Local Athletic Directors Earn State Honors
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Earlier this week, two local high school athletic directors were named as award winners by the Kentucky Athletic Administrators Association.
Brandon Combs, the athletic director at Warren East High School, was tabbed with the NIAAA State Award of Merit, marking the first time someone from the Warren County area won the award since 2018, when Jonathan Vincent, the former AD at Warren East, brought home the state honor. Combs, having been involved with Raider athletics for quite a while now, spoke on what makes the program so special.
“This is my 20th year in education, this will make the 10th year I’ve been at Warren East,” Combs said. “I fell in love with the place, feel like it’s home. Worked at a couple different schools before that, again, you’ve got a great sense of pride, tradition and community in our school, and that kind of goes over in extracurricular activities and athletics.”
Speaking of athletics, Dan Dillingham over at Greenwood High School was named the 4th Region Athletic Administrator of the Year, and with a highly competitive program put out across all Gator sports, it takes constant work and attention to maintain.
“There’s always something going on,” Dillingham said. “You’re always, you know, getting ready for the next game, the next event, something in athletics, the next season, whatever it is, whether it’s scheduling, whether it’s just doing anything to support our student athletes and our coaches, and ultimately those who are coming to watch those games.”
As the Raiders and Gators celebrate the two guys at the top of their athletic ladders, both Dillingham and Combs share the same mindset for how success is achieved.
“It’s just a collaborative effort,” Dillingham said, “something that we not only try to teach within our school, but also within our athletic program.”
“Any time you’re recognized or win any kind of award it’s a group and collaborative achievement,” Combs said. “I feel like all of our coaches here put the safety of our student athletes’ number one, first and foremost. They all continue to want the team concept, kind of the ‘we over me’ mentality, and you’ve seen that from our sports here in the fall, winter, and spring. And also, our coaches do a wonderful job of our student athletes giving back to the community.”
The sporting year may not be fully finished yet, with spring sports nearing postseason play, but one thing is for certain, Greenwood and Warren East will be in the thick of things, having award winning athletic directors.
