Legendary Kentucky high school coach Sam Harp has been hired to take over the football fortunes at Lebanon High. Harp, winner of seven state championships at Danville High School, was introduced to the Blue Devil football team early Wednesday afternoon by LHS athletic director Darian Brown.

In his 32-year prep career, Coach Harp has won 326 games with 106 losses -- a winning percentage of .754 -- with ten trips to the Kentucky state championship game. His teams have won 16 regional championships and 19 district titles.

Harp presently ranks third on the list for most wins in Kentucky by an active coach and fifth overall for wins in the Bluegrass State.

"I think it was time to move on," Coach Harp said following Wednesday's meeting with the LHS team. Sometimes coaches can overstay, 25 years at one place is a long time. I've enjoyed my time at Danville, but I'm up for a new challenge."

Harp and his wife Karen have family in the area -- their daughter lives in Hendersonville and works in Nashville. Son Chase is the offensive coordinator at the University of West Georgia after having played tightend at the University of Kentucky.

"We're much closer to our daughter and grandkids, but at the same time when I saw this job was open I was very interested in it. I can be close to my daughter, but I didn't just come here for that. I came here to win football games. Listening to Mr. Brown talk about how much he loves this place certainly helped sell me on Lebanon High School."

He is a founding father and two-term past president of the Kentucky Football Coaches Association. He is a member of both the Franklin County High School and the Danville High School Sports Hall of Fame. Coach Harp played college baseball at Morehead State and college football at Kentucky State.

Harp will start at Lebanon High Jan. 14 and takes over for Troy Crane, who went 3-17 in two seasons at the helm of the Blue Devil program. LHS has gone 20-41 since its last winning season, a 6-5 campaign in 2006.

-- more details in the Friday print edition of The Wilson Post