I know that he may still be considered younger, up and coming, etc., but one coach that I have strong interest in following is Steve Lickert. His accomplishments at Dayton and Holmes have been remarkable and with a little more experience, he will be up there in the future. He definitely knows how to draw support inside and outside of the schools, which is what it takes.

GREAT post! I will also add that although much I have heard much maligning of the JCPS, the assignment plans, busing, and Dr. Berman in particular, people aren't paying attention to the emergence of schools like Central, and the effect that plays on the traditional powers such as Male. A woman I work with was dead set on sending her child to Male, enrolled her into the right feeder schools from pre-K. But when the time came to make a commitment to a high school, they went and toured Central just for the heck of it and fell in love with what they offer. Seneca is a better school, in some respects, than it's getting credit for as well. Manual, in particular, is the hardest school to get into, public or private. Many parents don't even try to get into those schools any more. And the turmoil will continue for at least a few years, I feel. Who knows what will happen with a new Superintendent, or what the Board will decide is the direction of JCPS. There's a big resurgence of the "neighborhood school" philosophy, and that could very well negatively impact Male (in particular) even further. But parents want the choice to send their kids to the best school overall for their kids, and that includes athletics.

 

I graduated from Seneca and attended Central as a freshman. I still remember coach Lovely at Central. I heard he was still involved. He was a good teacher to all of us - even those that were there only for the 1 year. But he had a special relationship with the kids whose home school was Central. It was hard on them being bussed for 10 out of their 12 years in school. Desegregation put untold hardship on the inner city kids. You are right that Central resurgence has come with the relaxing of the strict racial quotas and the ability to serve its local community as neighborhood school.

 

Seneca benefited from picking up Glasser's predecessor - Coach Mike Eglan. Eglan had strong backing from the principle at the time. I can not tell you how Seneca did overall in football in the late 70's. Obviously we had no serious runs at state. But we beat St. X in a regular season game and THAT will be remembered. You may play the best and lose a lot, but when you win against the traditional powers - it stays with you forever. That is something for schools to think about as they embrace the current 'lets not play them' mentality.

This is very true. Cincinnati Public Schools were doing nearly nothing against the GCL in football, but Combs made a big change to that. Smith is a very good example with what he did at Boyle as well and I think everyone is aware of what Mueller has been able to accomplish at Highlands. The saddest, but most true thing about this is that many coaches of this talent do not come along in the public school settings often. But it does take people with the personalities like Combs, Smith, and Mueller to really get public programs into strong positions, and until it happens, a lot of the results are going to be similar, if not the same until it does.

 

I agree with everything you said except I wouldn't put Highlands program with Colerain and Boyle. I agree Mueller is dynamic and has taken Highlands to another level, but Highlands has had a winning tradition long before Mueller was there. I believe they haven't had a losing season in something like 50 years. Colerain and Boyle had pretty bad programs before Combs and Smith got there and totally turned those programs around from the ground up.

You make a good point about the overall history of Highlands, but that was mainly what I was referring to with Mueller about taking the program to much of a higher level than it had been.

You make a good point about the overall history of Highlands, but that was mainly what I was referring to with Mueller about taking the program to much of a higher level than it had been.

:laugh:And no doubt he is dynamic. Not sure what he is taking, but I need some of it.

:laugh:And no doubt he is dynamic. Not sure what he is taking, but I need some of it.

 

I believe that plenty of coaches, as well as others could use it, lol.