Tom Becherer

Centre Colonels pluck top Florida safety (Justin Rode, Fort Myers) for ’26 signing class… @CoachRodeBV, @JustinRode_, @H2_Recruiting, @CoachSimmons_CC, @bigassfans, @khsaafootball, @eCampusdotcom, @LasatersCoffee

February 2, 2026 Fletcher Long 0

The Centre Colonels recruit better than almost any small college in the Kentucky area. Chief among the reasons the Colonels are viewed as such a prestigious offer by area prospects is Centre’s standing among peer institutions, the quality of the education it both help funds and provides to it student body, its prestigious history, its second to none facilities, and its second to none social, academic, and even athletic opportunities the school provides to and for its student body. Centre is a big leagues school which attracts big time talent to its athletic programs, football included, (perhaps) football especially. Centre has struck oil again plucking out of Fort Myers one of Florida’s premier safeties. Justin Rode is a coach’s son, has the football IQ that entails, carried a 4.1-GPA and an SAT of 1200, and brings an element of power, speed, and twitch which should be reminiscent of another former Colonel great from E-Town. Enjoy this feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: Tom Becherer, from the ‘thin thirty’ to the Rockets’ ’87 launch @SCHSRockets, @RocketPrincipal, @SCPS_Activities, @centurions_fb, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans

May 11, 2025 Fletcher Long 3

We were praising the 1971 season at Shelbyville High, the one where Dan Goble led the “Rockets” to an all-time season, when a reader reminded us Shelby County had other “all-time” seasons under coach Tom Becherer. Becherer won over 225-games, led the “Rockets” to a “Big-Boy” title (4A), and led them to the finals on three other occasions. Becherer helped get the Christian Academy-Louisville started on its path to Kentucky HS powerhouse status; but, what he did in Shelbyville, Kentucky is singular, remarkable, and why he is considered among the very best and more elite coaches at the HS level in commonwealth history. Enjoy this look at the former UK football great.

Friday Night Fletch