Kevin Lane's moment that 'stopped my heart' in winning head coaching debut for Knoxville Central

Kevin Lane had a hunch about what could happen after a win.

The Knoxville Central football coach knew his long-sleeved black shirt could be wet at the end of the night if he won his first game as a head coach against rival Fulton at the “Battle of Broadway.”

“I kind of prepared myself earlier that if I’m gonna win I’m a get the water bucket,” Lane said.

Lane's feeling was accurate as he felt the icy water soak him as he walked down the handshake line after his team beat Fulton 31-12 at home on Friday.

“Getting the bucket, getting soaked, it stopped my heart honestly,” Lane said. “I didn’t even know it was coming. I kind of prepared myself earlier that if I’m gonna win I’m a get the water bucket but still you (can't) prepare for it.”

Central now leads the all-time series against Fulton 38-20-2.

Bobcats running back Jayedyn Harris finished with 137 rushing yards and Javaston Badgett ripped a 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for the final score. Sophomore quarterback Kaden Long made his first career start and finished with 112 passing yards and a touchdown.

“He don’t even drive a car but he runs our offense pretty well,” Lane said. “Got a lot to build on, he’ll get better every week.”

Long had had some anxiousness before the game but felt fine after hearing the roars of the crowd.

“Super energetic, we had a great crowd, a great fan base and we really feed off them,” Long said. “(This game) been hyped up all week and we showed how much we’ve been working.”

Long said the game was extra meaningful since it was Lane’s first win leading a team.

“We’re hyped, we love coach,” Long said. “He’s turning this program around.”

Lane’s victory is also a full-circle moment for him as his first high school coaching gig came at Central in 2003 where he helped coach the freshman team.

“I just fell in love with it,” Lane said. “Watching kids get better every day and being a mentor.”

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Before his return to Central, he went on to have stops as an assistant at West during its 2014 state championship run and at Knoxville Catholic when it won a state title in 2017. Lane most recently was the defensive coordinator at Bearden for the last two years.

Getting his first career victory at the first high school he coached was “unreal."

“It ain’t about me, it’s about Central football, Central community, Central high school, that’s what it’s about for me,” Lane said. “We’re just going to keep building from here.”

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email toyloy.brown@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly Twitter, @TJ3rd_.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Kevin Lane's moment that 'stopped my heart' in winning head coaching debut for Knoxville Central