[Westside]

When Shawn Thompson was told in December he wouldn’t be allowed to return as coach of the Fort Knox football team next season, athletic director Jackie Prather said the administration wanted to go in a different direction.

The school found a new direction with an old coach.

Fort Knox officially introduced Brandon Combs, who coached for three years before resigning following the 2010 season, as its next coach Thursday afternoon.

“The first time he was here, I think he improved the program,” Prather said of Combs. “We’re just looking to build on that success. We had a meeting with the team today and he was very upbeat with them. We talked about how he made improvements when he was here. We just look forward to having more success.”

Combs, who coached at Lewis County in 2006 and ’07 before coming to Fort Knox, went 7-27 in his three seasons. The Eagles went 4-8 in 2010, and advanced to the second round of the Class 2-A playoffs.

The program appeared to be turning things around, and Combs thought the Eagles would continue to improve in what would have been his fourth season.

But Combs stepped down in January 2011, saying he wanted to spend more time with his growing family. Combs and his wife Sarah have three young children: 6-year-old Zeke, 4-year-old Titus and Jubilee, who will turn 2 years old in February.

“It was tough for me when I walked away,” Combs said. “But it was good for our family. It’s going to make me appreciate coaching at a deeper level.”

Prior to Christmas break, Combs said he was approached by Dr. Gregg Mowen, Fort Knox’s principal. Mowen wanted to know if Combs would be interesting in returning as coach.

After discussing it with Sarah, Combs decided it was time for him to get back into coaching football.

“After about a week of thinking and praying about it, I thought it was a good time for me to get back in,” Combs said. “Even though it was just two years, it was a good two years because I got to spend a lot of time with my family. There wasn’t a lot of quality time before, but I’m at the point now where I can go back to the game and the game not consume me. I can go and put in the time that I need to put in and still be a good father and husband, too.”

Combs said he was able to learn how to better balance family life with his coaching duties.

“Football used to consume me,” Combs said Wednesday night while watching an episode of Strawberry Shortcake with Jubilee. “Even though I’m getting back into and enjoying it and piecing together the schedule and off-season workouts, I love that part but it’s not the only thing that’s on my mind. Sitting down and watching Strawberry Shortcake with Jubilee is something I like to do.

“It’s a different perspective,” he added. “Before, I was always in football. I had never taken a year off for anything. When I took those two years off, it allowed me to have a different perspective of things. But with the time away, I got the perspective I needed. It’s healthy for us as a family.”

Combs said his family is glad to see him getting back to doing something he loves.

“They’re excited,” he said. “Zeke, that’s all he knew. When I wasn’t coaching, he would always ask why I wasn’t on the sideline. He was a little confused because I wasn’t coaching. When I told them I was going to coach again, they asked me if I was going to coach the Eagles. It’s pretty cool Zeke remembers going to the games.

“And Sarah is all for it. She’s been real supportive,” Combs added. “She’s really been supportive from the get go. She knew it was something I really enjoyed and really loved. When I resigned the first time, she tried to get me to stay and coach. But I knew it was best for our family at that time, and it was really good for us. She told me she thought I should try it again if it ever came open.”

Combs didn’t expect that time to come so quickly, but he’s glad for the opportunity to coach the Eagles once again.

The coaching staff will remain the same, as coordinators Sam Wilson and Wes Arnold will return. Combs said David Wiley, who was the boys’ soccer coach at Fort Knox this past fall, will join the staff. John Aluza, who was part of Thompson’s staff this past season, might also return.

“The staff is very important,” Combs said. “Those are guys that I trust and I know they’ll do a really good job.”

As far as what offensive and defensive schemes the Eagles will use, Combs hasn’t gotten that far just yet.

Fort Knox ran a hybrid spread this past season, combining elements of the shotgun with an option attack.

“It’s kind of hard to put goals on everything right now,” Combs said. “If I had a fair assessment of the talent at the school, I would make goals. We always want to strive for the highest degree, like winning district and going to the playoffs. But we need to assess the talent and assess who fits in where for the offense and defense and special teams.

“… We’re going to go with what best fits our personnel,” he added. “That’ll come in time. We’ll start weight lifting next week and we will see the kids that come out and start putting things together.”

Prather is confident Combs can pick up right where he left off.

“We’re hoping for something quick,” Prather said. “We’re a school that transitions students all the time. We’ve registered 17 new kids in three days. Our numbers are climbing a bit. Hopefully we’ll see an immediate impact this fall.

“We’re excited. I think he did a great job,” she added. “He had his reasons to step away. It wasn’t anything with his coaching; he just needed to put things in priority. We were starting to turn things around, and I expect nothing different.”

http://www.enterprise.com

[Westside]

It's great to see Bubba back on the sideline.

[Brother Xavier]

I agree