Over a week after the departure of JR Kirby, Henry County worked quickly to name its new football coach, hiring former assistant coach Josh Wolfe, the school announced Saturday.
Wolfe spent the past season as the defensive coordinator at Milan where he helped the Bulldogs finish 13-2 and reach the TSSAA Class 2A football state championship game in December.
Wolfe served two seasons (2022, 2023) as a Henry County defensive assistant to James Counce, who resigned the Patriots position in January after 10 seasons.
Wolfe’s arrival allows Henry County to move on from Kirby, who spent three weeks as Henry County’s coach after being hired Jan. 21.
“We’re very excited about coach Wolfe coming back,” Henry County athletics director Steve Summers said. “The players are excited, the parents are excited and the community is excited. He’ll have great support in Paris and we’re ready to roll.”
Kirby resigned at Henry County last week and was re-hired at Covington, leaving Henry County scrambling to fill the position. Summers said it was “extremely important” that, during this second coaching search, the school found someone who has spent time in Paris and understands Henry County football.
“Yes, it was important,” Summers said. “We wanted somebody who isn’t scared of hard work, someone who won’t run from adversity. We know we found that in Josh Wolfe.”
The Patriots went 95-36 during Counce’s 10 seasons. They reached the playoffs each season while his 2018 team reached the Class 5A state title game. Henry County lost in the semifinals three times (2020-22) and quarterfinals three times under Counce.
“We have full confidence in coach Wolfe,” Summers said. “He’s ready and we’re ready to get this thing going.”
Wolfe has 18 years of coaching experience, including six seasons as a head coach at West Carroll (2015-20). He led West Carroll to a pair of Class 1A quarterfinal appearances in 2019 and 2020. His first two seasons at West Carroll produced only three wins but he won 23 games in his last three, and finished his tenure at West Carroll with a 30-37 record.
Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
This content is reposted from the source: https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/high-school/2025/02/22/josh-wolfe-hired-henry-county-football-coach-jr-kirby-tssaa/79649134007/
