‘A great opportunity.’ Danville High School hires new head football coach.

Danville High School has hired former Berea and Bryan Station coach Frank Parks as the new head coach of its 11-time state championship Admirals football program.

Parks, a 22-year coaching veteran who leaves Berea after back-to-back 4-7 seasons in Class A, steps up to the 2A ranks in a district that’s likely to continue to include perennial power Lexington Christian and 2019 state champion Somerset.

“We’re going to get this thing turned around sooner rather than later, but we need everyone in this room to be a part of it,” Parks told players at his Friday afternoon introduction at the school, according to the Danville Advocate-Messenger.

Parks succeeds Mark Peach, who stepped down last month after a 5-7 campaign. Peach had a track record of success at Hancock County and Anderson County, taking both to state finals. He led the Admirals to an 8-5 record in 2021, but the team did not advance further than the second round of the playoffs either year.

Prior to Berea, Parks most notably head coached Bryan Station for eight seasons where he had three winning campaigns. His overall head coaching record is 43-69.

Danville’s 11 state titles were displayed around the podium where Parks was introduced. Cross-town rival Boyle County recently matched that total last week with its third consecutive Class 4A crown.

“Danville has a very rich history with their football program, a very stoic program, one of the top programs in the state of Kentucky, and these opportunities don’t come up often enough,” Parks said Friday, according to a Danville Independent Schools press release. “This is a great opportunity to be able to contribute to the great legacy and history of Danville High School football.”

The Danville football community was stunned by the abrupt firing of then-head coach Clay Clevenger between seasons in 2021 by former school superintendent Tammy McDonald. Clevenger played on two Admirals state championship teams in the 1990s as a student and led Danville to its last state championship in 2017 as head coach.

Clevenger has most recently been on the coaching staff at Centre College and continues to be a part of the Danville faculty. Last summer, Danville’s new superintendent, Greg Ross, apologized publicly to Clevenger for how he was fired as head coach.

Danville Principal Chad Luhman said the school’s hiring committee unanimously chose Parks from among its finalists. Parks will be on faculty at Danville High School next semester, according to the school.

“We’re happy that we’re on this timeline which gets him in here and allows him to get to know the students and the school community and get started in that weight room in the winter when we come back in the second semester,” Luhman said.

Lafayette removes interim tag

Lafayette High School announced Friday on social media that the school has removed the “interim” tag for football head coach Jon Lawson.

Lawson stepped in earlier this year to take over the program in the wake of a hiring misfire involving Ethan Atchley, who later wound up at Frankfort. Lawson had been a longtime Lafayette assistant under former coach Eric Shaw.

The Generals went 0-11 this past season, but Lawson recently told the Herald-Leader he saw a lot of positives along the way and he was excited about the program’s future.

Paul Rains returns to coaching

Paul Rains, who led Lexington Christian to its only football state title in 2009 as head coach, will return to the Eagles next season as defensive coordinator, the school announced Friday.

Rains succeeds Marty Moore, the Kentucky football great who served as LCA’s top defensive coach for the last seven seasons.

Rains was last involved in the high school game as the first head coach at Great Crossing High School in 2019. Previous head coaching stops included Paul Laurence Dunbar, Mercer County, Letcher County and Madison Central.