BooneBoone alumnus Bryson Warner was named the new varsity football coach in early January.

Warner succeeds Marty Steele, the previous head coach of four years. The change comes after the varsity team went 2-9 in their 2018 season.

Boone Principal Tim Schlotman made the announcement during an introduction meeting in the schools commons on Jan. 4, where he talked about Warner’s accomplishments as a player and a coach.

Warner played as a linebacker for Boone’s varsity football team in the early 90’s under Coach Owen Hauck, where the team won the regional championship every year Warner played.

“It feels incredible,” Warner said on his return to Boone as a coach. “It’s all been really exciting. The last forty days (since the hire) has been unreal. I didn’t realize how much support there was going to be and how much people still cared about this football program.”

Warner graduated from Boone in 1992, and went on to play four seasons of football for Western Kentucky University.

During his time at WKU, Warner started as a linebacker where he was an honorable mention as an “All-America” player.

Warner then went on to work for Thomas More College as a defensive line coach for two seasons, then as head coach for Ryle High School for 11 seasons, where the team’s record was 73-58.

From 2017-18, Warner was on the coaching staff for Covington Catholic.

In addition to his experience as a football coach, Warner is also a real estate agent and owns the “Bryson Warner Real Estate Team,” with his family.

Warner said he plans to follow the example of former Rebels football coach Owen Hauck, who led the team to great success throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Warner played on the team under Hauck and talked about his excellence as a coach.

In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, Warner said, “Coach Hauck taught life in football. Coach Hauck taught toughness and Coach Hauck taught what it’s like to take on the world. He made us believe there was nothing we couldn’t do. He made us believe we could run through a wall and we would for him.”

Warner said that he wants to teach his players more than just how to play well on the field. He said he wants his football program to also teach the boys valuable life lessons.

“It’s more than just about football. It’s about teaching young men to live their lives in an honorable fashion,” he said.

“He is a great guy, very energetic and very confident,” varsity football player and junior Eli Rossi said of Warner. “He’s very positive about everything and how he’s going to change the program and make this school a better school.”

Warner referred to his time as a player for Boone as a “brotherhood,” and says he plans to reinstate and help build that mentality.

After working with the Boone football team for about a month, Warner had nothing but good things to say.

“I’m extremely impressed with their work ethic, dedication, and attitude … this is a great group of young men who we feel we can have a lot of success with,” Warner said. “We have a “1-0” mentality which means we’re not worried about what has happened in the past. We are focused on the future, and we feel the future is very bright.”

The rest of the coaching staff has not yet been announced, though Warner assured that they will be people “who will work, be here and dedicate themselves to the young men.”

Warner has given students and staff alike a reason to be optimistic for the football programs future.

“Boone is very excited to have Coach Warner on board and we are excited by the positive feedback we have received about the selection,” Schlotman said.