ChiefSmoke

The Lady Bearcats were a freshman / sophomore dominated team this season. They were down 17-2 in the 1st round of the district & came back to win that game. Proud of those young ladies & the staff. Good luck to Simon Kenton this week!

I interviewed w/ Bob Rowe (Principal) & Tony Bacigalupo (AD) a few years back. Was very impressed with both them. Exceptional leaders. One of the best interview experiences, ever. That type of vision for a school & athletic program finds it way on to the court, field & classroom.

When I get a mass email from a college football coach about my guys attending their summer camps, this is my response. To me, no evaluation means the camp is a money grab. Am I right or wrong?

Last Player Development Workout was this past Wednesday. We have had a strong offseason in the weightroom & skill development the best we can, navigating the weather. Spring football will have warm weather, compliments of Lady Bearcats Basketball. Good luck to them in the 8th Region Semifinals on Friday Night!

I was not forced out. I weighed it out over a 4 month period and based on the information I had, I thought it was best for the program. But, in posting this…. I know you do that in support of me. And, that is appreciated. Who knows… Coaching & Leaving Mercer County… might be a great book # 2 someday. ?? Steve, Kasey, Austin… all super choices. And, whoever they choose, wish him and the kids the very best.

Steve would be super as well! My son in law, Josiah Robbins, played for him at Boyle. Loves him. Says he is TOUGH but will push & bring out the best in a young man.

Donald Wayne Smith was my AD at Mercer and we coached football together. He is a good friend of mine and we go back over 40 years. He has a strong personality and we definitely butt heads over my 7 years at Mercer. But, he and I worked very well together during those seven years and saw our football program improve substantially. The last 3 years we had 70 players on the roster and enjoyed success on the field as well. We worked like dogs to pull our community together and made progress. Our Hog-Dog-Titan each Friday night was very cool for our hometown. I appreciate all he did during that time. He was a huge part of that success we enjoyed, along w/ a strong group of assistants that worked hard as well. I say this because I don’t want people to forget his role during a very productive time when we made so much progress. Kasey & Austin would be excellent choices. Crazy about both those guys and believe they would be very successful. Mercer ? & boys ? have been TOUGH jobs since merger. I have no idea what it is like now. But, if it is still tough, Kasey & Austin can handle it. I love my hometown. It was super to me and my Dad. And, the old coach across town for my rival, Alvis Johnson, was great to me as well. Coach Johnson did more to help people behind the scenes that no one saw, than most people do for others in a lifetime. Bottom line, I will always be thankful for my hometown and wish for the Titans the very best.

In general, our culture prefers splash hires and immediate results. Applies to school admin as well. The grind of building a program. The investment required in terms of resources & time… not real popular these days.

It's been almost 20 years since this original post. Is this going to be the format for the 10th Region this year? @mcpapa @Polar Bearcat @Pi @CynthianaHoops @brooksville

Congratulations to Coach Clay Birdwhistell & the Lady Bearcats! This is a freshman / sophomore dominated team. They were down 2-17 in the District Semifinals last night. Impressive job by this coaching staff and players. Good luck next week in the 8th Region Tournament!

84-78 Royals!

We had our last player development workout today. Weather was perfect. And, our kids got to meet legendary Boyle County Football Coach, Ed Rall. Was glad he could share some words with our team as well. Some days, being an old football coach is pretty a good deal. Today was certainly one of them.

Coach Ed Rall joined us today for our last Player Development workout. Really glad my kids got to meet him and then have a meal with him as well. To say it was a great day would be an understatement. Coach Rall looks good in that Anderson Co. Football hat. I have told him, Morris Allen Stewart, and Larry French... all you guys started with my Dad... you need to go out with me. So far, I am 0 for 3. ?

Here is a little encouragement for the coaches that are fighting the good fight right now. Hang in there. Also, we have a special edition podcast episode coming out with Jared Peck as our guest. And, Coach Chuck Smith offers his plan for alignment and playoffs. He did an excellent job with it.

Went to church w/ CT & Russ Wolfe. Also had the Danville QBs, Jim & David McAfee. And, Mike Floro went to Centenary Methodist. I was at the bottom of the QB Depth chart at church! ?? Reminds me…. Walked in Sunday School. Boyle County cheerleader looks at me and says, “I don’t know why they put your picture in the paper every week. You’re no good!” I just smiled big. Lol

Yes. Duchy Brandt. Legendary Coach in this area. Danville HS grad, 1957. Was an assistant for Sexton @ Boyle then followed him to Madisonville. He was an assistant at Danville from 1980 thru 1998, an assistant for Coach Duffy and Coach Harp. He was a big part of multiple state titles. All these old coaches around here speak highly and fondly of "Duchy"! This place has been a spot for very good football for a long time.

Congratulations to Andrew! We're both a couple of Mercer County boys who landed in Lawrenceburg. He certainly has made the most of it. It is fun to watch him. He plays very hard. Very happy for him and proud of him. Good luck to him and his teammates this week!

I had Coach Sexton's playbook. My Dad found it when he became the head coach at Boyle. I kept it for 53 years. Finally, 2022, gave it Boone Goldsmith. I got alot of great football stuff. Don't want to part with it. But, if I give it away to people that appreciate it, my family won't throw away great stuff when I die.

Got to see Coach Ed Rall tonight. Wonderful man and football coach! @Hatz @Country @Rebel @BEChargers

Got a glimpse of what heaven will be like. Got to be w/ some of the guys on my 1st Paris team. 1992. We were celebrating Cory Dumphord as the new HFC. Incredible night. Very thankful for these young men! Great days. What a blessing they still are! Talked to a young HFC after this event. He had a TOUGH day and learned some tough lessons. Told him, this is hard but it is 1000% worth it. Had to sprint to get there. We had a player development workout at Anderson that ended at 5 pm. The guys I am coaching right now... crazy about them as well.

Was told the same from a good source about an hour ago.

Was told today that Dave Weston, the DC @ Carroll Co., will become their HFC.

Excellent football coach. Congratulations Coach Burnett!