After 12 seasons as head coach of the Holmes High School football program, Ben Nevels has decided to resign from the position, the school posting the opening for the position on Friday.
Nevels guided the Bulldogs to 50 wins, including a playoff victory in 2019, their first since 2009 when current Newport Central Catholic coach Stephen Lickert was the coach. The Bulldogs had a solid run from 2019-22, going 29-15 in that stretch. They’ve gone winless the past two seasons.
“Ben did a great job here,” Bulldogs Athletic Director Ken Ellis said. “He changed kids’ lives and how taught them how to be men and take on responsibility and dealing with situations in life that may deal with football and carry over into their adult lives. We’re very appreciative of what he’s done.”
Nevels recently took on an assistant principal position with the Covington Schools Transformational Learning Center.
Ellis said they’re most likely looking the interim route for the time being with the 2025 season approaching. Teams are allowed to start practicing on July 10.
“The job has been posted on the school district web site as an interim position,” Ellis said. “We’ll look to see who on staff is interested for taking it on this year and post the job again sometime in December or January. We’re hoping to have someone in place pretty quickly.”
Ellis stated with the remodeling of the weight room and indoor facility, they were limited with football workouts in the spring.
In a January KHSAA Board of Control meeting, Holmes presented the option to opt out of postseason play for the next two seasons as they try to build things back up. The request was approved, meaning the Bulldogs will not be required to play a district schedule and won’t be eligible for postseason play. They still plan to field a team and play a full schedule the next two seasons.
In the newly formed alignment for the 2025 and ’26 season, Holmes was slated to be in the Class 4A, 5th District with Covington Catholic, Highlands, Mason County and Harrison County.
The Bulldogs had 23 players on the roster for the 2024 season, 10 of them were seniors.