FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Butler County’s Wesley Jones named Kentucky Boys Archery Coach of the Year
MORGANTOWN, Ky – Earlier this month, former Butler County High School coach, Wesley Jones, was named the Kentucky Boys Archery Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High Schools.
Jones, who served as the Bears’ head coach after coaching at the elementary and middle school levels, said the honor reflects the efforts of everyone involved in the program.
“I had a lot of help to achieve that award, and it means the world to me just because of what we accomplished as a group,” Jones said.
The NFHS recognizes one coach from each state, honoring both on-the-field success, and contributions to student-athletes. Under Jones’ leadership, Butler County’s archery team became a state contender, finishing as runners-up in the KHSAA State Tournament in 2025.
Jones credits the team’s growth to the athletes he’s coached since their earliest days.
“We started off with this group in elementary and we grew as coaches,” he said. “They grew as archers, and we did it together.”
Assistant coach, Jesse Hudson, said Jones played a major role in elevating the program.
“Under his leadership, he put Butler County archery on the map,” Hudson said. “Somebody has to take responsibility for building a program, and he took that on.”
Jones took over as head coach in 2020 and helped develop several high-scoring archers while guiding the Bears to multiple state-level achievements.
“Just to provide them something where they could go away smiling and go home excited…that’s what it means to me,” Jones said.
After 10 years with Butler County Schools, Jones recently decided to retire from coaching. He said the choice came down to family.
“My daughter decided to play volleyball, and I was going to have to miss a lot of her games,” Jones said. “I didn’t feel it’d be fair to her. It was more of a personal, family deal to go ahead and just retire and let some of these other guys take them around.”
The Bears will open their new season under fresh leadership when competition begins Dec. 1.
