Male, Trinity set for another big playoff meeting in state semifinal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- For the fourth consecutive year, Trinity and Male high schools will meet deep into the state 6A playoffs.

In both 2019 and 2020, it was in the championship game, both won by Trinity. In 2018, Male beat the Shamrocks in the semis en route to their own state title. And this Friday, the big school powers will meet again in a semifinal.

This has not been a typical Trinity season under first-year head coach Jay Cobb. The Rocks opened the season with six straight losses, four to out-of-state teams. They have since won six of seven.

"There has to be a belief as a player that you're going to play well," Cobb said. "And if you don't have that belief, nobody else is going to believe in you. So we've been asking them to do that every game. Have they done that every game? No. Are they doing that more now? Yes. Will they do that Friday? Who knows."

Friday's game will be a rematch. Male won the first meeting, 24-10, in mid-September.

"You know we play them every year around this time," Trinity senior center Drew Woodruff said. "So we're looking to get redemption in this game. I think our guys will be ready."

Both teams were missing players in that game, but Bulldogs head coach Chris Wolfe believes there is still value in studying that one.

"Yeah, I think that's an important piece of it," Wolfe said. "Looking at that first game and seeing particularly individual matchups is important, because eight weeks is not going to physically change people a lot."

The Bulldogs have handled being No. 1 in the rankings all year, outscoring 12 opponents by an average of 42-6.

"Just because you're No. 1, you can still be beat," senior wide receiver Vinny Anthony II said. "I feel like we have to keep that mindset that we're not the best. We've got to stay focused on our goal and we've got to stay humble and hopefully win the championship."

"This group has a chance to do four in a row, as far as getting to the state finals," Wolfe added. "This is the game. This is the state final game, the game before the game, as they say. We have it at home again. It's a big week for us. It's a big week, so we're anxious."

They will kick it off at 7 p.m. Friday at Male High School. The winner will get the winner of the game between Madison Central and St. Xavier the following weekend in Lexington for the 6A title.