Article written and submitted by: Brian Kamer
In one of the most surprising moves of the high school football offseason, Rhea County Head Coach Mark Pemberton, who just wrapped up his 11th season as the leader of the Golden Eagles, has resigned to take the same position at Campbell County High School in Jacksboro. Pemberton leaves a legacy at Rhea County that includes two semifinal appearances, a playoff berth each of his eleven seasons, five region championships, and the second longest tenure of any coach in Evensville.
His record of 87-43 (67% win percentage) places him as the most successful Golden Eagle coach of the 21st Century, and the 2nd best all-time behind only Bill Horton (104-45, 70% win percentage), for whom the playing field is named. Coach Pemberton has led the program through some great times, and he has had the opportunity to coach some of Rhea County’s modern legends. Players like Jake York, Dimitrius and Noel Patterson, Tyler Pendleton, and Ethan Davis, holder of multiple rushing records for the half-century old program, come to mind when one thinks of Pemberton’s time at Rhea County.
What’s Next? For Coach Pemberton, he moves on to Jacksboro to helm the Campbell County Cougars, coming off a 4-7 season and 1-3 record in Region 3-5A. The Cougars have not had a winning season since 2021, have not had a winning record in region play since 2015, and have not won a playoff game since the 2014 season. Interestingly enough, the previously mentioned 2015 season just happened to be when they bowed out in the first round of the TSSAA 5A playoffs to… Mark Pemberton’s Rhea County Eagles. One thing is for certain, Coach Pemberton is a proven winner. Almost every school that has brought him on to lead their program has witnessed immediate success, dating back to his days at Rockwood (60-37), Knoxville Catholic (78-11), and a single season at Brentwood High School in 2012 that saw them go 11-2 and make an appearance in the quarterfinals. He inherited a Rhea County program that was 3-17 in the previous two seasons before he took the job, and he turned it around to a 23-3 record in the next two. He will no doubt be a Hall of Fame member one day, and Eagle Nation is thankful to have shared in his successes.
For Rhea County, a new, unknown era sits on the horizon, and many things have changed since the Eagles were last in the market for a coach. Tennessee has seen an uptick in recruiting from top-tier programs due to an influx of talent from out of state and natural talent growth from Bristol to Memphis, NIL opportunities are now available for prep players, and the distant rumblings of a possible one-time, no penalty transfer rule for high school athletes loom heavy over any coach in the state. Increasingly true by the day, the current culture has led to an open season of sorts of players jumping from one school to another for better athletic opportunities. The next coach in Rhea County will have to navigate these waters as they take the helm of the Golden Eagles.
On a more positive note, whoever takes the reins of the program for season number 51 will have a community full of football-crazed, gridiron fans that love to see the Golden Eagles be successful. They will have some of the best school administrators in the entire state supporting them, and a plethora of boys who bleed green and gold waiting for him to lead them into the future. Stay with The Rhea County Observer as Rhea County begins its search for their next coach.
This article was written and submitted by Brian Kamer. A teacher at Rhea County High School and former sports writer for Rhea Review.
