Reflecting Christ’s victory is the ultimate goal of many working with young men and women
By John Herndon, 110forChrist.com
I never cease to be amazed at the impact a high school coach can have on a young person’s life. I saw it over and over during the years I worked for a newspaper, both with Anderson County kids that were on my beat and the many young men and women I got to know from other schools.
I guess it shouldn’t be such a surprise. After all, I was inducted into the Anderson County Athletic Hall of Fame this year – for contributions as a writer, not an athlete! – and the man I asked to introduce me was my high school basketball coach, Wayne King. I was the manager on Anderson County’s 1974 Eighth Region champions, an experience I will never forget.
I have been to every Anderson Hall of Fame induction ceremony since it began in 2024. One constant has been the number of coaches inductees have chosen to introduce them. I have seen former Anderson basketball coach Glen Drury, former track and cross country coach Randy Crist and former softball coach Brent Aldridge and others introduce former players.
And I have seen the same story play out in other schools on Facebook. While state law limits what coaches can say about current players online, I still find it exceptionally touching when I see men like Pleasure Ridge Park basketball coach Larry Kihnley wish former Panthers a happy birthday on Facebook. Many of them had played for Kihnley, who we profiled in 2020. Kihnley has been head coach at PRP since the 2019-2020 season and was impacting lives for Christ as an assistant coach for the legendary Dale Mabrey at the school for 36 years.
Knowing the impact those guys have made prompted me to stay close to home Friday night, opting to watch Scott County and Anderson County in a clash that kicked off less than five miles from my home.
Few expected Anderson to stay close. While the Bearcats are greatly improved and came into the game at 3-2 and had beaten South Oldham for the program’s first district win since 2018 the week before. Scott was in a different league, standing at 5-1, highly ranked in virtually every poll and a legitimate contender for the state Class 5A championship. The game went as expected with Scott rolling to a 56-14 win. Scott County’s Mr. Football candidate Timmy Emongo ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns on just six carries.
I wanted to see Scott County play. And I wanted to say hello to Ray Graham, who I have known for about 40 years.
Coach Graham is one of those great high school coaches who might not get the press he deserves simply because he’s never led a state championship team. But during two tenures at Harrison County, his teams were formidable. He’s also had stints as head coach at Rowan County and as an assistant at Highlands, Franklin County, Lexington Christian and Georgetown College, among others. And at every one he’s impacted young men for Jesus.
And now? Graham serves as an assistant coach in charge of offensive guards and tackles at Scott County. The Cardinals’ head coach, Jim McKee, played for Graham in the late 1980s at Harrison County.
“I’ve been doing this 51 years,” Graham said as members of the Scott County team celebrated their win. “It keeps me young to be around these young men, to motivate them and help make them better.”
Now 73, Graham might not move as fast as he once did but his passion for the game still percolates and his passion for Jesus burns. At Harrison County, his team’s jerseys had the letters DTF DTV on the sleeves, standing for “Determined to Fight, Dedicated to Victory.” The slogan was based on several Old Testament passages and summarized in II Samuel 6-8.
“We had some players join me this morning,” Graham says of devotions at the school. He preaches on occasion and in a 2019 interview, Graham noted he had performed wedding ceremonies of former players.
The wins have been many in Ray Graham’s career, but the number of lives impacted for Jesus is much more.
Buchanan’s son talks faith with players
Several weeks ago, we profiled Anderson County football coach David Buchanan and the way he’s leading the Bearcats back to relevance. Buchanan loves it at Anderson and continues to influence young men at his latest stop.
But as we talked about the improvement at Anderson over his four years at the helm, Buchanan noted something that most fans will never see.
“I tell you what is neat,” he said, “when (his son) Trosper is here, I will see Trosper with one of my players and you know that they are doing? They are sharing their faith! They are talking about Jesus Christ. They aren’t even talking about football.”
Now an offensive assistant at the University of Kentucky, Trosper Buchanan is committed to mentoring followers of Jesus Christ, just like his father.
And that is the ultimate victory.
