Articles by Fletcher Long

About Fletcher Long
Two-time winner of Kentucky Press Association awards for excellence in writing and reporting news stories while Managing Editor of the Jackson (KY) Times-Voice

Slow Motion Replay: Mark Brown started his career without any guarantees, but fulfilled his contract with the kids he coached @OwensboroSports, @1027TheGame, @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball,@EtownFB, @FULLNELSONFOOT1

May 24, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Mark Brown thought he would build a dynasty at one high school. In the end he build a dynasty which expanded across four (4) high schools and 38-years. Along the way, Brown won over 70% of his games, won 331-times against 140-losses, and took his alma mater, Nelson County, to the 4A title in 1996 in a thrilling 35-34 OT victory over Lexington’s Paul Dunbar High and its legendary HFC, Mike Meighan. It is Nelson County’s only football title in program history. We haven’t a clue what you would call such a record. We would call it a fine résumé. Enjoy this feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: Monty Joe Lovell and his Madison Model High ‘Royal Purples’ @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @MCentral_FB,

May 23, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

We have been featuring some of the greatest football coaches to ever grace a sideline in our Slow Motion Replay series. We have an entire panel of “experts” who guide and direct our selections. Not everyone appearing on this or that “All-Time” list is amongst the greatest in the coaching department as there is more to coaching than raw wins-losses. This guy here, Monty Joe Lovell, had an incredible run as both an athlete and coach in the Richmond, Kentucky area at the old Madison Model High School. He was yearly in contention for state supremacy for his 11-years and took his team to the 1A title game in 1979 dropping a heart breaker to Bellevue, 7-0. Lovell would lose playoff games to the likes of Poppa Joe Jaggers and Marshall Patterson, two all-time Hall of Famers both of whom struggled to beat Lovell and both of whom (Jaggers in ’72 and Patterson in ’78) went on to win it all. Enjoy this look at a truly remarkable former football coach.

Friday Night Fletch

This week our Big Ass Fans Kentucky Comfort Creator is Jason Hence who has proven Goodin is NOT the only ‘Good’un’ on the Collins roster @jasonhenc3, @KadeGoodin, @MLCTitanCoach, @MLCHS_Athletics, @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

May 23, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Everyone across the commonwealth is eager to talk about Kade Goodin. What’s not to like? He is 6’3,” 190 pounds and threw for over 2,200-yards and 22-TDs a year ago while rushing for close to a thousand (861) and rushing for 13-TDs. Goodin isn’t the only prime time ’27 on Coach Lucas’s roster. Jason Hence is really coming on too. Find out in this feature what makes Jason Hence from Collins such a “cool customer.” Let’s keep it comfortable out there, Kentucky, and allow us to help you out in that regard.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf(e)? Perhaps everyone should be! @MaleBulldogs, @LMHSCoachWolfe, @Aspirationsgym, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans

May 22, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

We don’t know ultimately who’s afraid of the big, bad Wolfe; but we know who should be…the teams having to face the Bulldogs this coming Fall. Chris Wolfe has been among the very best coaches in the business since he took his first job at Hancock County in 1997 and quickly led them to a 10-3 finish in 1998. Wolfe then went 46-25 at Waggener (1999-2004), taking them to the 2000 semis, and finally 18-16 at Pleasure Ridge Park (2005-2007) before landing at Male High as Bobby Redman’s successor. This is a pass-first, explosive play hunting, offensive innovator who recognized he would have to move the ball, through the air, and for large chunks of production to regularly compete with and overcome the teams in Louisville he would have to schedule. Enjoy this feature, Tra la la la la.

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Conner Miles is looking to lead @HopkinsCentral, @_CoachManning, @evans02_mike, @scott_khristian, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

May 22, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Connor Miles, a ’27 DE for the Storm, looks to have all the right measurements to thrive where slotted. Mile is a DE. Miles is 6’5″ tall. Miles weighs a slight, but thickening as he lifts and conditions, 215-pounds. Miles played some his sophomore year and did well when presented with opportunity. Coach Manning believes both Miles and Aaron Wells are growing into roles on his team. That means we should see much more from this prospect over the next couple of years than we have the first two. Big, tall, lengthy kids can take longer to develop. However, when they finally arrive… Enjoy the article and be careful out there; looks like a Storm is brewing!

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: Ewell E. “Judge” Waddell laid down the law around Highlands High from 1942-1954 @HighlandsFB, @WaddellScholars, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @WKUFootball

May 21, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

We don’t make head coaches anymore the ilk or equal of your Doc Farrells, your Judge Waddells, or even your Homer Rices. No sir, those days appear long gone and who knows if we will ever see them reappear. Still, it is fun to remember when our high school football coaches were way more than just coaches. Many of them were fine teachers, accomplished academics, and community leaders. They were heroes to some and fine gentlemen to all. They required their players to act in conformity with a certain code of conduct from the young men they would lead and the young men they would coach. Enjoy this look at Judge Waddell, perhaps the first, great coach of the Highlands High School era. His efforts would result in the construction of one of the KHSAA’s all-time football factories, football dynasties.

Friday Night Fletch

Aaron ‘AD’ Johnson, from Perry County Central, is the Mingua Beef Jerky Protein-packed Performer of the Week @minguabeefjerky @bigassfans, @KyHighFootball, @PCCHSFootball, @kyhssportszone

May 21, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Aaron David Johnson, or “AD” as he is called around Perry County Central circles has been making some real, off-season strides. He is getting taller, getting thicker, getting stronger exhibiting more arm-strength, and getting much, much faster. This kid has got the home folks around Hazard, Kentucky going plumb crazy. We believe this kid, coming off a solid junior year under center, is poised to have quite the senior season. Together with “little brother” Bryson Johnson (“Mr. B”), these two have the Commodores from Perry County Central trending in an upward trajectory. Enjoy this feature and don’t forget to pick up a few bags of some of the world’s finest beef jerky products. #SavorTheFlavor out there in Perry County, KY.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: Doc Ferrell walked through Prestonsburg like a Demi-god @PrestonsburgFB, @SrHighFootball, @khsaafootball, @UKFootball, @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans

May 20, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

I think the world of Dan Goble. I am also mindful of the responsibility of this online magazine to be the recorders of KHSAA football history. I don’t know why the job has fallen to us, I just know that it has. That is why when I got a call from Coach Goble asking me to feature a former coach who meant the world to him, I was eager to comply with the request. From that phone call, this article materialized. I would like to thank my mother, and the DAR, for contributing to this piece. We have resurrected the story of a former great we were required to rescue from the dustbin of history, soon to be forgotten forever. Thank Goodness we got to it before it was gone. Enjoy this article.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: Bob Redman, Renaissance Man @ItsChris_Redman, @OwensboroSports, @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @MaleBulldogs

May 19, 2025 Fletcher Long 5

Bob Redman was a true Renaissance Man in that he was able to do a variety of things while doing them all very well. Redman was among the greatest high school football coaches the Louisville area has ever known and managed to beat both St. Xavier and Trinity more than any other Louisville area coach in spite of coaching a team in one of those powerhouses’s districts in 30 of his 35-years. Redman averaged over 9-wins a season for 35-seasons. Playing against the best and most talented rosters the commonwealth of Kentucky had to offer, that is really something quite remarkable. Enjoy this feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Jesse Clark, Murray High, is on quite a few prospect lists across KY @GoldRushNathan, @JesseClark2027, @murrayhighFB, @Coach_Hugo33, @Dickerson_Coach, @MurrayQBClub, @PrepRedzoneKY, @Chapman42071, @DCHS_Football, @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

May 19, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Jesse Clark is a 6’3,” 260 pound DE who many believe is about the best DE on the western end of KY. Clark has the frame, length, and size you want at the “big schools” and with a 3.5-GPA he is also sure to gain admission pretty much everywhere from the SEC to the Ivy-League. This kid has plenty of “leg kick” and get off coming around the end and his explosion will only increase as he matures physically. This is a long, tall, lengthy, edge presence schools love to be able to slot defensively. Enjoy this feature.

Friday Night Fletch