CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) – Kenwood High school was the fifth high school in the area that would see a coaching change going into the 2017 season. Five weeks ago, Brian Beaubien stepped down as head coach of the Knights after four years.
On Tuesday, the Knights introduced Robert Gillard as their new head football coach. Gillard comes to Kenwood from Jackson Northside High school in Jackson, Tennessee where he served as the defensive coordinator over the last two seasons.
“I just really wanted to get back into being a head coach. This is a good situation for me, especially looking at the stats for this school as far as academics. Clarksville has one of the best educational systems in the state, and that’s a good thing with helping kids continue their education,” Gillard said.
Gillard has served as an assistant the last four years, but has also served as head coach in the past at Austin East High School in Knoxville from 2009 until 2012 and Sheffield High School in Memphis from 2000 until 2002. He has also coached college teams including Lincoln University, Southern Arkansas University, and Land College.
Gillard inherits a team that has been led by University of North Carolina commit Antwaun Branch for the past two years and Navy’s Malcolm Perry the two years before that. And as any competitive coach, he’s already thinking about winning.
“There’s three championships you can win. You win your district championship. You can win your regional championship. You can with the state championship,” he said. “These are things we will talk about from day one. We want to win championships. But also, we want to win off the field as well. I want to win in the community. I want the kids to become young men and be mentors to other people.”
The Knights open their 2017 season August 18 at Greenbrier.
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