Centerville Football

ELKSONE

#EPND
Centerville football as we all once remembered it, is dead at the moment. The players are the same, it's the coaching staff that lack the necessary skills to having these kids playing at a higher level.

90% of sports are played between your ears, 10% is physical abilities. Most successful coaches know they have to get into the heads of these athletes and having them believe in themselves and the coaching philosophy.

The current staff has the athletes, but doesn't have the psychological skillset to get in their heads and having them playing at and beyond their potential.
 
 
Centerville football as we all once remembered it, is dead at the moment. The players are the same, it's the coaching staff that lack the necessary skills to having these kids playing at a higher level.

90% of sports are played between your ears, 10% is physical abilities. Most successful coaches know they have to get into the heads of these athletes and having them believe in themselves and the coaching philosophy.

The current staff has the athletes, but doesn't have the psychological skillset to get in their heads and having them playing at and beyond their potential.



Agree. I mean cmon man. It’s Centerville. Will the high enrollment u know the talent is there. Has b a culture problem. And that has everything to do with leadership. I said in another post about possibly hiring outside the program. Like northmont went from power house 70s. Early 89s. Then 90s hit. With several unsuccessful coaches. Then hiring lance sneider changed everything within 2 years northmont was a playoff team. Then boering took over he was successful coach at other schools. Can’t understand how a school with the tradition and talent can stay down very long.
 
Agree. I mean cmon man. It’s Centerville. Will the high enrollment u know the talent is there. Has b a culture problem. And that has everything to do with leadership. I said in another post about possibly hiring outside the program. Like northmont went from power house 70s. Early 89s. Then 90s hit. With several unsuccessful coaches. Then hiring lance sneider changed everything within 2 years northmont was a playoff team. Then boering took over he was successful coach at other schools. Can’t understand how a school with the tradition and talent can stay down very long.
High enrollment at CHS is a mirage. There are not many kids in that large enrollment that are athletes. Trying to be PC here.
 
Great coaching goes way beyond x's and o's. It is a culture/attitude that builds the program. Perfect example is Springboro. They play above their talent because of culture. They have talent but not quite as much as some teams they beat. MAC schools don't have that much more talent than other schools their size it is just a lot of kids play because of the program and buy in a lot harder and deeper. There are many reasons schools do not have this culture. I want it bad for Lebanon but Lamb was not the answer and neither is Hopkins. Takes many things that none of us have control over. Hate it for the kids but they give all they have. We cannot help they are potentially hamstringed by coaching/program.
 
I disagree. Centerville used to have big, strong, explosive athletes. Thats not really true anymore. Maybe it’s the demographic, maybe it’s bad offseason training, but it’s not all about Xs and Os(unless the new offensive scheme changed the culture).

Football is a very physical sport. It’s way higher than 10% in my opinion. Offseason culture is crucial...not saying that’s the problem here, but it’s very possible. I feel like some programs try too hard and end up running their players into the ground instead of focusing on explosiveness, size and speed. Again, not sure if that’s happening here, but based on some past posts I can make some guesses.

With that said, it’s most likely just a talent drop off.
 
Last edited:
Talent is important of course. You gotta have it obviously to win a lot of games. I have always said a good coach does not have to win to be good. Coaching/culture gets the most out of their talent. Centerville doesn't have the D1 talent they used to have. There are many factors to determine success. I watch some teams and they just don't seem to have the fire or belief/confidence in themselves. Wish I had the magic answer. We all gotta remember these head coaches have to build a staff from pretty much volunteers (I believe at most schools).
 
How long has Lacrosse been at Centerville? You also have Hockey!
How many of your athletes are playing those other sports like Soccer?

I know when it comes to Girls Soccer more girls are cut from Centerville every year that who tries out at Wayne.
I would be at the Boys Soccer to see who gets cut to see if they could possibly play football instead.
 
I was with you then I lost you. They may have atheletes but they lack size. You cannot coach size or speed, either you have or you dont.
Bob Gregg's teams were always undersized compared to their opponents; didn't matter, he had those kids playing beyond what they could ever had imagined.
 
In my opinion, the next 3-4 games (Creek, Burg, and playoffs) will determine what happens in the off-season here
 
They'll beat Beavercreek and the Burg. The Beavers hired Niswonger to be their OC and that sure is helping. I don't know what exactly is going there though... coaching, talent, # of kids playing etc?? They're averaging 10 points a game and have given up 70+ twice and been running clocked each game. All the talent in the south suburbs seems to be moving to Springboro now.
 
They have a few issues IMO that until they fix, it will be status quo...

-way too much parent involvement (in more than just football btw). Why in the world do they let parents coach tin HS sports when they have kids in these programs? Sit in the stands and root for your kids. There are plenty of coaches at least as qualified and you remove the perceived or real selfish motives of those parents.

-just because kids go to camps and get ranked doesn't mean they will be victorious on the field, you simply have a good campaign manager.

-there are options. Alter goes deep in the playoffs about every year-this is appealing when compared to the Elks. Granted its notDI but that doesn't matter to most. A little more extreme but you can even send your kid to a prep program like Kebba going to La Lemiere in hoops.

-They are 1-3? Beavercreek looks to be in worse shape than the Elks. I wouldn't assume a victory vs the burg but they should win.
 
I’m too young to remember Gregg, but I always remember Ron Ullery’s teams being stacked to a point that they were scary. Especially HB/FB and offensive line. Defense was a little less consistent but still plenty of talent
 
Centerville had 1 losing record in 43 years prior to the current head coach. They averaged over 8 wins per season over that span. Now sitting at 1-3 they are on their way to their 3rd consecutive losing season. People complained about their option offense and wanted to see a modern pass oriented offense. Well they have a highly rated QB playing in his 3rd year for the team but it doesn't really matter. They keep losing. It starts at the top. How many losing seasons do we have to endure before they bring someone else in?
 
Centerville had 1 losing record in 43 years prior to the current head coach. They averaged over 8 wins per season over that span. Now sitting at 1-3 they are on their way to their 3rd consecutive losing season. People complained about their option offense and wanted to see a modern pass oriented offense. Well they have a highly rated QB playing in his 3rd year for the team but it doesn't really matter. They keep losing. It starts at the top. How many losing seasons do we have to endure before they bring someone else in?






Greg was a good coach. Back in day u had big 3. Wayne , centerville. , northmont. Northmont went from being powerhouse to losers in the 90s. I honesty believe coach is responsible for culture. And Wayne and cville are experiencing this right now. Of course the talent is there. Doesn’t just disappear. It takes coaching staff to change culture. I just can’t see these two programs being down long.
 
They'll beat Beavercreek and the Burg. The Beavers hired Niswonger to be their OC and that sure is helping. I don't know what exactly is going there though... coaching, talent, # of kids playing etc?? They're averaging 10 points a game and have given up 70+ twice and been running clocked each game. All the talent in the south suburbs seems to be moving to Springboro now.

Boro is not getting any talent from anywhere. They are an average team.

Niswonger going to Creek is a perfect example of even a hall of fame coach cannot win just anywhere especially in the first year.
 
You can’t blame Niswonger he is just an assistant. Some coaches can change a program and bring out the best of players look at Douglass with Springfield or even the guy at Fairmont
 
You can’t blame Niswonger he is just an assistant. Some coaches can change a program and bring out the best of players look at Douglass with Springfield or even the guy at Fairmont

lol I am not blaming Niswonger at all. My point, spelled out, is that without a highly skilled QB, to say the least, it will be difficult to even run his offense.
 
Boro is not getting any talent from anywhere. They are an average team.

Niswonger going to Creek is a perfect example of even a hall of fame coach cannot win just anywhere especially in the first year.
I thought Boro looked tough the one game I watched. They might be average talent wise, but they’re physically tough which means they have a solid culture.

100% agree with your second statement. People on here seem to think a coach can come in and make improvements right away or make the team significantly better during the season. That’s just not true. It takes at least a couple of years to build a winning culture in HS.

If you’re team sucks week 1 all you can really hope for is for small improvements and a few weaker opponents to help gain confidence. And after the season ends, weight room, weight room, weight room, bands, agility exercises, bench press, weighted sprints, squats, deadlifts, tire flips, glute ham raises, kettle bells, food and more weight room.
 
Last edited:
I thought Boro looked tough the one game I watched. They might be average talent wise, but they’re physically tough which means they have a solid culture.

100% agree with your second statement. People on here seem to think a coach can come in and make improvements right away or make the team significantly better during the season. That’s just not true. It takes at least a couple of years to build a winning culture in HS.

If you’re team sucks week 1 all you can really hope for is for small improvements and a few weaker opponents to help gain confidence. And after the season ends, weight room, weight room, weight room, bands, agility exercises, bench press, weighted sprints, squats, deadlifts, tire flips, glute ham raises, kettle bells, food and more weight room.






The coaches is what changes the culture. And implement those things u mentioned. Weight training etc. but also how to conduct yourselves in classroom and on field. Discipline etc. no. I’ve seen most coaches have rough first year. Takes a little bit. But I’ve seen them turn programs around after 1 year. Obviously if u have same coach with same results year after year something has change.
 
I thought Boro looked tough the one game I watched. They might be average talent wise, but they’re physically tough which means they have a solid culture.

100% agree with your second statement. People on here seem to think a coach can come in and make improvements right away or make the team significantly better during the season. That’s just not true. It takes at least a couple of years to build a winning culture in HS.

If you’re team sucks week 1 all you can really hope for is for small improvements and a few weaker opponents to help gain confidence. And after the season ends, weight room, weight room, weight room, bands, agility exercises, bench press, weighted sprints, squats, deadlifts, tire flips, glute ham raises, kettle bells, food and more weight room.

I totally agree with you On the hard work and culture.

Regarding Springboro, I just meant that no out of district transfers are exiting I75 South on there way to Cincinnati. Hard nosed, yes. Maybe Division 2 playoff talent.
 
The difference between Centerville and Springboro right now is that Boro expects to win and the Elks try hard. While I appreciate hard work and discipline, the coaches have to create a culture of "expecting to win". I noticed it in the body language 2nd half this past Friday. Boro came out with focus and made adjustments to blow the Elks out in the 3rd quarter. The Elks came out happy to have a close game with no energy or adjustments and gave up 21 unanswered points = GAME OVER. The Elks coaches are trying hard and calling the game to keep it close vs. playing to win and rip the opponent's heart out. Big Difference!
 
Don't forget, Fairmont beat themselves vs Centerville. The Elks were lucky to squeak that game out but if I recall, Special Teams from Centerville made the big plays all night as the offense was non-existent and the defense struggled at times. However, neither teams had the opportunities to scrimmage beforehand either to fix things with their schemes and players.
 
Don't forget, Fairmont beat themselves vs Centerville. The Elks were lucky to squeak that game out but if I recall, Special Teams from Centerville made the big plays all night as the offense was non-existent and the defense struggled at times. However, neither teams had the opportunities to scrimmage beforehand either to fix things with their schemes and players.

Defense and special teams have done their part. 12 turnovers recovered not including the Wayne game, however the offense has scored only 12 touchdowns in 4 games. Sounds like the offense needs to step it up. Perhaps a re-eval of the offense.
 
I live right around the corner and I watch them sometimes on my run-route. They are as talented as anyone ive seen in the area, but they come off as a little lax and predictable at times. I don't know if its just something that needs to click mentally or what? 2020 just may be a throwaway year since it was all but uncertain that they will even play this fall.
 
The difference between Centerville and Springboro right now is that Boro expects to win and the Elks try hard. While I appreciate hard work and discipline, the coaches have to create a culture of "expecting to win"....

Trying too hard creates a kind of ‘panic culture’ for lack of a better term. The opposite is being confident, focused, collected and prepared. I played on a team with ‘panic culture.’ We worked our asses off for years but we never did anything great.
 
Defense and special teams have done their part. 12 turnovers recovered not including the Wayne game, however the offense has scored only 12 touchdowns in 4 games. Sounds like the offense needs to step it up. Perhaps a re-eval of the offense.
I agree the offense could be more efficient - not sure how much play-calling figures into the slow starts. Offense is scoring 22 points/game (6th in GWOC) and defense is giving up 28 points/game (7th in GWOC). It looks like the offense needs to score more points and the defense needs to give up less points
 
Last edited:
Top