On a cool autumn afternoon, Mason County High School football coach Bradley Boone is always in the same place: the school’s football field. Bradley, 29, spends his after-school hours there, motivating and coaching the team preparing for their Friday night game.
Bradley is a product of the Mason County school system. He graduated from the high school in 2015 and came back to teach and coach following graduation from Morehead State University. “I always knew I wanted to get into coaching,” he said. “I wanted to come back home. My family’s here, all my friends.”
Bradley took over as head football coach in 2025 after years as an assistant coach in both the football and basketball programs at the high school. The new role has had its challenges as top players quit and injuries mounted during the season. Grades have also been an issue for players on the team.
The disappointing season for the rookie head coach hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm. “I love the game in general, helping kids in football, but also in life,” he said. “Playing football teaches you to be a better person and hopefully husband and father later in life, just because you’ll go through so many different things.”
One different thing Bradley has experienced in this first year of coaching is the birth of his daughter, Layla, in July. Born four weeks early, Layla arrived within days of the move Bradley and his wife, Hannah, made into their new home and right in the middle of football’s dead period. It was perfect timing, Bradley said. “It’s like she knew her dad was a coach,” Hannah said.
As a coach, Bradley draws on his own experience as student, teacher, player and family man. “Don’t quit on your teammates,” he urges his students. “Love one another and continue to work hard. You’re going to have to do that in life.”
