Red Bay, Vina hire new head coaches
Three new head coaches were hired at the most recent Franklin County Schools Board of Education meeting.
Red Bay hired Donovan Hand as the head baseball coach. Hand was most recently the head baseball coach at Vina High School for three seasons.
“The three years at Vina were very special to me,” said Hand. “It was my first coaching job and a great learning experience for me. (Assistant coach) Kelby Hallmark and I were able to build the program to be very competitive and won some games there as well.”
Hand said he is looking forward to the challenge of rebuilding the Red Bay baseball program. He is encouraged by the interest in baseball in the community.
“I think the opportunity at Red Bay will be an awesome challenge. We have had a lot of interest in the short time,” said Hand. “The summer program has gone really well, and I look forward to the spring.
“We are inheriting a young team but kids that have played a lot of baseball. We have some upper classmen that have talent and with a good mix of kids we hope to be competitive soon.
“We will take our same work ethic and intensity to Red Bay and give the kids a chance to be really prepared to play and be the best they can be.”
Hand will be replaced at Vina by Cody Renfrow. Renfrow is a 2013 graduate of Vina and will graduate from Athens State in May 2022.
“I’m beyond excited and thankful for the opportunity to coach baseball at a place where I have so many great memories while I was growing up,” said Renfrow.
Renfrow, who has been coaching football for the Red Devils for four years, said he is very familiar with the athletes who will be playing baseball.
“I look forward to the challenge of bringing the Vina baseball program back to a competitive level while developing players into respectable young men.”
Chandler Allen was hired to be the new varsity boys basketball coach at Vina, replacing Talon Thomas.
“I am excited to have this opportunity,” said Allen, a Red Bay and Blue Mountain College graduate. “I want to thank Mr. Gillespie and Mr. Hamilton for this opportunity, and I look forward to getting started.”
