As Walker gets ready to play its season-opening football game, it's tempting to take a quick look back at what the Wildcats accomplished last season.
While the current focus is on Week 1 opponent Ponchatoula, Walker is hoping to ride a wave of momentum it created last season when it had what was probably their most successful season ever.
The Wildcats posted a 10-3 overall mark that included the program's first trip to the state quarterfinals. Included in that ledger was a 4-1 record in District 5-5A, good enough for a share of the district title after a three-way tie at the top.
Could Walker do it again?
After talking with other coaches around the district, the general feeling is that Walker should be able to contend for district honors. The playoffs are difficult to predict, but being one of the top teams in the district would put Walker in line to at least host a first round game.
A bonus for the Wildcats is the experience of head coach Chad Mahaffey, who directed University High to multiple state championships before taking over at Walker. Last season brought Mahaffey a measure of satisfaction.
"I was happy for those accomplishments, obviously for our players, but also because the whole school got to experience some of those things," Mahaffey said. "Certainly, we're extremely proud of that group and it was a really fun year."
In particular, last year's group was strong in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats only district loss came in Week 9, when St. Amant held on for a 31-28 win despite 21 fourth-quarter points from Walker.
Walker rebounded with a 35-21 win over Denham Springs to claim a share of the district title. After that, there was a first-round Division I nonselect playoff bye before a home win over Westgate put Walker into the semifinals.
Duplicating last season's success will mean blending in new faces with returning contributors. Tops among the returnees is quarterback Troy Sylve, a third-year starter who threw for more than 1,600 yards last season.
The defense will have experience up front and in the backfield. Linemen Donte Flowers and Noah Jasso return along with defensive backs Zyon Russ and Ja'Kyrin Johnson.
Still, as good as last year was, Mahaffey is guarding his team against any feelings of entitlement.
"The only thing we're trying to stress with these guys is that it's not automatic the next year," he said. "We're a different team, our opponents are different teams and we've got to guard against thinking that it will just happen again."
Wise words from a coach who has been there before.