South Warren football coach Brandon Smith was named the Kentucky Football Coaches Association’s 2025 Coach of the Year on Wednesday.

Smith, who was already honored as the KFCA’s Class 6A Coach of the Year, claimed the overall honor after leading the Spartans to a stellar season. Competing for the first time in Class 6A, South Warren posted a 13-1 overall record and reached the state championship game at Kroger Field in Lexington.

After rolling through an undefeated regular season, the Spartans delivered three dominating playoff wins on their home field with victories against Hopkinsville (51-23), Henderson County (49-21) and Ryle (36-20).

That set up a championship matchup against two-time defending champion Louisville Trinity.

The Shamrocks built a 21-0 lead by halftime, but South Warren answered when Isaiah Bridges returned the opening kickoff of the second half 98 yards for a touchdown.

Trinity stretched the lead back to three touchdowns, but the Spartans got that touchdown right back when quarterback Camden Page connected with wide receiver Jake Carter on a 46-yard touchdown pass with 9:09 left in the third quarter.

The Spartans continued to move the ball, twice reaching the red zone before drives stalled against the Shamrocks in a 28-14 loss.

Smith, who has been South Warren’s head coach for 12 seasons, has led the program to a 133-24 record in his tenure. That includes three state championships – 2015 (Class 4A), 2018 (Class 5A) and 2021 (Class 5A), as well as this season’s state runner-up finish. The KFCA Jimmy Reed Coach of the Year honor is Smith’s first. The award was determined by a vote among fellow high school coaches throughout Kentucky.

Owensboro’s Evan Hampton, who led the Red Devils to this season’s Class 5A state championship, was named as the 2025 Kentucky Mr. Football winner after rushing for 2,035 yards and 31 touchdowns. Hampton also had 19 catches for 288 yards and three TDs. Hampton has signed to play football at Vanderbilt.