It takes a unique person to coach high school football, especially for an extended period of time. Several factors come into play when trying to explain why this is the case.
First and foremost, you have to absolutely love what you’re doing. Not only must you have a real passion for the game, but you must enjoy mentoring young men. You have to realize and accept the challenges you’re inevitably going to face while coaching young people in today’s society. You will also need a strong support system, which includes your spouse and family members, as well as excellent assistant coaches on your staff.
High school football coaches (or any high school coach in any sport) certainly aren’t in it for the money. The job is also extremely time-consuming; for many potentially excellent coaches that factor alone keeps them away from the profession, or they get out of it after a short stint. It’s understandable that young parents would much rather be able to spend what spare time they have with family, and not have to deal with all of the myriad of issues that a coach must handle nowadays. All you have to do is ask any teacher or coach that has been around for a while; kids (and parents) are much different than they were years ago.
Football coaches are burdened with a ton of responsibility and when you consider the sheer size of the rosters, that’s a lot of different personalities that you must attempt to mold into a cohesive unit. Somehow, the coaches who stay in the game find a way to do a tremendous job of doing just that, and it’s an admirable accomplishment.
Coaching in the year 2024 is also quite a bit different than it was just a few years ago. Veteran coaches must learn to adapt to the changing times, including negativity from social media and other outside noise, and that is also no easy task.
On the other hand, the rewarding aspects of coaching young people is what keeps men like David Buchanan and Bill Spencer involved in football. They have a deep affinity for not only the game of football, but also for teaching life lessons to young men that they hope will help them in real life down the road.
Loyal readers of this column already know how I feel about Coach Buchanan, who is in his second season at Anderson County, after serving as the head coach at Mercer County for seven seasons. Around these parts, Coach “B” is known for leading the Mason County football program to prominence during his 19-year stint, winning 150 games from 1996-2014. Before arriving in Maysville, he was the head coach at Paris High School for four seasons.
Buchanan enters his 32nd season as a head coach with the same enthusiasm and love for football that has brought him to this point. Following a 1-9 season a year ago, you can bet the Bearcats will be a much-improved team this year. What makes Buchanan special is the way he treats people; not only is he a winner on the football field, but he has affected many lives in a positive manner and continues to do so. He absolutely loves the game of football, but his real affinity is for his family and the kids he coaches and teaches.
The same can be said for Spencer, who took over the reins of the Fleming County program in 2010, replacing yet another veteran coach who has been in football for many years, Gene
Peterson. This guy was fortunate to work with both of them (as well as Buchanan) during my time as a sports writer covering high school football. You can find many of the same qualities with all three men; they love football, they set a great example to young people, but they are also competitive, which keeps the juices flowing.
A great coach in any sport is one who gets the most out of the talent he or she has on his or her particular team, motivating the players to always do their best and to play together, while putting the players in the best position to win. He or she must also have a sincere passion for the game they’re coaching.
That would describe not only the three coaches mentioned here, but many others I had the pleasure of working with over the years.
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As you may have already guessed with the leadoff to this column, it is time for Friday Night Lights across Kentucky.
The Commonwealth has seen a tremendous amount of growth and interest in high school football in the past couple of decades, and the talent level is one reason why. There is more Division I talent in Kentucky than ever before and college coaches have discovered that in recent years.
Below is a brief glimpse at who and where teams in the area will be playing in their season openers.
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ROYALS OPEN WITH A TOUGH TASK – The Mason County Royals will be looking to avenge a 28-8 loss in Flatwoods last year when Russell invades Maysville for a 7:30 kickoff. The Red
Devils, a traditional 3A power in northeastern Kentucky, were 7-5 last year and are coached by TJ Maynard.
The Class 4A Royals are coming off a 6-5 season and are led by Joe Wynn, in his fourth year as the head coach. Senior Teegin Routt will be taking over as the starting quarterback after backing up Keshaun Thomas last year. Routt tossed for 559 yards and four touchdowns last season. One of his favorite targets will be senior Cole Horch, while seniors Kenton Johnson and CJ Arthur and junior Hayden Horn will likely lead the rushing attack.
One interesting note to this observer is the sheer numbers. When you take a look at the Mason County roster, it is immediately noticeable just how many more players are participating in football these days.
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PANTHERS HEAD BACK TO LEXINGTON – Last season, the Fleming County Panthers ventured to Lexington to open the 2023 campaign against a 6A school. They returned with a 20-18 victory at Henry Clay, and they’re going to try to do the same Friday.
This time, the opposition will be Lafayette, and the first-ever meeting between the two is the second game of a doubleheader on the Generals’ field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. In the opener, Oldham County will meet Henry Clay at 6 p.m.
The Panthers are coming off a 6-5 season, while Lafayette went 2-9 a year ago. Jon Lawson is beginning his third season as the Generals’ head coach, and the team’s leading rusher, Kj Jones,
is back after gaining 530 yards on the ground in his sophomore season.
Senior Jordan Harn is expected to lead the Panthers’ offense after scoring six rushing touchdowns and gaining 307 yards and grabbing three TD passes to go with 22 receptions and 277 yards a year ago.
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POLAR BEARS HEAD TO HARRISON – In Cynthiana, the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between Class 2A Bracken County and Class 4A Harrison County will kick off at 7:30.
Both teams recorded identical 6-5 marks a year ago.
The Polar Bears, led by head coach Steven Tarter, will be looking for more of the same from running back-linebacker Daulton Tarter. As a sophomore last season, Tarter ran for 1,436 yards and scored 25 rushing scores. On the other side of the ball, he racked up 106 total tackles, including 17 tackles for loss.
The ‘Breds will be led by a new coach, Van Isaac, who takes over for the veteran Ray Graham. He faces the tall task of replacing quarterback Kaydon Custard, who passed for 2,453 yards and 25 touchdowns, and ran for 1,222 yards and 17 scores.
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LIONS SEEK REVENGE IN CARLISLE – After a heartbreaking 32-30 defeat in Vanceburg to open the 2023 season, the Lewis County Lions hope to turn the tables on Nicholas County Friday evening at 7:30.
Former Bracken County coach Simon Clouse is beginning his second year in Carlisle after the Class 1A Blue Jackets went 4-7
last year. Senior Colby Gray returns after rushing for 508 yards and adding 273 receiving yards last year. Junior Preston Blake is also back for Nicholas County after leading the team with 401 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions.
The Lions feature a new head coach, Dalton Stamm, who takes over for Gene Peterson. Lewis County, a Class 3A school, was 2-8 last year. Senior Braedyn McGlone is expected to lead the Lions’ offense after leading the team in rushing a year ago, gaining 420 yards and scoring six touchdowns. Sophomore Alex Russell should also bolster the running game after gaining 334 yards and scoring three times last season.
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The following quotes come from high school football coaches from around the country:
“You are involved with young men at a very critical and fragile stage in their lives. Football is a terrific vehicle to impart important life lessons. The scoreboard is there for a reason, but it’s not the most important thing.” – Tony Dudik, Bishop LeBlond High School (St. Joseph, Missouri)
“Coaching football is more than Xs and Os. I tell our kids that if all they’ve learned playing football is how to run an out route, they’ve wasted vast amounts of time and energy. We believe that football is a great opportunity to teach character, and it doesn’t happen by osmosis. Teaching character through football has to be intentional. If we’re not careful, we waste opportunities to have positive effects on young men’s lives.” – Rick Jones, Greenwood High School (Arkansas)
“We need coaches who care about coaches, coaches who care about players, players who care about coaches, and players
who care about players. Our philosophy has always been that no win is more important than our players.” – Dominick Ciao, Berkeley Preparatory School (Tampa, Florida)
***** “I, like all other human beings, expose to the world only my trimmed and perfumed and carefully barbered public opinions and conceal carefully, cautiously, wisely, my private ones.” — Mark Twain
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