By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
LYMAN — There’s a new sheriff in town as far as the Harrison Central High football team is concerned.
And he brings with him some championship credentials.
Chris Fortenberry accepted the role as new head football coach for the Red Rebels back in January. He comes down south from Columbia, where he is fresh off of helping lead the Wildcats to an undefeated 15-0 season and a Class 4A state championship as the defensive coordinator for Columbia..
He also served as the head coach at Richton from 2013-2015, where he led the Rebels to the Class 2A South State playoffs twice.

“It’s exciting to be, one, just to be a head coach, two, to be in this district,” Fortenberry said, in a recent interview. “They’ve done a great job just pouring into the program, lots of improvements going on. These kids are wonderful, they work every day, they come and attack every day with a mindset that they’re going to go 1-0 and do their very best to just win that day and we’ve done that in the five or six months I’ve been here. I’m very blessed, fortunate to be here.”
Harrison Central went just 3-17 over the past two seasons under former head coach Nekemia Rich, so Red Rebel nation hopes Fortenberry’s arrival will be the beginning of a major turnaround on the gridiron at Earl Phillips Stadium once the new season begins.
“We’re trying to build a culture, a winning environment here.” Fortenberry added. “I want them to look forward to coming through the doors of this field house and on this field practicing with their brothers and their football family. I want this to be the best part of their day, so that’s what we’re trying to do is just to build that environment that keeps them coming.”

HCHS was just 1-9 last season, the worst regular season mark in 15 years, since going 1-10 in 2010.
However, quarterback Caleb Russell returns to lead the HCHS offense, after he threw for 1,148 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore last season.
The Red Rebels will have to find a replacement for leading rusher Zahkari McGlothin, who graduated, and Robert McElvin, who will line up at H-back, among other spots, could help off set that loss.
But, Russell’s favorite target from last season in wide out Ke’Adrian Brown is back for his junior season also after he hauled in almost 500 yards in receptions and half of those scores.

Defensively, linebackers Braydin Badon and Nehemiah Brown lead the charge.
The Red Rebels only have seven in their senior class, so they’ll be relying a lot on some underclassmen,
“We want to see a lot of growth,” Fortenberry concluded. “We want to go 1-0 every week. That’s the goal, so to put a number on that, it’s just really not fair to our kids. We want to do things the right way, and practice the right way, and play the game the right way, regardless of circumstance or situation. The wins and losses, that stuff takes care of itself when you do things right.”
Harrison Central hosts Jackson Lanier on Fri., Aug. 28th to kick off the new season.