2024 Interview with new Pike County Central (KY) Head Coach Scott Grizzle

 

Name: Scott Grizzle

School: Pike County Central High

Positions: Teacher/Head Football Coach

College: Kentucky Christian/Marshall University 

Would you share with everyone your coaching career, from your first job up to your current position?

My first coaching position was as a volunteer QB's coach at Raceland High School, working under coach TJ Maynard. I had my bachelor's degree from Marshall in criminal justice and never really considered getting into education. Following that season, I enrolled in the MAT program through the University of Cumberlands to get my Masters in Special Education and was hired as a full-time coach at Raceland. In 2016, I was fortunate to get the opportunity to lead the Greenup County High School program as head coach and alternative learning teacher at the high school. My next coaching position was at Russell High School as a QB coach and credit recovery teacher. Following my time at Russell, I had the opportunity to be a full-time coach at the University of Pikeville, working for Coach Corey Fipps as a running backs and wide receivers coach.

What was the first thing you said to the team when you met them?

I just introduced myself and let them get to know me. We talked about structure and work ethic; we also talked about our goals for the season and what it will take to achieve them. I also let them know that myself and our staff are in their corner, and we will be a leadership program that just so happens to play football. We will teach them to be leaders in the classroom and community, and that will translate to the field.

What offense and defense will you run?

Offensively, it will be an air raid-based scheme with some focus on RPOs and zone running schemes. We believe in an uptempo system that utilizes the entire field both horizontally and vertically. 

Defensively, we will continue to be an odd front defense that can get into multiple fronts and coverages, while at the same time keeping our scheme simple and allowing our kids to be confident in their assignments and rally to the football.

I have talked to enough coaches who have taken over a program, and it seems the common thread from last year does not matter. We are starting all over. How much of who started last season will play a part in who starts this season?

It's a clean slate for everyone at this point. Their work ethic and commitment throughout the summer will play a major role in who gets the first team reps come fall camp.

The first time I went to Pike County to watch football was back in 1998. The stadium was awesome. Now it seems to need a face lift. Is there any plan to update things?

Our facility has certain aspects that are amazing. Our field house rivals any school in the area, and the view from our stadium is unbelievable. The mountain right up against the field is something so unique and just a really cool backdrop for football. We have some work to do, but the overall facility I was extremely pleased with, and I believe it will have an awesome atmosphere on Friday nights. 

Who are some of the coaches you have learned the game from, and how much of what you have learned from them will you incorporate into what you do?

First would be Coach Randy Vanderhoof, my high school coach. Not only is he a phenomenal man, but he is also an incredibly knowledgeable coach and one of the first high school coaches in Kentucky to incorporate the air raid offense.

TJ Maynard, current HFC at Russell High School TJ is great with X's and O's, but he's also really knowledgeable about running a program from top to bottom. He taught me a lot about how to structurally do things, from booster clubs to team camps, etc. 

Mike Salmon's at Raceland, which is very similar to TJ, is great at structurally building things for success. Incredibly intelligent coach and another really good X's and O's guy. 

Corey Fipps at Upike. I thought I knew a lot about the air raid until I met Coach! He is incredible with how he operates the offense. It's like he's always three plays ahead of the defense. He knows exactly what he wants and really forces the defense to react to him. He's also incredible at bringing a team together and building relationships. It was an awesome experience working for him. I'm really appreciative of that guy; he taught me a lot. 

What are your thoughts on playing out-of-state teams, and will you be playing any once you have openings in your schedule?

I'm open to playing anybody as long as it makes sense in terms of travel and scheduling home and away and is beneficial to our kids. 

What changes, if any, would you make to the playoff format that the state of Kentucky has?

As of right now, I don't think there are any, but there can always be tweaks to make things better. I would like to see some of the travel issues be better, but I know the Khsaa is doing the best they can with that.

What are your thoughts about students playing multiple sports?

Absolutely. We encourage our guys to play them all if they want to. Competition breeds experience, whether it's on the court, field, or wherever. The more you compete, the more you're ready for those crunch-time situations.

How important is it to you that all of the lower levels throughout the program play a full schedule?

Extremely important. We most likely will not have enough numbers for a full freshman team, but our JV and middle school teams will play a full schedule, and I will be involved in being at those games as well as our other varsity coaches. 

Should all teams in the program run the same base offense and defense? Explain

Definitely JV and middle school. Our middle school and youth league coaches will be able to incorporate their own schemes, but overall, they should be very similar to our high school schemes. Especially in terms of formations and base play calls. 

What is your go-to snack?

If I'm at the office or on the field, sunflower seeds, ranch, or dill pickles. 

late-night snack: oreos and milk.

What is your favorite sports movie?

Remember, The Titans is tough to beat; Southpaw, the boxing movie, is way up there. The program is another football classic; those are prob top 3.

What is a talent you have that might shock your players?

I'm a mediocre guitar player. lol