The coaches have been chosen and the date is set!
The 2nd Annual TN/KY Battle of the Border Bowl is set for January 17th, 2009. The annual event pits the best East Tennessee high school football seniors against the best Eastern Kentucky seniors.
The event was designed to step into the void that the now defunct TN/KY All Star Game created when it went under two years ago. The main difference between the two being the All Star event drew high school stars from all over both states. The Border Bowl focuses on football stars from the eastern half of each state.
Each Border Bowl team will boast and eight man coaching staff, the assistant coaches will be named at a later date.
This year's Kentucky head coach will be Paul Rains (Lexington Christian Academy). Rains led the 1A LCA Eagles to the state championship vs. Beechwood in 2007. The Eagles next action will be August 15th in a 3 way scrimmage vs. Bryan Station and Green County.
This year's Tennessee head coach is Steve Brewer (Sevier County). Brewer has been a long time stalwart of 5A football in East Tennessee and has coached well known players like University of Tennessee QB Joey Matthews. He led the Smoky Bears to a 3-7 season in 2007. Knoxville Fulton head coach Buck Coatney will serve as the Tennessee team's defensive coordinator. Coatney lead the Falcons to the TSSAA 3A Championship in 2007 vs. David Lipsomb.
Coach Brewer said, "This game is a big plus for the kids....it's a win/win situation for them. The bowl commitee does it the right way. I'm glad to see the National Guard behind the game. This year will be bigger and better."
As many as 27 players from last year's 1st annual game ended up with scholarships to play college football. The Tennessee squad won the first game last year, 23-13. Fulton RB Terrence Cobb was named Tennessee's offensive MVP.
