Calico Jack

Native of Henderson County, where he played for the Colonels and then went onto Centre College where he was once again a Colonel! Coach Cross was on staff at WKU under Coach Jack Harbaugh and was part of their 2002 FCS/1-AA National Championship team! For the last 10 or so years he’s been Stoney’s right hand man, calling the defense both at Casey County and at Adair County!! 1st class fella and a ball coach in every sense of the word!!! Congrats, coach. I knew this one was just a matter of time before coming off the board. Both for Coach Cross and Adair County. Smart move by the powers to be in Columbia keeping this one in house!!!

He’s going to be good and then some! Nate was having an operation on his neck/some vertabrae today to, Good Lord willing, relieve him of pain it’s caused the last couple of years.

Ahhhh! C’mon Brownie…you’ll be fine. Owensboro will be fine. As easy as it is to think the KYHSFB Coaching Carousel that of the one in college, it’s just not. Now, if life altering money was involved, then it would be equally as polarizing. ?

Tell it.

Happens in many cases at the high school level.

Honestly? That it's a full blown mystery why one of, and some years, THE biggest public school in the state, that just so happens to be in one of the finest cities in Kentucky, that also just so happens to be blocks away from UK's campus... in one of the more desirable parts of Lexington at that? Has no more region titles as some programs out there that have just as many to their name(s) as they do stoplights in town.

Blake Powers wouldn't just be a homerun, he'd be a walk off grand slam in game 7 in the bottom of the 9th at Yankee Stadium to beat them. But, to be able to get him from his current job as the RB's coach at Army + all the coin and potential growth in the college ranks? That would be hard to give up. ....then, again? So is home.

Hard to say on that last part. Obviously Coach Mo was internal & took over in 04 after Coach French left for Lincoln County. Coach French left Mercer County for Meade County in 87 or maybe it was 89? Did Coach Devries go up until when Coach French was hired? Or were there some(one) in between that was maybe internal? I know Coach Haywood (Phillip) was with Coach Devries as an assistant in the 70’s before he left to take his first (and only job outside of Belfry) at Prestonsburg. Whats crazy, while refreshing to think about with Meade County is the fact that this is just going to be their 3rd HC in almost 40 years.

It is. That’s not happening either.

Correct. He took a teaching job in the county that he once had for several years while there before, and he did this before Judd resigned. He and his family are moving back over Christmas Break & starting his teaching job in January. They never sold their house in Hodgenville when initially moving to Lincoln. He was just going to go back to LaRue with the new/old teaching gig and help Judd out who was his right hand man while Josh was the HC there. If LaRue is able to make it work with a coach that’s at the top of their list right (I’m not at the liberty to say who that is), he’ll help out too.

As a man and coach, they don't make them any better than Coach Mo for sure & like you said, with his son being a senior plus the fact that he has 35 years in on KTRS? He's about at the age/years in where he'd be losing money so to speak by staying in. As far as Meade? One horse town, with great support (community and administration) & fantastic facilities. The only downfall? They are one of, if not the smallest schools in 6A and I say that not because of the "6A!!?? Lions and Tigers and Bears" factor that gets thrown around (every class has it's big 3 or 4 now). Being one of "the last few in" as it pertains to any school, any class makes it an often steeper hill than it already is for most. However, in terms of being in a region to have a real shot in at least making a finals (region) appearance? Things worked out better for them the next two years than they did the last. Meade has always historically been in Region 1 of their class(es). If it stays that way in the future? It's a very good job. A fun one. You have a fighting chance to make some noise in November. If not? Tough, tough road with their proximity to L'ville/Jeff Co.

The point @Colonels_Wear_Blue and I are trying to make is that it's often times the program and not the coach(es)- after all, there are many reasons why so many of these places are revolving doors every few years or less on the "Open Jobs" thread. If you win any at all...any winning seasons...any amount of district title(s) or region title(s) at soooo many places? That/those alone are enough to prove that a guy(s) can coach. Beechwood's new head coach won 4 games in two years at an Ohio perrenial doormat. Two years on the job at Beechwood and he's become the next HFC to lead them to a state title. The administration there knew that & knew the guy could coach despite a resume that many would consider "less than impressive".

Chris McNamee had four straight 4-7 seasons at Pike County Central before taking the Pikeville job back some years ago. They've (Pikeville) done alright since. The late, great Ty Scroggins had one winning season in three years at Doss and no playoff wins before taking the reigns to Louisville Central in 2007. Hunter Cantwell went 4-6, 4-7, 7-5 in 3 years at Carroll County before landing the CAL job. Then, again, Kevin Wallace, like I mentioned in a previous post his first 10 years as a HC while at Warren East in the 80's & early 90's? NEVER had a winning season. NEVER won a playoff game + a career record to that point of around 20 games below .500 Lipstick on a pig....can't make chicken salad out of......a reason why mules don't run in the KY Derby. There are a whole lot of very, very, very average to below average programs in Kentucky. As proven above (and, there are others who have been able to land GOOD jobs, despite their "lack of success" at previous stops)...winning in and around a handful of games + losing seasons at some of these places are truly magical displays of coaching in their own right.

? More like a CIA member of sorts, the KYHSFB department @Colonels_Wear_Blue

Hearing possibility of them pulling out of district play...which would be a very, very smart thing (and, a boatload of other programs across the state for that matter).

Bingo "Juice ain't worth the squeeze"

I don't mean to be a dream killer, but it's not going to be Kevin Wallace or Brandon Smith.

Dang, Raceland!! That sack!! Just keep pounding the dang ball and score with little to no time left.

I don't disagree on any of that, but I'll say this...to get current head coaches like those two (or any others) with some hardware at their current school (and, always being in the mix), Owensboro is going to have to pony up and offer the moon/stars. Which, with them being a one horse town in terms of being their own school district, then they COULD do some things to entice an absolute home run hire. Corbin just did it this offseason in hiring Luke Salmon's hiring him (away from Cabell Midland in Huntington, WV) in a central office spot (no teaching) along with being the head football coach, making it an above six figure package. Perry County Central (one horse town itself being the only high school in Perry County) did the same to lure Mark Dixon away the city school, Hazard. He, too, has a central office type position with no teaching responsibilities.

Coaches since 1990 in KY that left their current state championship winning school for another. It's NINE, not 7 @Colonels_Wear_Blue can fact check me. - '91 Joe Jaggers- Fort Knox to North Hardin (same county) - '94 Tom Duffy- Highlands to Henderson County - '97 Dudley Hilton- Bell County to Bourbon County (then back to Bell) -'02 Mark Brown- Nelson County to John Hardin (didn't immediately require a move & even when did? 30 mile move) - '12 Mike Holcomb- Breathitt County to Letcher Central (retired full pension KTRS, didn't have to move family) - '12 Larry French- Boyle County to Southwestern - '19 Kevin Wallace- Bowling Green to St. X (retired full pension KTRS, then able to go into the private sector of education) - '20 Doug Preston- Franklin Simpson to John Hardin - '21 Mark Dixon- Hazard to Perry County Central (same county)

As much as I wish this state operated like Texas, Georgia, Alabama, etc? It doesn't. At least for 99% of the schools (by operating like MANY schools in those states, I mean a 100K+ salary, unlimited resources/facilities, teaching little to no classes at all & classes they do teach? One is usually a full on athletic period where they can practice during the day, AM/PM depending & all of the coaching staff can attend around their "teaching" schedules, etc). This isn't the 60's, 70's, 80's or 90's....coaches at already state championship competing/winning programs don't (willingly & directly) leave for other ones in state. Since 2000, all classes, there have been just FOUR who had won one and/or multiple state titles leave (willingly & directly) school "A" in Kentucky for school "B". ...and, just SEVEN since 1990.

While I agree that Kevin Wallace (or Brandon Smith) would be a homerun hire(s), but saying "No" to internal hires....you know that Kevin Wallace was an internal hire for Bowling Green back before the '96 season, right? Not only was he an internal hire, but was also an internal hire who already had 10 years head coaching experience under his belt at a previous school with nowhere near the yearly resources/talent level...10 years that included NO winning seasons, NO playoff wins and a career record to that point that was in and around 20 games BELOW .500 win percentage. I say that to say this. Don't be so quick to be anti "multiple head championships" or bust/no internal hires. Because you could have the best makeup artists there are putting lipstick on pigs, and at the end of the day...that pig is still going to be a pig.

Bob Redman is the only one I know of, and his was 19 years at one school. He left Waggener for Male in ‘91-‘09 seasons I believe? That and if my math is mathing.

I had heard some of that, but then also the projected growth along the road the school is on (Shepherdsville Road/Hwy 245 that connects Bardstown & I-65) which I'm sure had to do with the then expected growth of Fort Knox. Some of the families that were long time "Nelson County" will tell you that the split is one of the factors for Bethlehem's growth...as a school & their overall athletic program.

It made zero sense & it still doesn't. For the Boston community area they draw from, it's closer, but for where they draw from the most in the areas of New Haven, Culvertown, etc? It's a further drive for them to Thomas Nelson than it was/is to Nelson County High.