Christian County has turned to a face familiar with Hopkinsville football as its next head coach. Ricky Gehres was introduced Monday at a media conference at the high school.
Gehres said one of his first priorities is to return the Colonel football program to the high level he saw when he played across town at Hopkinsville High.
He promised a no-huddle spread offense that best utilizes the talents of the quarterback and said fans could see several different packages involving multiple quarterbacks.
He said the Colonels will also play fast on defense.
Gehres said he plans to meet with the current coaching staff and decide if any of them will stay with the program in the fall and added he already has spoken to some people currently outside the program to join his new staff.
Gehres served as an assistant coach at Campbellsville for 14 seasons, the last eight as offensive coordinator.
As a coach, Gehres’ players broke all but two of his playing-career marks and went on to set team single-game and single-season records for pass receptions, receiving yards, touchdown catches and receptions per game.
The Colonels were 11-0 in 2017 before losing in the playoffs to South Warren in the second round. Two years later, the Colonels dropped to 0-11 and endured the program’s first winless season since 1971. Christian County opened a COVID-shortened 2020 season with a win over Madisonville before losing its final five games of the season.
Steve Lovelace resigned as coach last month after 14 seasons as head coach. That included a pair of trips to the Class 5A state championship game in 2008 and 2010. Gehres played for Lovelace at Hopkinsville High where Lovelace was an assistant coach before taking the CCHS head coaching job.
Gehres is a 2000 graduate of Hopkinsville High School where he played receiver and quarterback. He signed with Western Kentucky University out of high school before transferring to Campbellsville University.
As a player, Gehres set or tied several Campbellsville receiving records for career receiving yards (2,203), career receptions (153), most passes caught in a game (10), most yards receiving in a game (153), and most pass receptions in a season (54).
After graduating from CU, Gehres played overseas in the German Football League (GFL) and the Arena Football League, playing both sides of the ball for the Odessa Roughnecks.
