Bogue Chitto head football coach BJ Smithhart has been hired to take on the same role at West Lincoln, as he'll return to lead the Bears after being in charge of the program from 2017-2018.
Smithhart guided West Lincoln to its first and only home playoff game in 2017, finishing with a 5-6 record that year. His 2018 Bears squad recorded a 3-8 overall record.
The longtime head coach has also served stints at St. Aloysius (2008-2016) and Franklin County (2019-2023). He guided the former to a 1A state-title appearance in 2014.
West Lincoln had gone 3-18 over the past two seasons under former head coach Johnny Lane Ball, and the program has never won more than five games in a single campaign. The Bears began playing football in 1998.
Smithhart recorded a 14-9 overall record and 6-1 mark in district play through two seasons with the Bobcats, highlighted by a pair of playoff victories that were the school's first since 2020. He had initially taken over for longtime coach Garreth Sartin.
For the second time in three years, Bogue Chitto is now on the hunt for a new head football coach.
