PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WMDJ) - Like father, like son.
Martin County High School football offensive coordinator Wesley Hager has been named as the new head football coach of Prestonsburg High School.
It's a homecoming for Hager, who graduated from Prestonsburg High School in 2017 while playing for his father, Shawn Hager, who was then serving as assistant football coach for the Blackcats.
Now, father and son will face off in a yearly rivalry game when Wesley leads the Blackcats against dear old Dad's Floyd Central Jaguars.
Wesley has been coaching several sports at Martin County - much like his father has while at Floyd Central.
Wesley Hager left a position on his father's staff at Floyd Central to become the head baseball coach at Martin County High School. Hager also served as assistant basketball coach.
Prestonsburg and Floyd Central will meet this coming fall in a high-stakes district contest at Josh Francis Field. The game is guaranteed to be a must-see event more than before, taking this friendly rivalry to new heights.
The hiring of a former alumnus will hopefully instill a sense of hope for a program that has been floundering. The Blackcats lost to both county rivals Betsy Layne and Floyd Central in the same season for the first time in school history in 2023. The loss to Betsy Layne was particularly hard for fans to take considering the Bobcats hadn't defeated Prestonsburg in over 30-years. The programs met again in the opening round of postseason play with Betsy Layne also emerging victorious, ending the Blackcats season at (5-6).
