Applicants for the Hamilton High School football head coach opening:
• Don Braun, Gnadenhutten, Ohio, Belden Brick Co. laborer, head wrestling coach
• John Cupps, Urbana, Ohio, Springfield High School assistant head coach
• Mike Davis, Dry Ridge, Ky., Grant County High School head coach, health fitness teacher
• David Everson, Zanesville, Ohio, no current position listed
• Greg Gibson, Huntington Beach, Calif., Capistrano United School District freshman head coach
• Jeremy Gold, Ypsilanti, Mich., Ann Arbor Pioneer High School head coach, community assistant
• Walker Graher, Kirksville, Mo., Truman State University assistant coach
• Dennis Gregovich, Los Angeles, Calif, Hamilton High School head coach
• Steven Greiwe, Cincinnati, Ohio, Director/Owner, Bridge Telecom
• Cory Haines, Batavia, Ohio, Fayetteville Perry High School history teacher, middle school football coach
• Tom Hannan, Streetsboro, Ohio, Crestwood High School head coach, physical education coordinator
• Terry Hehl, Wake Forest, NC, South Granville High School defensive coordinator
• Gregory Henning, Bowling Green, Ohio, St. Wendelin High School defensive coordinator
• Andy Hill, Auburn, Va., Park View High School head coach, social studies teacher
• Steven Humphrey, Live Oak, Fla., Live Oak Suwannee High School assistant head coach, physical education/weight training teacher
• Robert Jacoby, Grove City, Ohio, Hamilton Township High School head coach, Hamilton Local Schools Dean of Students
• Paul Jenne, Hilliard, Ohio, Western Hills High School head coach, South Avondale Elementary science teacher
• Luther Justus, Delray Beach, Fla., Palm Springs Middle School special education teacher, head basketball coach grades 6-8
• Jere Kubuske, Bemidji, Minn., Bemidji State University assistant coach, lifetime fitness instructor
• Joel Lauer, Hamilton, Ohio, College of Mount St. Joseph wide receivers coach, Hamilton High School intervention specialist
• Chris MacKeown, Amarillo, Texas, Arbor Christian Academy High School offensive coordinator
• Sean McCormick, Cincinnati, Ohio, Northwest High School assistant coach
• Kent McCullough, Bentonville, Ark., Rogers High School linebackers coordinator
• Van McWreath, Ashtabula, Ohio, Pymatuning Valley Schools principal
• Jeffrey Palmer, Redvale, Colo., Nucla High School head coach
• William Peters, New Philadelphia, Ohio, Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School offensive coordinator
• Gregg Pettit, Deshler, Ohio, Patrick Henry High School principal
• Joshua Ritter, Fredericksburg, Va., Freedom High School ninth grade head coach
• Thomas Riva, Kentwood, Mich., Union High School head coach, history and physical education teacher
• Jeremy Rogers, Hamilton, Ohio, Mount Healthy High School assistant varsity coach, history teacher
• Stephen Ruckman, Pensacola, Fla., Tate High School assistant coach, economics teacher
• David Sedmak, Waynesville, Ohio, Mason High School social studies teacher, former head coach and former Hamilton High School assistant coach
• Matthew Seid, Cache, Okla., Cache High School head coach, history teacher
• Michael Shatzer, Concord, NC, New Cabarrus High School offensive coordinator, Spanish teacher
• William Siffin, Dakota Dunes, SD, Sioux City West High School defensive coordinator, math lab and world history teacher
• Ryan Slabaugh, Steubenville, Ohio, Steubenville High School assistant coach, special education and physical education teacher
• Brian Staats, Streetsboro, Ohio, Barberton High School head coach, social studies teacher
• Brent Thompson, Pelham, Ala., assistant head coach, Linda Nolen Learning Center ED
• Jared Van Acker, Galax, Va., Galax High School head coach
• Bradley Watkins, Hamilton, Ohio, Hamilton High School assistant coach, Wilson Middle School English and special education teacher
• Chris Wells, Middletown, Ohio, Hamilton High School defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, intervention specialist and social studies teacher
• Terry Wickham, Fayetteville, NC, Pine Forest High School assistant coach, U.S. and world history teacher
• Jim Worden, Columbus, Ohio, Whetstone High School head coach
HAMILTON — Forty-three men from 15 states have applied for the position of Hamilton High School football head coach.
“We expected a pretty good number of applicants for the position,” HHS athletic director Mike Dellapina said. “And just looking through the names there are some great candidates with great qualifications, both inside and outside the district.”
Among the 43 vying for the position created by Jim Place’s resignation last month are three Hamilton School District employees – Hamilton High intervention specialist and College of Mount St. Joseph wide receivers coach Joel Lauer; HHS defensive coordinator, intervention specialist and social studies teacher Chris Wells; and HHS assistant coach and Wilson Middle School English and special education teacher Bradley Watkins.
All three current district employees already have been interviewed, and more applicants are scheduled for interviews this week.
Even though the application deadline was Friday, Jan. 29, Kathy Leist, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources, left open the possibility that the new coach could come from outside the current list of 43.
“We still could contact anyone we feel might be a good fit for our district,” she said. “We’ll continue to contact those who we believe will be good fits for us, whether they’ve applied or whoever. Our goal is to get the very best candidate for this position.”
Dellapina said prior head coaching experience is something that will hold a lot of weight in the hiring process, but he said it’s not a mandatory requirement.
“It’s important because this league is so highly competitive,” Dellapina said. “But at the same time, we wouldn’t rule that out because there’s some great young coaches out there and everybody needs to get their first head coaching experience somehow.
“We’re looking for somebody that is not just a great coach but a great teacher,” Dellapina continued. “We’re looking for someone who is a great classroom teacher and a great teacher of the skills involved with the sport. Somebody that brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to their role.”
Among the candidates with ties to Butler County are Jeremy Rogers, the former New Miami head coach and current offensive coordinator at Mount Healthy, and Dave Sedmak, the former Mason coach and a former assistant at Hamilton.
Another name of note on the list is Bob Jacoby, who lead Columbus DeSales to back-to-back state championships in 1997 and 1998. He currently is the head coach at Hamilton Township High School near Columbus.
Leist said there is no concrete deadline to have a new coach in place, but the hope is that someone will be hired by the second week of March.
“Our hope is by the second week of March, or earlier, that we’re going to have a coach,” she said. “We all know it’s important, and if we can do it quicker, we’re going to do it as soon as we possibly can.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.
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