Ballard Memorial names Bledsoe football coach

Bledsoe said he has been involved in football at Ballard since he was his son Devyn’s third-grade coach. Devyn Bledsoe, a 2017 BMHS graduate, earned a scholarship to Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he plays linebacker.

Bledsoe was an assistant varsity football coach for two years and an assistant and head coach at the middle school level for eight. His 2014 middle school team won the divisional championship. Bledsoe has also been head track coach for five years and a head middle school basketball coach for six years.

“We started with a screening committee of community members and school personnel, who narrowed our prospects down to those we wanted to interview,” Ballard Memorial athletic director Tim Adams said. “Throughout the process, we were looking for the right person for this job and for our athletes at this pivotal time in our program. We are excited to find such a great fit in LeToun and are proud that he will be our next Bomber head football coach.”

Ballard Superintendent Dr. Casey Allen agreed.

“I am excited to have the familiar face of Coach Bledsoe on the sideline of BMHS football this year,” he said. “His contagious enthusiasm and knowledge of our district and kids really make him the right man for this job.”

Bledsoe’s first objective will be building excitement in the program and recruiting more student athletes, he said.

“When I took over the middle school program, we had three players,” he said.

Bledsoe said he understands the challenges of coaching at a small school.

“It’s easy to coach kids with great athletic ability. But helping kids get to their highest level? That’s why I coach football,” he said.

Bledsoe said he believed Ballard could be a successful program through faith, hard work, dedication and the support of the local community.

“I want to get students who want to play and want to be involved,” he said. “If they believe in each other, we can see a real turnaround.”

He said he is currently putting together a staff for the Little League program.

“To be great at anything, you’ve got to start at the bottom,” he said. “We are going to build a strong foundation.”

Bledsoe has been employed by Ballard County Schools since 2010. He and his wife, Raina, live in La Center and have served as youth ministers at Fairview Baptist Church for over 10 years.