Veteran coach is averaging slightly over 10-wins a season over the first five
Larry French is the third winningest high school coach in Kentucky history. We have him with 372-wins overall. He has done a fine job at Middlesboro over his first five years after being brought in to “right the ship” for a once proud program which had fallen on hard times (10-44 over the five season period immediately prior to French’s hire). Sure, the Yellow Jackets graduated some key pieces to the puzzle; but, in the end, Larry French is still there-and that may prove to be plenty!
HB Lyon, Scouting Director, KPGFootball
Middlesboro was really struggling when they hired Larry French. French was brought in to take the program over in 2019. In 2018, the Yellow Jackets were 1-10.
Community
Since coming to Middlesboro, the Yellow Jackets have been consistent contenders. They were 8-4 in ’19, his first year; 7-2 in the ’20 pandemic shortened season; 13-1 in ’21; 7-4 in ’22; and 9-3 a year ago (2023).
That is 54-wins (14-loses) in five (5)-seasons under French. The five seasons before French took the reins…10-wins (against 44-loses). Quite the difference.
Now French is the third winningest coach in KHSAA history. He has won a pair of titles, in three (3) attempts, and 372-wins (by our count) along the way.
As he enters another season he has a team which was among the best at the 1A classification in its first tour since leaving 2A. They were 9-3 and featured some of the finer skill position players in the classification anywhere in Kentucky.
Gone are dual threat Cayden Grigsby, who threw for 2,023-yards and 26-TDs in ’23 while rushing for 898-yards and 9-TDs. Grigsby, who also played defense (not uncommon on teams fielding rosters below the 4A level), had a pair of TFLs, a sack, and 6-INTs with 67-IRNYs and a “pick-six” on his stat sheet.
On a “Larry French” coached football team, it is not who graduated but who is coming back, like the head coach
Friday Night Fletch
Kameron Wilson crossed the graduation stage too. He took the 71-receptions he corralled in ’23 and the 19-TDs he caught. Jack Yoakum, the second most popular down field receiving threat is graduated as is second leading rusher, Rylee Foster.
That is a considerable amount of offensive production. These guys were all top defenders so that production, on the defensive side of the football, is also exhausted.
The cupboard isn’t completely bare. Vincent Smith returns and is a top-notch, two-way player; particularly on defense. In ’23, Smith forced a fumble while recovering two. Place Kicker, Josh Haun, was only a freshman in ’23 and converted 80% of his PATs to lead the club in a category some people overlook.
While the Yellow Jackets lost plenty to graduation, don’t get it twisted. They return HFC, Larry French.
Returning a guy who has averaged slightly over 10-wins a season, including a nine (9)-game season shortened by a global pandemic, is an enviable situation for any program at any level. Under such a scenario, the cupboard is never complete threadbare.
At the end of the day, the Yellow Jackets are speaking quite a bit of “French” around Middlesboro High. Matter of fact, “French” has been a popular subject around the quaint little town sitting close to the Tennessee border less than 90-minutes from Knoxville, TN for the past five seasons.
Its popularity doesn’t appear to be fading.
This is Friday Night Fletch, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!
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