The Panthers simply struggled to keep pace.
Wins have been rare — just a pair of victories against Walnut Hills the last two seasons — and competitive games even rarer.
But as the Panthers opened another chapter under the leadership of Mahon, something felt different.
On Saturday night at Alumni Stadium in Jackson, Little Miami fell 21-14 to the Ironmen. Though for the first time in years, the Panthers were competing deep into the fourth quarter — down to the final minute.
Helmets clashed and belief flickered in the green and yellow filled visitor stands with fans who traveled a few hours east of Morrow to watch Little Miami’s season opener. It was a loss, yes, but one that did suggest progress — and a reminder of why Mahon came back.
“I told the kids, I didn’t know if this would ever happen again,” Mahon said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to do it again. But I’m here. We’re here. And I couldn’t be more proud.”
The scoreboard mattered less than the setting. That was also evident to Little Miami athletic director Matt Louis.
“We’re going to be in a much better place soon,” he said with a smile.
Jackson — a Division III perennial playoff contender under longtime coach Andy Hall — played the part of a program steeped in tradition with a polished home field tucked into the Appalachian foothills.
The Ironmen do it the right way — year after year — with the kind of consistency Little Miami longs to emulate. And it was fitting that the Panthers stayed on their feet in a place like Alumni Stadium.
It felt like its own kind of statement, in a sense.
“They always say there’s no such thing as a moral victory,” Mahon said. “But man, I felt like we closed the gap tonight.
“For once, it wasn’t over at halftime. We played a full game against a program that does everything correctly — the right way.
“We walked out of there proud. That’s a step.”
The road ahead
Closing the gap has become Mahon’s mantra. He knows what he’s up against.
The ECC is simply a monster.
“It’s tough when the kids know they’re down three scores by halftime,” Mahon said. “That’s been the reality here. You start to lose confidence before you even step on the field.”
This season, Mahon admitted the challenge remains daunting. But he insists change is possible — not with quick fixes, but with culture.
“We’ve got to build it brick by brick,” he said. “And Saturday night, even in a loss, felt like one of those bricks.”
Mahon’s path back to Little Miami has been anything but direct.
From 2013 to 2016, Mahon led a turnaround at Northwest where the Knights won 21 games while advancing into the OHSAA postseason twice.
He then directed the Panthers to 19 victories in three seasons from 2016 to 2019, including back-to-back winning campaigns. That was before returning to his alma mater Hamilton — where he graduated from in 2003.
After Hamilton, he took over at West Clermont, where the challenges multiplied. A young school with no established identity, West Clermont demanded a builder’s mindset.
By the time he stepped away a short time later, his perspective had shifted. His father had passed away. His kids were growing. The life of a head coach felt incompatible with the life of a present father and husband.
“I didn’t want to be one of those coaches who neglected their own kids for everybody else’s,” Mahon said. “I wanted to find a way to be a great coach, a great husband and a great dad all at the same time.”
When the Little Miami job opened again, the pull was strong. It wasn’t just about unfinished business. It was about coming back to a place that had given him a chance — this time with balance, wisdom and the support system he needed.
That support system is as important as any scheme or formation. Mahon’s coaching staff isn’t just a group of assistants — it’s a living scrapbook of his career.
At the center is defensive coordinator Mark Kalugyer. Nearly 25 years ago, Kalugyer was barking calls from the sideline at Hamilton, coaching Mahon when he was younger.
When Mahon earned the Hamilton head job, he sought out his old coach, convincing him to come out of retirement. The bond never broke. Kalugyer followed Mahon to West Clermont, stayed behind to help after he left and is now back at his side at Little Miami.
“I went over and said, ‘Man, I need you,’” Mahon said. “We talked through some old stuff, let bygones be bygones, and he came back. He was with me when my dad died. That’s family.”
The rest of the staff echoes the theme. Josh Bailey, who Mahon coached with at Northwest, is here, too. Several assistants from his first stint at Little Miami have returned, bringing continuity and familiarity. A few new voices have joined as well, but the foundation is built on loyalty.
“These aren’t just coaches,” Mahon said. “They’re people who’ve been with me through the best and worst times of my life.”
That bond was evident on the sideline at Jackson, where the coaches were as animated as the players. Every stop, every adjustment, every cheer carried the weight of shared history.
The shadow of his father
Nothing loomed larger over Mahon’s return than the memory of his father, Dale. A former Badin basketball player and lifelong sportsman, he was Mahon’s first coach, his biggest supporter and his most loyal confidant. His dad never missed a game — not one — until illness forced him to in Mahon’s final year at West Clermont.
“He was always my first call after every game,” Mahon said while taking an emotional pause. “Even when he started to miss games, he’d still pick up the phone. And then he got sick, and that was it. I wish I could still call him. I know he’d be proud.”
During his years at Hamilton, Mahon had a tradition — every Friday before kickoff, he’d meet his dad for lunch. Those quiet meals, wedged between classroom visits and pregame meetings, became a ritual as steady as the coin toss. They are memories he treasures now and are reminders of what football has meant to their family.
“The days go by so fast with raising kids and coaching that sometimes I don’t think about it,” Mahon said. “But lately it’s been on my mind a lot. Until you go through it, you don’t really understand.
“Sports have been everything for my family, and my dad was always right in the middle of that. I carry him with me out here every day.”
On the sideline at Alumni Stadium, Mahon admitted he felt his father’s presence.
“Somewhere, he’s smiling,” he said.
Little Miami still has a long climb. The ECC offers no breathers. Winton Woods churns out Division I recruits. Kings, Lebanon, West Clermont and Anderson are no slouches.
But Mahon knows the Panthers can’t flip a switch overnight.
But he believes Saturday night in Jackson proved something. His players fought. His coaches stood beside him. The sideline was alive until the end.
That alone was a change.
“It’s Week 1, and we’ve got a long way to go,” Mahon said. “But we trust the process. That’s how it starts. You change little things first. You show you can compete. Then you build on it.”
As the team huddled after the loss, Mahon’s voice carried steady across the turf. He told them they had closed the gap. He told them they had taken a step. He told them better days are ahead.
Mahon carried both satisfaction and resolve in making those statements. And that’s because he had done this before.
“I wanted to find a way to be a great coach, a great husband and a great dad all at the same time,” Mahon said. “That’s what I’m trying to do now. That’s what makes it different from the first time.”
Little Miami football is still chasing wins, still chasing relevance — again — in the ECC. But on a Saturday night in southern Ohio, in a loss that didn’t feel like a loss, the Panthers showed they might just be chasing something more important.
Belief.
“Tonight told me a lot,” Panthers senior quarterback Camden Fox said. “Tonight was the first time we played four quarters of football in a very long time.”
“That’s what matters most,” Mahon chimed in. “We’ve got better days ahead.”
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