‘We’re a football school.’ Franklin County has built a consistent winner under Eddie James.

After Franklin County’s hard fought 39-33 Rebel Bowl victory against Lexington Christian on Saturday, Flyers head coach Eddie James cautioned his players against getting caught up in the inevitable talk about how good they are.

It’s only Week 2 for the Herald-Leader’s Class 4A No. 5 team, and the Flyers (2-0) have goals that require a level-headed focus to achieve.

James led the Flyers to a state championship game appearance in his fourth season at the helm back in 2020. On a run of four consecutive district and region championships, Franklin County has been a consistent top contender since.

“We’re a football school. We’ve got a football program that has established itself,” James told the Herald-Leader after his postgame talk. “We’re playing in these big games, and our kids are not out of place here. I’m very happy about that.”

A Franklin County kind of win

In Saturday’s game against LCA, Franklin County’s offense showcased what the Flyers have become known for — big-play ability combined with a determination to grind out scores with its punishing run game.

Senior running back Christian Moore rushed for 148 yards and scored all five of the Flyers’ touchdowns from close range.

“It’s just my offensive line. These guys push,” Moore explained. “If you watch the film, I’ve got defensive linemen 3 yards downfield, and it just makes it really easy for me.”

A 77-yard kick return by Elesius “Juice” Robinson set up one of the scores. Delano Collins contributed massively to two other TDs with a 55-yard reverse on one series and a 30-yard reception from quarterback Carter Richardson on another.

Despite giving up touchdowns on five consecutive Franklin County drives, preseason Class 2A No. 3 Lexington Christian (0-2) kept itself in the game and took advantage of a fourth-quarter Flyers fumble to close what had been a 17-point third-quarter deficit to a 36-33 margin midway through the fourth.

LCA’s Saxton Howard and Leland Edwards combined for 204 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Howard also had a 17-yard TD pass to Tyler King.

Easton Powell padded Franklin County’s lead with 37-yard field goal with 3:08 left in the game to set the final score.

“I’m proud of my kids for hanging in there,” James said. “There were some moments there where we got tired and had a little bit of a lapse, but our kids fought through, and we made some good plays at the end to seal it.”

James’ fateful decision to stay

In the weeks following Franklin County’s first appearance in a state championship game in 2020, James applied for and accepted the head coaching position at Highlands High School — a storied football program with 23 state titles — in Fort Thomas.

Two days after being introduced to the Highlands community, however, second thoughts brought James back home even though he heard the critics telling him the move would be “career suicide.”

“Highlands was a great job. It still is a great job, but our community backed us, and they’ve allowed us to kind of make this run and supported us to the end. I appreciate that,” James said.

James is a 2005 Franklin County graduate and served as an assistant coach prior to being put in charge of the Flyers in 2017.

Before James’ arrival, Franklin County had achieved tremendous regular season success and had only four losing records since 2000. But those wins didn’t translate to the postseason, where Franklin County advanced past the second round only twice.

When James took over, he told the State Journal he wanted to “really put my stamp on the program.” He went 5-6 his first season and hasn’t had a losing season since, advancing to the Class 4A semifinals in each of the last four years.

Moore testified to the connection James has with his players.

“Me and him have a unique relationship. He’s just a guy who trusts me,” Moore said. “We talk about more than football. He’s not just a coach. He’s a father figure.”

‘We’ve just got to keep working’

Boyle County has won four consecutive Class 4A state championships. The team who came the closest to denying the Rebels in that span was Franklin County, who lost the 2020 title game 31-28 in overtime.

Senior tight end/defensive end Luke Toothaker knows making it back to the state finals won’t be easy.

“We’ve been doing well for a long time now. There’s one thing more left and that’s a state championship,” Toothaker said. “We’re all hungry and that starts in January, the first day in the weight room at 6 a.m. We’re ready for it.”

Clearly, James has developed the culture to keep Franklin County in contention. The effort will be there.

“We have a bunch of kids that want to be part of a football team. That’s what’s exciting to me. ... We have a lot of guys who want to work and get their hands dirty, and I’m proud of them,” James said. “We’ve just got to keep working and getting better every day. We’re chasing a giant, and we’re just going to keep chasing.”

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