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The semi-pro Winchester Ducks will have a new head coach when they take the field for their second-ever season this year with Brandon Lewter recently being named to the position.

Lewter, a Franklin County native, has a decade of experience coaching football across various levels, including stints with middle school, high school, minor-league and arena football teams. He has been an assistant football coach at South Middle School for the past four years.

Lewter said that he watched the Ducks’ inaugural season in the American Football Alliance from the stands and decided that he wanted to take a more active role with the team going forward.

“What I saw that I could give and put on the table is discipline, structure and a whole new standard to this football league,” he said.

The Ducks finished their 2021 season in the AFA with a record of 7-4 and won the first playoff game in team history before getting eliminated in the postseason quarterfinals.

However, in addition to hiring a new head coach, the Ducks also changed leagues during the offseason as they joined the Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League, also known as the APDFL.

Lewter described the APDFL as the last step between the minor leagues and the NFL or CFL which will present a great opportunity for members of the Ducks to gain notoriety.

“They’ve got a good, solid foundation right now. If they have a good year with this team that we’re on with the Ducks, and especially in the APDFL, I think the sky’s the limit,” he said, referring to his roster. “They have plenty of chances to go many places. That’s why I’m keeping it professional.”

Lewter said that the team recently completed its first tryouts under his leadership and has been in the process of assembling a roster with plenty of experience at high levels of the game to compete in the APDFL.

He added that his ultimate goal is to foster a family-friendly atmosphere that gives people in the area something to do on a Saturday night.

“I want it to be where parents can take their kids on a Saturday night to Winchester, Tennessee, and see the most professional minor-league football team there is,” he said. “I want this to be something that the kids can look at and say ‘I would love to play for the Ducks.’”

Lewter went on to say that he wants to make the Ducks into something that Winchester and Franklin County can be proud of.

“I want people to come out on Saturday nights and know they’re going to get a good show,” he added.

When talking about the upcoming spring season for the Ducks, Lewter said he wants to work toward getting his team to the APDFL’s national championship game in Miami, Florida.

“It’s going to be tough, but we have a really good shot of going,” he said.

The Ducks will begin their first season in the APDFL on March 4 with a road game against the Atlanta Tigers.

They will play their first home game under Lewter on March 18 against the Georgia Thrashers at the old high school football stadium on Dinah Shore Boulevard.