Written by Ivan Rice for 10thRegion.com.
PARIS, KY – Last winter, the Paris Administration introduced Dane Damron as the next football coach at Paris High School, taking over the position that was previously held by Tyquan Rice, who guided his alma mater for four years. Under Rice, the Greyhounds were a household name in Class 1A football, consistently staying among the top five each year. Rice left his position and was later named the new head coach at Bourbon County.
With an entirely new coaching staff and team, Coach Damron will inherit a Paris football team that finished last season 7-5 and bowed out to eventual state champion Lexington Sayre in the 1A state playoffs regional semifinals. The game was tied at 20-all midway through the third quarter before the Spartans reeled off 21 unanswered points to pull out the win.
Coach Damron, the quarterback of the 1991 National Championship Georgetown Tiger Football Team, brings tons of experience to the program, having started his career as a graduate assistant under the legendary Coach Roy Kidd. He went on to spend seven years as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University, including five years as the offensive coordinator. In addition, Damron spent time as a head coach at Kentucky Christian College and Virginia-Wise, as well as Boyd County (KY) and Lake Gibson High School in Florida.
The new Paris coach will need his knowledge and experience of the game to try and rebuild a Greyhound program that took a big hit after last season, which saw over 20 players graduate or transfer out.
Graduating was three-year “electrifying” starter Elijah Webb, the team’s leading receiver, along with Alex Koeder, the team’s leading rusher. Also gone is four-year starter Preston Cowan, who led 1A in total tackles in 2024, as well as Kaden Frederick, a former 1,000-yard passing quarterback. Paris lost a total of 11 seniors from Rice’s final squad, and then you throw in the numerous players that transferred out of the program, one can easily see why Dameron’s job, in trying to keep the Hounds with the elite in 1A, will be extremely tough. However, the cup wasn’t left dry.
Returning from last year’s squad that played a pivotal role on the team for the past two years are juniors Madi Bell (266 rushing yards & 99 total tackles), Brandon Santiago (173 rushing yards, 264 receiving yards, 8 total TDs & 52 total tackles), and Chase Williams, who finished his sophomore season with 70 total tackles, with 12 going for a loss. They, along with newcomer Trevion Mizell, and senior Aiden Goff, should be a good nucleus to build from, however, after talking with the coach, he knows he will need to develop a lot more kids right away if they’re going to get through their very demanding schedule that very well could be one of the toughest in 1A.
The Hounds will open their season on August 22nd at longtime rival Frankfort. Their first home game will be August 29th when Williamsburg comes to town for the Greyhound Hall of Fame Game. Up next on “Decade of Dominance” night, Pineville will be in Paris on September 5th. On September 12th, 2A power Somerset will take on the Greyhounds in the Blanton Coller Classic. September 19th, Damron’s Hounds will host an exceptionally good Newport team for homecoming. Paris will finally be back on the road on September 26th when they make the long journey to 5A Perry County Central. Following their idle week, the Greyhounds, for their first district game of the season, will make the short journey to Carlisle, where they will face off against the rival Nicholas County on their new turf field that will take place on October 12th. Defending state 1A runner-up and district foe Raceland will host Paris on October 19th, just before the grid Hounds conclude their final two games of the regular season at home when they battle Fairview (October 24th) and Morgan County (October 31st).
“I am honored to be the head football coach at Paris High School,” Damron said when he was hired as the new coach. “This program has a rich tradition, and I look forward to building on that legacy. My goal is to develop a culture of hard work, accountability, and perseverance—both on and off the field and work with our student-athletes to achieve great things together.”
The Greyhounds are scheduled to be in Owingsville on Friday, August 8th, for a four-way scrimmage that will involve host Bath County, Paris, Powell County, and West Carter. On Friday, August 15th, the Hounds will be at Nicholas County for a scrimmage against a team to be named later.
Let’s play some football!
