Former NFL QB Chad Pennington Has His Sayre Spartans Focused on the Future, Not the Past

For most high school football programs, following a state championship is difficult.

For Sayre School, it's become an opportunity to reinforce the values that helped build one of Kentucky's fastest-rising programs.

After capturing the Kentucky Class 1A state championship with a perfect 15-0 season in 2024, the Spartans came back to earth in 2025, finishing 9-3 and seeing their season end in the second round of the playoffs. Now, as Sayre prepares for the 2026 campaign, former NFL quarterback and head coach Chad Pennington believes the lessons learned from last season may prove just as valuable as those from a championship year.

Pennington isn't interested in comparing this year's Spartans to either of the previous two teams. Instead, he wants his players focused on becoming the best version of themselves.

"Each season is its own animal. It's its own challenge," Pennington said to WKYT this week. "And so you really got to study your team, see what they're capable of, and then push them as hard as you can to reach your full potential. If you do that, you can be satisfied with the result."

Building a Program from the Ground Up

When Pennington accepted the challenge of reviving football at Sayre in 2018, the Lexington private school had not fielded a varsity football team in more than 40 years. The former Marshall All-American and 11-year NFL veteran inherited a blank slate, helping build the program from the ground up with an emphasis on player development, academics and character.

The early years required patience.

Sayre played a limited schedule before moving to full varsity competition in 2020. The roster steadily grew, facilities expanded and expectations increased. By 2023, the Spartans reached the Class 1A state semifinals before breaking through with a perfect 15-0 season and the program's first state championship in 2024.

Pennington has repeatedly said the program's mission extends well beyond wins and losses.

"We don't talk about being state champs," Pennington said after winning the 2024 title. "We talk about developing young men. Hopefully, along the way, you get a chance to experience this."

A New Chapter Begins

Last season provided another reminder that sustained success is never guaranteed.

The Spartans finished 9-3 before seeing their season end in the second round of the Kentucky Class 1A playoffs, falling short of another championship run.

Now the focus has shifted to writing a new story.

Also speaking with WKYT, Pennington's son Gage, the team's quarterback and a safety on defense, echoed his father's sentiments.

"Last year, we tried to be that state championship team, and we weren't because we were a bunch of different guys," Gage Pennington said. "But this year, I feel like we're being our own team and trying to be our team—not last year's team, not 2024's team, but the 2026 team."

Chad Pennington showed he knows how to focus forward during his NFL career, twice bouncing back from adversity to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year awards. He also passed for nearly 18,000 yards and 102 touchdowns in his 11 year career.

A Tough Road Awaits

The Spartans won't have much time to ease into the season.

Sayre opens Aug. 21 with a road trip to defending Class 1A state champion Kentucky Country Day, beginning what figures to be one of the state's most demanding schedules. The slate also includes games against Bishop Brossart, Williamstown, Bracken County, Louisville Holy Cross and Frankfort, among others.

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