Chad Pennington Coached Kentucky High School Football Team to State Championship

Chad Pennington became a Kentucky high school football legend, not because he played there. Instead, the former National Football League quarterback led a once-dormant football program to a state championship.

The 11-year NFL veteran guided Sayre High School to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Class 1A title. The Spartans defeated Raceland, 27-22, last Dec. 6 to complete the program’s transformation. In addition to the Rams’ first state title, that victory allowed Sayre to finish the season with a perfect 15-0 record.

Luke Pennington, Chad’s middle child with his wife Robin, threw three touchdown passes to Louisville commit Brock Coffman. Meanwhile, Coffman, the Class 1A Player of the Year, was the state championship game’s Most Valuable Player after finishing with 12 receptions for 143 yards. Charlie Slabaugh contributed a rushing touchdown to the winning cause.

Despite Sayre’s efforts on offense, their defense sealed the Kentucky high school football state championship. Raceland had a favorable field position after a shanked punt, giving them higher odds of scoring a touchdown. However, John Luke Miller’s sack of Jacob Waller pushed the Rams from the Raceland 27 to the 38-yard line. Waller’s subsequent fourth-down pass went incomplete, sealing the win for Sayre.

This result is fascinating because Sayre’s winning the state championship was unfathomable seven years ago. The school didn’t participate in competitive football from 1977 to 2017, and the older Pennington helped revive the program in 2018. In the first year, Pennington had enough players for a two-game schedule.

Sayre’s fortunes turned around in the 2020-21 season after completing an 8-2 overall record, including a 6-0 mark at home. Four years later, the Spartans are champions. While it’s a breakthrough for Sayre, winning championships isn’t new to Pennington because he led the Thundering Herd to an NCAA Class I-AA national championship in 1999.

Before coaching in Kentucky high school football, Pennington played for the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. The two-time Comeback Player of the Year led the league in passer rating and completion percentage in 2002.