, including coaches. I am the head coach, the defensive coordinator and I coach inside linebackers. So I may have a small staff, but it’s an excellent one with Doug Leffard as offensive coordinator and assistants Michael Pierce and James Twilley. We all have to coach both sides of the ball and special teams sometimes so it can be a challenge to optimize our time on the practice field but we always seem to get most of it done. And I attribute a lot of that to heart and guts and determination.”

He elaborated on the importance of attitude on a small roster.

“I have so much respect for these kids. They have so much heart and believe in each other and are willing to work hard to achieve big goals. Most of the kids who can play offense and defense want to play both ways and we need them to do just that. And that means they have to learn twice as much because they have to play an offensive position and a defensive position and sometimes other positions as well. But a lot of the ones who can’t or are not ready to play both ways are ready to try. They really have a strong team-first attitude going. Everybody wants to contribute and as a coach you feel obligated to find the best possible way for them to do that. But at the same time as a coach you have to be practical and realize you have to concentrate on the basics and get it all down before you can experiment. But I always try to stay open for anything new or different that can help us. We also try to teach as a unit so that — to some extent, if needed— somebody can step into another position they don’t normally play and have some knowledge of what to do. It really is amazing what they can do individually and as a team. Now we have our work cut out for us but I believe in this team. They are believers in themselves.”

The Admirals’ region was also realigned with some former 4A schools dropping down to 3A like W.S. Neal, Straughn and Southside High School, Selma.

“Our schedule looks a lot different,” he said, “Not only because of the revamping, but because once you go 10-0, a lot of 2A and 3A schools don’t want to play you anymore. But we’ll adjust. We have been working bigger schools into our schedule year by year anyway, but this is a season full of tough competition. Just to start off with Charles Henderson out of Troy that was a 5A powerhouse for years will be quite a way to start the year, but it will tell us a lot about our team and where we are before our first region game with Excel. UMS-Wright is on our schedule. UMS is another powerhouse year-in-year-out. It’s going to be a challenge but I think our guys are up to it. We just have to work hard and stay healthy. Injuries really did a number on us last year, but we kept going and found ways to win. We love the challenge, I just hope we don’t have to face another season with as many as we had last year.”

Hunter Slater will return as the Admirals’ starting quarterback, with sophomore Gex Billups expected to play a strong back-up leading to more full time to allow Slater to play receiver as well as defense when needed. Division I running back prospect Jonathan Walton will be back at tailback and linebacker with Joe Stassen as the complimentary back or often as tailback. Last year, Stassen racked up 1,500 yards as the primary carrier all while playing a lot of defense which he will be called on to do again. Daves will also play defense while Jacob Graddick will continue to play both ways as a defensive back and a go-to receiver/running back on offense.

When asked which side of the ball he enjoys the most, Graddick could not say.

“I don’t think of my self as offensive or defensive. I just go out there and just love to play. It’s all football to me.”

Walton has received offers from Arkansas State, Ole Miss, Penn State, the University of South Alabama and others.

“I haven’t decided yet,” he said. “I’m concentrating right now on this senior season and staying healthy and helping us get back to the playoffs.”

Lazenby has been pleased with most of what he has seen going into the second week of practice in pads.

“All our practices have been good,” he said. “Kids are learning. The new offensive line is working hard. They know they have big and important shoes to fill and roles to play. It all starts up there and I’m encouraged with the effort. Of course, we still have a way to go. Michael (Daves) has been key to helping them learn what to do. So we are somewhat inexperienced up front and we’ll have to find a way to accelerate the learning curve, but like I’ve said, we have great kids and they are serious about it. Now the rest of the people know what’s going on. And we have every bit of our kicking game in, so that’s good.”

Bayside will take part in a preseason game in Montgomery to help raise money for Catholic Charities before the start of regular-season play.

“We don't know who we'll play exactly just yet, but it will be a big help for us to play up there before we get started with the regular-season (Aug. 31) games.”

That’s when the Admirals kick off the regular-season opener with a former 5A powerhouse out of Troy, now the largest 4A school in the state in Charles Henderson.

“Very good football team,” Lazenby said. “Have big boys on both sides of the ball and are well coached by Mike Dean (former head coach at McGill-Toolen and former player at Fairhope) and it will be nice to see him again. “But they are going to be good. We have our hands full, for sure, but we have to play the bigger schools now and it will make us better and more competitive in our 3A region games. So looking forward to that one but it all really starts with the first game in the region after that.”

The CHHS kickoff at Bayside Academy’s Freedom Field is set for 7 p.m. Aug. 31.

The Admirals’ first 3A, Region 1 game will be on the road at Excel High, followed by a visit to Opp. Bayside returns home to face T.R. Miller Sept. 21.