Jesse Peck has big shoes to fill as the new head football coach at Johnson Central, following in the tremendous legacy of Jim Matney. Of course, with the imposing 6’6” stature of Peck, he may just be the man to fill those shoes. While Peck may not be a household name to many people, his roots in JCHS football run as deep as anyone in the 53-year history of the school.
Peck’s roots run longer than his number of years on earth as his grandfather, Bruce Howard was the first ever football coach at Johnson Central. Peck has grown up immersed in Johnson Central football, and now he gets to continue his connection to this great program in a new capacity, but one that he feels ready to embrace.
“You can’t replace Coach Matney, but with the staff we have in place, I know we can continue to grow and get better,” said Peck. “Coach Matney developed a wonderful system here, and we have a tremendous staff that has worked tirelessly this season to continue his legacy. I love this school and community, and I have complete confidence in the abilities of our staff and players to put in the time and hard work to keep our program a state power.”
Peck’s resume is very impressive as he was a standout football player from the Class of 2000 at JCHS, leading to recruiting visits from several Division I schools including Marshall where he signed to play for legendary coach Bob Pruitt. Despite setbacks from injuries, he completed a season at Marshall before heading to Pikeville College where he was a 3-time All-Conference player and a 2005 All-American.
After graduating from Pikeville, Peck went on to help coach there for two seasons before leaving to become the head football coach at Phelps from 2008-2012. However, Peck has always been a Golden Eagle at heart, and that led him back home to teach and also coach alongside Jim Matney.
Peck was an assistant during the most impressive run of any team in Class 4A this past decade as Johnson Central has won seven consecutive regional titles and played in the state finals six of the past seven years, winning the state championship in 2016 and 2019. Peck was there for the entire run, including serving as defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Under Peck’s guidance as defensive coordinator, JCHS not only won the 2019 title, but also had an impressive record of 36-3 including 25 consecutive wins at one point.
Coach Matney always felt like the community was a huge part of his success as coach, and he surrounded himself with people who not only knew how to coach, but also knew how to treat kids the right way. Matney was known for never using a curse word and never belittling his players, and Peck is cut in that same mold.
“Coach Matney always said we had to trust the process, and we would know what the outcome would be,” said Peck. “He felt like the community was our 12th man, and I believe with the continued support of our community, we will continue the legacy of success at Johnson Central.”