Steve Stonebraker Now has Job he Wanted as Danville Football HC

Steve Stonebraker, left, with his son, Solomon, and fiancee, Rachel, after an Adair County game last season. Stonebraker today was named the new head football coach after going 17-6 the last two seasons at Adair.

Steve Stonebraker wanted to be Danville’s head football coach two years ago when the job became open. He didn’t get it then but the veteran coach today was named Danville’s new coach.

Stonebraker has a diversified coaching background. He became the youngest head coach in Kentucky at age 23 when he became the head coach at Casey County in 1999. Casey had never had a winning season and was 1-48 the previous five years. He went 54-41 in nine seasons and had five winning seasons.

He has also been the head coach at Garrard County, Jeffersontown, Woodford County and Adair County — along with a second stint at Casey County from 2016-22. The school won its first district title in 2022. In 2016 he got Casey to its first regional championship game when it won two playoff games.

Stonebraker spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Adair County, which was 3-7 in 2022. Adair went 7-4 in 2023 and 10-2 last season.

So why leave to take over at Danville, which went 0-11 the last two seasons under coach Frank Parks and has had a program in turmoil since the unpopular dismissal of then head coach Clay Clevenger after the 2020 season?

“The tradition of Danville is obviously something that is a big point of interest. To have the challenge to get the program back going is something I know is a great undertaking. I have had the opportunity to take a lot of jobs and have had to build roster numbers and then build confidence and give the players hope,” Stonebraker, 50, said.

“But the tradition and the ceiling that Danville will have intrigues me. The ceiling is different at Danville from other places I have been. We want to be as good as we can right from the get-go. I have taken over  jobs in year one and had success but you always want to have a long-term plan. I feel confident with the guys we have got coming up and the staff I can put together that we can have a very good program.”

Stonebraker met with his players at Adair today to break the news to them. He will meet with Bate Middle School players Tuesday. A public meet-and-greet will be scheduled in the next few weeks.

“The perception of the program is something to change in the first few weeks and  months,” the new Danville coach said. “Next will be establishing the culture in the program that I want. Perception is the biggest challenge to overcome.”

Danville struggled to score in 2024 and Stonebraker understands that challenge.

“It can be a quick fix if you have certain pieces. I will see what we need to do personnel-wise. The offense can be fixable in the short term if you have certain pieces but the one thing I have done is geared my offense to the personnel we have. I have used the Wishbone, ran the I. I am known more for a spread offense but have got to do what you can do with the personnel you have.”

Stonebraker plans to start work immediately on his coaching staff.

“There will definitely be guys on the staff now that I want to keep but I also need to see if some guys I want to bring in can fit,” he said. “I will actively put together the best staff I can for these kids.”