Lexington Christian football taking shape as longtime assistant steps into lead role

Oakley Watkins, Lexington Christian’s new head football coach, said not much has changed for him since he stepped up from offensive coordinator to the top job this summer.

On LCA’s staff since 2014 and its offensive coordinator since 2018, Watkins had been prepared for the role by former head coach Doug Charles, a longtime mentor who led the Eagles to back-to-back state finals in 2020 and 2021.

Watkins involves himself more with all aspects of the team these days, but he hasn’t felt the weight of it, yet, he said.

“It’s not really hit me too much, to be honest,” Watkins told the Herald-Leader last month. “I think Week 1, when I walk out for the coin toss, I think at that point it’ll hit me.”

However, the players have noticed a change in Watkins.

“He’s a little more verbally commanding as a leader,” senior linebacker Mac Darland said. “He’s showing us the way more.”

Fellow senior Carter Penix said Watkins has the team locked in to try to make another run to Kroger Field.

“He’s even more invested now,” Penix said. “He’s sometimes with the defense. He’s with quarterbacks. He worked with receivers today. He’s with the offensive line. He’s with everybody.”

On a humorous note, the players have also noticed a distinct difference in how long it takes them to break from practice. Watkins isn’t as prone to spin a yarn at the end of each day as his predecessor.

“They’re a little shorter, yes sir,” Darland admitted about Watkins’ daily wrap-ups.

That’s OK with Watkins. He still has Charles nearby at every practice as the team’s director of operations. Their roles have changed, but Watkins knows he can lean on Charles for anything at any moment. He doesn’t have to be Doug Charles.

“You’ve got to be true and genuine to who you are. People see through that if you’re not,” Watkins said. “I’ve got to be who I am.”

LCA has dominated its district for the past several years but has hit a road block in the playoffs. After the Eagles took those gut-wrenching back-to-back losses to Beechwood in the state finals, they fell in the late stages of the playoffs the last three seasons at either Mayfield or Beechwood.

Watkins knows he can’t control all the bad breaks. He can only control how his team prepares each week and how it handles adversity.

“I talk to our team daily about having the courage to do things right the first time. That’s the message they get from me every day because things are going to get tough when you play in a class like 2A,” Watkins said. “You’re going to throw an interception. You’re going to turn the ball over. … Those things happen in big games. The difference when you get to play in a region final or state final is the discipline factor and the toughness factor. …

“We’re not reinventing the wheel by any means.”

Lexington Christian opens its season with its annual eCampus.com Bowl against North Hardin at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Bowling Green faces South Warren in the first half of the bowl doubleheader at 5:30 p.m.

Trying to right the ship in Danville

The latest KHSAA realignment has returned Danville to Lexington Christian’s 4th District after two seasons away.

Those seasons weren’t kind to the Admirals. Danville went 0-11 each of the last two years under former Bryan Station coach Frank Parks.

The 11-time state champions haven’t had a winning season since 2021, the year after the school inexplicably fired celebrated alum and championship winning coach Clay Clevenger, who’s now at Somerset.

Enter veteran coach Steve Stonebraker, who went 10-2 at Adair County last season before taking over Danville. He’s twice been the coach at Casey County and also coached Jeffersontown, Woodford County and Garrard County.

Stonebraker knows the mission: “Get back to the tradition of Danville football,” he said in the Herald-Leader’s preseason survey. “The community and alumni are coming together to see the program move back into its proper place as I take over the program.”

New coaches all over the state

There were 46 new head football coaches hired across Kentucky for the 2025 season.

They are: Adair County, Bryan Cross; Belfry, Matt Varney; Berea, Allen Sperry; Bourbon County, Tyquan Rice; Bryan Station, J.T. Haskins; Bullitt Central, Tyler Faucett; Butler, Gary Wheeler; Calloway County, Coby Lewis; Carroll County, Brent Charles; Central Hardin, Lance Gregory; Conner, Noel Rash; Danville, Steve Stonebraker; Daviess County, Quadarius Wallace; Eastern, Adrian Morton; Eminence, Barrett Sanderson; Floyd Central, Trevor Hoskins; Gallatin County, Rick Honaker; Glasgow, Jackson Arnett; Grant County, Cole Mosier; Henderson County, John Elliot; Henry Clay, Phillip Hawkins; Holmes, Jon Hopkins; Jackson County, Bo Callebs; LaRue County, Clay Hooper; Leslie County, Brian Philip Hubbard; Lexington Catholic, David Clark; Lexington Christian, Oakley Watkins; Madison Southern, Tim Kirk; Marion County, Ross Brown; Meade County, Blake Powers; Nelson County, Josh Boston; North Bullitt, Derek Cruise; Oldham County, Jamie Reed; Owensboro, Damarcus Ganaway Sr.; Paintsville, Brian Melvin; Paris, Dane Damron; Pineville, Arthur Carter; Pleasure Ridge Park, Kenneth Walker Jr.; Powell County, Nate Skidmore; Shawnee, Roger Crume; Shelby County, Powell Miller; Simon Kenton, Joe Wynn; St. Henry, Tim Odom; Thomas Nelson, Bryan Moore; Todd County Central, Will Cohen; Western, Jason Schum.

Jared Peck

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-488-2883

Jared Peck, the Herald-Leader’s Digital Sports Writer, covers high school athletics and has been with the company as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. Support my work with a digital subscription