Baker coach Steve Normand was a little worried about his football team entering the 2023 season.

“I knew we had individuals who were very good athletes,” he said. “Still, you can take any organization that has great people, but if they are not working together, you are not going to be successful. We’ve really worked hard in the offseason to build a team. It is vital to make sure the whole unit works together, and everyone has the same core values and is working for a common goal.”

So far, so good.

The Hornets enter Friday’s non-region game against No. 7 Dothan undefeated at 5-0 and ranked No. 9 in the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 7A rankings. It’s the team best start since 1973.

“Our team has been really healthy this year,” Auburn wide receiver commit Bryce Cain said. “We’ve been working really hard at practice. We’ve been getting after it. There is no playing around during the week, and I think that has translated on Friday nights.”

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Cain is one of multiple senior college commitments on the Hornets’ high-scoring offense, which is averaging 43.8 points a game. Senior quarterback Josh Flowers is headed to Mississippi State, wide receiver Kevin Beckham Jr. is going to Troy and running back Rod Taylor is slated to be a Jacksonville State Gamecock.

“All four of those guys have become really close,” Normand said. “Rod and Josh have been playing football together since they were little. Rod and Josh and KJ all knew each other. Bryce was kind of the outsider because he never played football before his junior year. But they are all good kids, and they’ve been good to have around the program. You need kids like those to lead others.”

The offense, of course, runs through Flowers. The dual threat quarterback is having his best season, completing 71 percent of his passes for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s been intercepted just once. He also has rushed for 538 yards and 8 touchdowns.

“He makes every explosive play happen,” Cain said.

Normand said Flowers’ cool demeanor at all times is a key for the team.

“It doesn’t matter if we are up by 60 or down by 30, he’s the same way,” Normand said. “He’s been that way since he was a sophomore. He never gets too high or too low. The emotion of the game doesn’t control him. Oh my goodness, I’m so glad he has Baker across his chest.”

Cain and Beckham are both big-play threats on the outside. Cain has 21 receptions for 554 yards and 9 touchdowns. Beckham has 28 receptions for 459 yards and a pair of scores.

It’s been a bounce back year for Beckham, who missed his entire junior season after breaking his leg in a 7-on-7 event that summer.

“It was so frustrating,” he said. “It was hard to watch my team lose, and I couldn’t do anything to help them.”

Beckham’s return to the attack this year can’t be underestimated.

“It’s opened up the passing game that much more,” Normand said. “It’s hard for defenses to cover everyone when you have two threats like that.”

The Hornets also can run it with Flowers and Taylor (521 yards, 7 touchdowns).

“I love that we have him,” Beckham said of Taylor. “He’s very aggressive. He can tote that ball. We know he is going to get the job done when we need him.”

The offense also has been aided by an improved offensive line, which was a question in the spring and summer.

“We’ve really been working hard with the line,” Normand said. “I have two offensive line coaches, and I always will because that is such a vital part of the game. They’ve worked hard to make sure those guys in the trenches are ready to play each week. Same thing on the defensive front. We have faced some teams where we were 20 pounds lighter, but we’ve done a good job scheming to make sure the kids have a chance.”

Baker scored just 272 points in 11 games in 2022 – an average of 24.7 points a game. They were held to single digits twice and less than 20 points four times.

Why didn’t that offense look like the 2023 attack?

“It was supposed to look like this last year we just didn’t execute,” Flowers said. “We are honestly doing the same play calls. We are just executing better and trusting our playmakers more. We put in a lot of work in the offseason to make sure it was better this year.”

Beckham said, “We knew this was coming. We just have to stay focused now.”

There are bigger goals and bigger games ahead obviously.

After Friday’s matchup with the Wolves, the Hornets get back into 7A, Region 1 play at Alma Bryant on Oct. 6 before traveling to play No.4-ranked Mary G. Montgomery in a highly anticipated matchup on Oct. 13.

“The only thing that can stop us is ourselves,” Taylor said.