Ohio Heritage Conference 2024

i saw in the news this morning that former SCC coach Mike McKenna was arrested for some pretty disturbing stuff and was terminated from his position at SCC. that is terrible and prayers for those involved.
 
Okay, here are the coaching stats (only while teams have been in the OHC). Including Ryan Haines of Greeneview after some research because he is right there with Buescher of West Jeff according to the stats.

Which confirms my picks for the Mount Rushmore of OHC coaches: Toby Smith, Kurt Forrest, Neal Kasner, and Steve DeWitt.

Toby Smith (WLS): 107-23 (.823 W%) in 13 seasons. 8 playoff appearances, 4 conference championships.
Kurt Forrest (MB): 101-35 (.743 W%) in 14 seasons. 11 playoff appearances, 5 conference championships.
Neal Kasner (MB & GV): 78-31 (.716 W%) in 11 seasons. 7 playoff appearances, 2 conference championships.
Steve DeWitt (SCC): 84-66 (.560 W%) in 15 seasons. 8 playoff appearances, 2 conference championships.
Payton Printz (TRI): 83-67 (.553 W%) in 15 seasons. 5 playoff appearances, 2 conference championships.
Shawn Buescher (WJ): 54-12 (.818 W%) in 7 seasons. 7 playoff appearances, 4 conference championships.
Dan McGill (WLS): 67-29 (.698 W%) in 10 seasons. 7 playoff appearances, 3 conference championships.
Ryan Haines (GV): 51-17 (.750 W%) in 7 seasons. 6 playoff appearances, 5 conference championships.

Longevity has DeWitt & Printz ahead of Buescher, Haines, and McGill at this point, but if any coach 15 years in the OHC I see them passing those 2, and possibly Kasner.

Some things I found interesting with that research:

- Never would have guessed Toby Smith has the most head coaching wins and highest winning % all time of any OHC coach in history.
- Kurt Forrest leads the OHC all time in playoff appearances and conference championships (tied with Haines). He could be the all-time in head coaching wins and will tie the longevity record next season (15 with DeWitt and Printz).
- Shawn Buescher is the only coach to have never missed the playoffs as an OHC coach, can tie Forrest/Haines for all-time conference championships as a head coach next year if WJ wins the North, and can pass Toby Smith for all-time OHC win % next season with a 9-1 or 10-0 season.
That's good stuff....I Know Haines works extremely hard and is a great mentor for the kids. He is exactly what Jamestown/Greeneview needs in a head football coach...Jamestown guy that is involved in many youth and church activities. I know Kasner brought Greeneview back from the dead...lol...but Ryan keeps it humming and he deserves to mentioned in the great coaches of the OHC...
 
That's good stuff....I Know Haines works extremely hard and is a great mentor for the kids. He is exactly what Jamestown/Greeneview needs in a head football coach...Jamestown guy that is involved in many youth and church activities. I know Kasner brought Greeneview back from the dead...lol...but Ryan keeps it humming and he deserves to mentioned in the great coaches of the OHC...
No doubt about it. Ryan is a great coach and from my interactions with him a great person. He was a student assistant at TOSU under Jim Tressel so you know he knows his stuff and how to do things the right way. I would guess that he's been the head coach there now longer than Kasner was. Kasner did a great job with two different OHC schools so I think you still have to give him the slight edge.

Also, am I crazy or didn't Printz also coach at Southeastern after Triad?
 
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No doubt about it. Ryan is a great coach and from my interactions with him a great person. He was a student assistant at TOSU under Jim Tressel so you know he knows his stuff and how to do things the right way. I would guess that he's been the head coach there now longer than Kasner was. Kasner did a great job with two different OHC schools so I think you still have to give him the slight edge.

Also, am I crazy or didn't Printz also coach at Southeastern after Triad?
Yup he did.
 
No doubt about it. Ryan is a great coach and from my interactions with him a great person. He was a student assistant at TOSU under Jim Tressel so you know he knows his stuff and how to do things the right way. I would guess that he's been the head coach there now longer than Kasner was. Kasner did a great job with two different OHC schools so I think you still have to give him the slight edge.

Also, am I crazy or didn't Printz also coach at Southeastern after Triad?
Good call, forgot totally about that. I do not think it was a very successful (and was short if I recall) campaign.
 
night and day better. the video board is top notch and they have an outstanding live stream of games.

however, the drive didn’t get shorter, and the roads didn’t get straighter.
Did they improve the field itself? Last I saw the crown was huge,the field was choppy and the grass very high.
 
Did they improve the field itself? Last I saw the crown was huge,the field was choppy and the grass very high.
that, i cannot speak on. i have watched 2 games at Triad and they were 4 years apart so i do not remember. i recall someone here mentioning them getting a new field/turf when they redid everything but i don’t think that happened.
 
They regraded, added sprinklers and put new grass down. I haven’t physically been on the field since Covid year (the first year they made the improvements). It wasn’t ready for that game but I’m sure now it’s very good.
 
With the division re alignment in many sports, does that happen with football in the near future? Possibility of 8 divisions?? Maybe change the number for each team to be in a certain division?
 
On the MAC thread they were talking about the new numbers for enrollment. So I went on the OHSAA website and found the OHC.
Greenon 180
Greeneview 164
West Lib 163
Fairbanks 149
Northeastern 135
Plains 133
WJ 126
Triad 121
Southeastern 118
Burg 113
Catholic Central 82
Cedarville 67
It says these numbers will be confirmed later in the spring.
 
On the MAC thread they were talking about the new numbers for enrollment. So I went on the OHSAA website and found the OHC.
Greenon 180
Greeneview 164
West Lib 163
Fairbanks 149
Northeastern 135
Plains 133
WJ 126
Triad 121
Southeastern 118
Burg 113
Catholic Central 82
Cedarville 67
It says these numbers will be confirmed later in the spring.

Here is the MAC school enrollment numbers:
Versailles: 172
Anna: 145
Coldwater 145
Parkway: 128
Marion Local: 109
Fort Recovery: 107
St Henry: 102
New Bremen: 101
Minster: 84
St Johns: 62
New Knoxville (For Fun): 45

I would guess Versailles will be DV, Coldwater DVI and Marion Local DVII.
 
On the MAC thread they were talking about the new numbers for enrollment. So I went on the OHSAA website and found the OHC.
Greenon 180
Greeneview 164
West Lib 163
Fairbanks 149
Northeastern 135
Plains 133
WJ 126
Triad 121
Southeastern 118
Burg 113
Catholic Central 82
Cedarville 67
It says these numbers will be confirmed later in the spring.
They listed both Central Catholics next to each other and didn't specify a town but I'd be willing to guess that the one with 82 is Steub CC and Springfield is the one in the 50's
 
The enrollment numbers used (not including Competitive Balance #'s) for enrollment for grades 9 thru 11 are:

Greenon - 180, projected DV
Greeneview - 164, projected DV
West Liberty - 163, projected DV
Fairbanks - 148, probable DVI
Northeastern - 135, projected DVI
Madison Plains - 133, projected DVI
West Jefferson - 126, projected DVI
Triad - 121, projected DVI
Mechancisburg - 113, borderline of DVI / DVII unless they have a high CE #.
South Charleston SE - 82, projected DVII
Cedarville - 67, projected DVII
Springfield CC - 51, projected DVII

*** Yellow Springs was 95. Does anyone know if YS has any kids who play football at other school districts or kids who move from YS to another school to play football?

Below was the last two season's breakdown by division. Again, Competitive Balance #'s are not yet included in the numbers above.

1712097258636.png
 
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The enrollment numbers used (not including Competitive Balance #'s) for enrollment for grades 9 thru 11 are:

Greenon - 180, projected DV
Greeneview - 164, projected DV
West Liberty - 163, projected DV
Fairbanks - 148, probable DVI
Northeastern - 135, projected DVI
Madison Plains - 133, projected DVI
West Jefferson - 126, projected DVI
Triad - 121, projected DVI
Mechancisburg - 113, borderline of DVI / DVII unless they have a high CE #.
South Charleston SE - 82, projected DVII
Cedarville - 67, projected DVII
Springfield CC - 51, projected DVII

*** Yellow Springs was 95. Does anyone know if YS has any kids who play football at other school districts or kids who move from YS to another school to play football?

Below was the last two season's breakdown by division. Again, Competitive Balance #'s are not yet included in the numbers above.

View attachment 56770
thanks for the numbers. doesn’t look like anything too drastic will be changing. as for Yellow Springs, they had a program on and off until the 2000s. it’s just not a football town. traditionally they have had strong teams in every other sport. i’m not aware of any Yellow Springs kids playing football at Greenon, Fairborn, Xenia, or Cedarville, but i wouldn’t doubt it occasionally. always a chance there are some open enrollees.
 
Fairly surprised that Forrest has not been offered a bigger job in the Hilliard/Dublin area. If I’m not mistaken I’m pretty sure him and his family reside in Hilliard. Unless maybe there were jobs he has turned down I’m shocked that he hasn’t
 
Also really bummed that Burg and New Bremen did not agree on a home/home series. Would have loved to seen them play at Burg, would Burg have gotten over the hump? Sad to say but most likely not, would’ve still been a good early season matchup to see how they stack up against good competition
 
Fairly surprised that Forrest has not been offered a bigger job in the Hilliard/Dublin area. If I’m not mistaken I’m pretty sure him and his family reside in Hilliard. Unless maybe there were jobs he has turned down I’m shocked that he hasn’t
he would have to apply to be offered. i’m not sure his style would fit well at a suburban district. he could be a good MAC coach.

residing in Hilliard would be a bit of a drive considering the time commitment of a football coach. nice area.
 
Fairly surprised that Forrest has not been offered a bigger job in the Hilliard/Dublin area. If I’m not mistaken I’m pretty sure him and his family reside in Hilliard. Unless maybe there were jobs he has turned down I’m shocked that he hasn’t
Jobs get offered like that thru relationships. Very few HS admin are cold calling regional successful coaches unless there’s a connection.
 
What does the North look like for this upcoming year? I feel like this year could be a tossup. WLS, WJ are not going anywhere. NE seems like once again they will be in the mix. Burg is a tossup. Triad and Fairbanks seem like they still wont be that competitive
 
1. West Jeff - Buescher at QB with talent and weapons...tough for teams to score with them
2. NE - best players were Soph last year, should be very good! Very physical/tough team
3. WLS - will be good but have to replace good QB and best RB in OHC from last year - they have the culture and talent to do it though
4. Burg - lost their best player but with Forrest you know they will be a tough beat (could be 3rd)
5. Fairbanks - has skill position talent and a new head coach so could be a surprise team or a flop because of inability to block up front or stop anybody (play Triad at home this year)
6. Triad - Year 2 of head coach, return QB and have Awesom Mitchell at RB - could pull an upset somewhere but lacking overall team talent and depth
 
1. West Jeff - Buescher at QB with talent and weapons...tough for teams to score with them
2. NE - best players were Soph last year, should be very good! Very physical/tough team
3. WLS - will be good but have to replace good QB and best RB in OHC from last year - they have the culture and talent to do it though
4. Burg - lost their best player but with Forrest you know they will be a tough beat (could be 3rd)
5. Fairbanks - has skill position talent and a new head coach so could be a surprise team or a flop because of inability to block up front or stop anybody (play Triad at home this year)
6. Triad - Year 2 of head coach, return QB and have Awesom Mitchell at RB - could pull an upset somewhere but lacking overall team talent and depth
It will be interesting to see Burg, lose their star players but bring back tons of young talent and bring back whole O-line and D-line. This will be the biggest pass heavy team we will see under Forrest in his tenure, the JR QB has an absolute arm and reads defenses well. They return JR RB who quit due to personal reasons after New Bremen game this past season but looks like he will be back. Like most Burg teams over the last 10 years or lack size but the speed and overall toughness of this team will determine how far they can go. Still think this team is a toss up they either have the chance to be really really good or could let some people down. They benefit with having 3 of their toughest opponents (WJ, WLS, and Cedarville) all at home. The two biggest question marks seem to be at the LB position and overall depth on the team. Once again they will be young but bring in good talent from a pretty decent 8th grade team
 
It will be interesting to see Burg, lose their star players but bring back tons of young talent and bring back whole O-line and D-line. This will be the biggest pass heavy team we will see under Forrest in his tenure, the JR QB has an absolute arm and reads defenses well. They return JR RB who quit due to personal reasons after New Bremen game this past season but looks like he will be back. Like most Burg teams over the last 10 years or lack size but the speed and overall toughness of this team will determine how far they can go. Still think this team is a toss up they either have the chance to be really really good or could let some people down. They benefit with having 3 of their toughest opponents (WJ, WLS, and Cedarville) all at home. The two biggest question marks seem to be at the LB position and overall depth on the team. Once again they will be young but bring in good talent from a pretty decent 8th grade team
KInd of confused here. Are they the cats meow or what till WJ and WL-S are done doing what they do? Cedarville is one of three toughest home opponents? Are we drinking right now, if so, let me know...I got some good stuff you may like.
 
Mechanicsburg
08/23 A Springfield Kenton Ridge
08/30 H St. Paris Graham
09/06 A Enon Greenon
09/13 H Cedarville
09/20 A Springfield Catholic Central
09/27 H West Jefferson
10/04 A Milford Center Fairbanks
10/11 H West Liberty-Salem
10/18 A Springfield Northeastern
10/25 H North Lewisburg Triad
 
as i get older, the off-seasons seem to get longer and longer, and this year feels no difference. every year that I am physically able to attend football games is a blessing, and I hope to experience a few more of those years.

earlier this evening i started to think about the best moments i have witnessed as a player and both as a fan. i would love to hear the experiences of other posters.

as a player: in the 3rd to last game of my senior, we won 6-0 with a goal line stand in a downpour. the other team lined up in the old power I formation and we put all 11 in the box as we knew what was coming. that stop preserved the undefeated season, and we did not lose a game during my junior and senior seasons.

as a fan: the best game i have seen was Greenon beating Cincinnati Taft for the first playoff win in school history. that was a special night as all of us in the stands knew how much that win meant to the community and how it would be remembered for decades to come. it was a dramatic game that came down to the wire. many players stepped up that night and held held their own against superior athletes. it’s too bad that game had limited attendance and more couldn’t witness it!
 
as i get older, the off-seasons seem to get longer and longer, and this year feels no difference. every year that I am physically able to attend football games is a blessing, and I hope to experience a few more of those years.

earlier this evening i started to think about the best moments i have witnessed as a player and both as a fan. i would love to hear the experiences of other posters.

as a player: in the 3rd to last game of my senior, we won 6-0 with a goal line stand in a downpour. the other team lined up in the old power I formation and we put all 11 in the box as we knew what was coming. that stop preserved the undefeated season, and we did not lose a game during my junior and senior seasons.

as a fan: the best game i have seen was Greenon beating Cincinnati Taft for the first playoff win in school history. that was a special night as all of us in the stands knew how much that win meant to the community and how it would be remembered for decades to come. it was a dramatic game that came down to the wire. many players stepped up that night and held held their own against superior athletes. it’s too bad that game had limited attendance and more couldn’t witness it!
Played in: Tie between Beating Central at their place my senior year and beating Tecumseh at their place the same year.

Honorable Mention: Round 1 playoff game @goshen. We were supposed to be trounced. We were up 14 points within 30 seconds.

Watched: 2019 Shawnee at Bellefontaine. Crazy back and forth game. This was the first game Meeks decided to put Robbie Glass at WR and have the backup QB just heave it to him and watch him outrun everyone to the endzone. Followed by a goal line stand to win it.

Honorable Mention: 2011 State Finals between Shawnee and Mooney. I know we lost but still up there for me.

Honorable Mention 2: 2017 Shawnee at IL freshman game. My brother catches a TD Pass. QB gets hurt and my brother gets moved to QB. He scored in every way possible. PR, KR, Interception Return, Passing, and Rushing.
 
The one OHC game that stands out to me was the 2003 version of the "Seven Mile War", or the Greeneview/Cedarville game. Both teams would finish 1-9 for the season and this game would determine who would finish last in the OHC. The game was very intense and back and forth the entire the game, ending in a tie. Don't remember how many overtimes it actually went, but in the final one Greeneview had the ball first. They had several penalties and after many, many downs played they scored a touchdown and kicked the PAT to go up by seven. Cedarville took possession and on the first play from scrimmage scored on a fade. Cedarville lines up for the PAT...wide left! The momentum swings, a long time rivalry, kids leaving it all on the field. Everything that is great about high school football all in one night!
 
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