By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Joe Wynn will be returning to the Northern Kentucky high school football coaching ranks after being hired as Simon Kenton’s new head coach on Thursday.
Wynn, a Dayton high School graduate, started his head coaching career at Newport from 2018 to 2020 and spent the last four years in charge of the Mason County football program. Last season, his team posted an 8-4 record and he was named Coach of the Year in Class 4A District 5.
At Newport, Wynn took charge of a team that posted a 4-29 record over three seasons. After the Wildcats finished 6-5 in his first season, he received the Owen Hauck Award that goes to the coach of the area’s most improved team.
Wynn has compiled a 54-27 career record (18-13 at Newport, 36-14 at Mason County) coaching teams that competed on the Class 2A, 3A and 4A levels. He took Mason County to the Class 3A state semifinals in 2022 and finished with the best record in school history at 13-1.
Simon Kenton is a Class 6A team that had a 19-25 record over the last four seasons under former head coach Roy Lucas Jr. The Pioneers finished 4-7 last year even though the offensive unit averaged 393.1 yards per game.
“I believe that I am a perfect fit at Simon Kenton based upon my diverse experiences over the span of my career,” Wynn said in a press release from the school. “My formula of success comes from being as transparent as possible in the school building and the community. We will hold our student athletes to high standards and push ourselves to be champions. I firmly believe to get the best out of kids, you must truly be about the kids.”
One of the senior captains for Simon Kenton last season was quarterback Brady Lee, who passed for 3,057 yards and 25 touchdowns, rushed for 594 yards and scored 10 TDs. The Pioneers will also lose senior linebacker Aven Bohms, who made a team-high 110 tackles, to graduation.
Simon Kenton’s top two pass receivers were junior Grayson Harris and sophomore Tysin Weaver. The team will also have junior linebackers Landon Brown and Braden Schoborg returning. They made a combined total of 174 tackles last season.