Clarksville Northeast football names Sam Lipsey as new coach

Northeast High School has named Sam Lipsey, a former Kenwood and Clarksville Academy standout, as its next football coach, athletic director Bradley Hutson confirmed to the Leaf-Chronicle.

Lipsey was an assistant at Northeast for the last four seasons, coaching under Brandon Clark and Claude Townsend. The school announced Lipsey's hire to players and employees Wednesday.

Lipsey played at Kenwood from 2010 to 2012, establishing himself as one of the best running backs in the city. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as a sophomore and junior before transferring to Clarksville Academy for his senior season. Lipsey sat out the 2013 regular season, but ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns in his lone playoff game with the Cougars.

After high school, Lipsey attended Austin Peay, graduating in 2018. From 2019 to 2021, Lipsey served as an assistant under Clark, and was the only coach to remain on the Eagles' staff after Clark resigned and Claude Townsend took over last February.

Lipsey also teaches world history at Northeast.

The Eagles have had just two winning seasons in the last eight years and went 5-6 last fall, their lone season under Townsend. Lipsey will be their fourth head coach since Isaac Shelby left for Clarksville in 2013.

Townsend was let go in March after an internal investigation into "inappropriate contact and communication" on the school's campus.

Lipsey's hire leaves Clarksville Academy as the only Montgomery County school still looking for a football coach this offseason. Scott Murray, who led the Cougars to their first winning record since 2014 last season, left for White House-Heritage in March.

Northeast is also still searching for a boys basketball coach after Sam Young resigned last week to open a family business.

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.