Pineville Superintendent Russell Thompson introduced assistant principal Randy Frazier as the new Pineville head football coach in front of a group of students on Tuesday. Frazier will be a fresh face on the sidelines after former Mountain Lion coach Bart Elam resigned to pursue options at the collegiate level.

“It’s an honor to be here, not only to be at Pineville as an assistant principal, but it’s an honor to be selected as your football coach,” said Frazier at the student assembly. “Last year, I would go out there and work and I would see you all out there on the field, and I would see what kind of effort you gave. I saw what kind of staff that they had last year with coach Elam and those guys. It made me excited about football again.”

Frazier, whose last stop as a head coach was at Middlesboro, said he was excited to lead Pineville next year. He said that Pineville felt like home.

“Even though I was at a different school at the time, (Pineville) felt like home. When I got the opportunity to come here as an assistant principal, I didn’t hesitate because it’s a wonderful community,” said Frazier. “You can feel the tradition as you walk around town.”

Frazier will inherit a young team when the season kicks off next year. Last season, Pineville graduated six seniors and lost a decent amount of playmakers. The team will return several sophomores that made an impact, including Scooby Morris and Hayden Callebs.

The new coach still has his expectations set high with hopes of earning a district title.

“Obviously, we want to win a district championship,” Frazier said. “I told them in a meeting we had earlier today that was one of the reasons I finally looked around at my wife and said, ‘Do you care if I apply for this job?’ Then I went and asked permission from the administration to apply. I watched them play last year. The job that coach Elam has done here since he’s been here is phenomenal. I think he’s a great coach, and it got me excited thinking about coming back.

“When coach resigned and moved to college football, it got me thinking. I was just excited to be a part of it.”

As far as his staff, Frazier said he has talked to several people about coaching opportunities. One name he mentioned in particular was former Bell County and EKU standout Ben Madon.

“I coached Ben at Bell County. (He’s) a super guy,” said Frazier. “As of right now, it looks good to get Ben on this staff.”

Frazier said the team is still looking for staff members and welcomes coaches from Elam’s staff. He said putting together the complete staff isn’t going to be a priority until the administration determines what is available, so they can find the proper fit for the school.

Frazier thanked his wife Selena, son Cole and the administration at Pineville for playing a big part in allowing him to be the coach at Pineville.

During his last stop as a head football coach, Frazier tallied a 23-23 record between 2010 and 2013 at Middlesboro. In 2013, he led the Yellow Jackets to a 9-3 season and the second round of the playoffs before losing to Somerset.