Steve Arnold steps down as Warren G Harding head coach

I am not just flattered that he mentioned Massillon a few times (and McKinley) but I take it as a good sign for WGH. That's a Warren guy who understands and respects their history, and the challenges - and the potential. I think he gets it. Time will tell.

If there' s one thing that I can tell you about Matty Rich, it's that he won't settle for less! The Harding-Massillon series won't be going anywhere any time soon!
 
What's his job going to be other than coaching? What about assistants? He's going to want some of his own assistants.
Teacher at Solon, and hopefully he got a teaching job at WGH now

As @McMurphy stated, he’s a teacher at Solon. Not sure what his new role will be in Warren, but I do know that he has a strong background in physical education. My hope is that Harding allows him to bring the strength & conditioning class back.

As for his assistant coaches, I’m really looking forward to seeing who he brings in. I know quite a few guys who are willing to coach under him, so it’s going to be an interesting process to follow. I imagine that things will develop pretty quickly, so the rest of the winter will be interesting.
 
What's his job going to be other then coaching? What about assistants? He's going to want some of his own assistants.
Towards the end of the article in Tuesday's Tribune-Chronicle, there's this sentence that suggests he'll have some kind of teaching or staff job:

"...Richardson, who will be in the Warren City Schools district as part of his coaching contract, says that his hiring completes a “full circle.”..."

Link: https://www.tribtoday.com/sports/local-sports/2024/01/richardson-seeks-to-raise-the-bar-at-harding/
 
Towards the end of the article in Tuesday's Tribune-Chronicle, there's this sentence that suggests he'll have some kind of teaching or staff job:

"...Richardson, who will be in the Warren City Schools district as part of his coaching contract, says that his hiring completes a “full circle.”..."

Link: https://www.tribtoday.com/sports/local-sports/2024/01/richardson-seeks-to-raise-the-bar-at-harding/
I hope this gentleman does very well. Growing up in the 1960's and through many years I can remember when Warren Harding had some great teams and won state championships. It' still comes down to talent. Also, I have learned through my life to keep what any new coach, manager says when they get hired. They are all going to win championships, have 50 points a game unstoppable offenses,yaddi, yaddi, yaddi.
 
It' still comes down to talent.
Nope. Not in HS football. It's 95% coaching.

That's why you see the same teams over and over in the State Championship games. Heck, I think Kirtland won a state championship without a single senior that went on to play college football.

Matty Rich is absolutely without a doubt the right person for this job. Excellent hire.

I just wonder how much chicken has to be sold to pay him.
 
I hope this gentleman does very well. Growing up in the 1960's and through many years I can remember when Warren Harding had some great teams and won state championships. It' still comes down to talent. Also, I have learned through my life to keep what any new coach, manager says when they get hired. They are all going to win championships, have 50 points a game unstoppable offenses,yaddi, yaddi, yaddi.

Not really...

-Even without Dan McCarthy, '07 Cardinal Mooney had a way deeper talent pool than Coldwater.
-Neither '09 Hilliard Davidson or '13 Loveland had half of the talent that Glenville had.
-Mentor's system traditionally allows them to knock off teams with more talent.
-As far as college recruits go, Archbishop Hoban had more talent than Massillon this past season.

There's many other examples, but in all of the cases above, it was all about a team's ability to have the discipline & work ethic to raise their level of intensity for 48 minutes. That's why the hiring of Matty Rich is so big for Warren because he, along with the staff the he assembles, is going to make our kids work harder than they ever have before. No, it won't happen overnight, but the entire culture is getting ready to change.

Having said that, statistically, Harding had their most lethal wide receiver combo ever in 2021 as Dom Foster & Tyirq Ivory combined for 63 catches for 1,379 yards & 19 TDs in 11 games. That team finished the season 5-6. The second most powerful WR duo was Thomas "Teco" Powell & Omar Provitt, who combined for 65 catches for 1,384 yards & 17 TDs for the 14-0 Division I state champions in 1990. The idea that "Harding hasn't had any talent in recent years" is false, but being satisfied with sub .500 seasons is now a thing of the past.

Having sat in numerous Gridrion Club meetings over the years, I can tell you that there's certain programs that Harding refused to schedule (which in itself makes no sense given our 25-60-3 record against Massillon) because the overall mentality from the top was that "they couldn't compete," which is one of the main reasons why I haven't been in the GC the last few years because I don't want to be around people who didn't believe in our kids. In fact, IMG Academy's associate AD grew up with me in Warren (I'm 3 years younger than him) and wanted to play Harding in 2021. Harding declined to drop Youngstown East, so Bishop Sycamore ended up taking the game (and the rest is history). The next year, East wasn't even on Harding's schedule. :unsure:

Give Harding two, MAYBE three years and I bet you that a Hoban, Iggy, St. Eds, etc. is added to the schedule. A completely different mindset is coming to 860 Elm Rd. NE in Warren. I promise.
 
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Not really...

-Even without Dan McCarthy, '07 Cardinal Mooney had a way deeper talent pool than Coldwater.
-Neither '09 Hilliard Davidson or '13 Loveland had half of the talent that Glenville had.
-Mentor's system traditionally allows them to knock off teams with more talent.
-As far as college recruits go, Archbishop Hoban had more talent than Massillon this past season.

There's many other examples, but in all of the cases above, it was all about a team's ability to have the discipline & work ethic to raise their level of intensity for 48 minutes. That's why the hiring of Matty Rich is so big for Warren because he, along with the staff the he assembles, is going to make our kids work harder than they ever have before. No, it won't happen overnight, but the entire culture is getting ready to change.

Having said that, statistically, Harding had their most lethal wide receiver combo ever in 2021 as Dom Foster & Tyirq Ivory combined for 63 catches for 1,379 yards & 19 TDs in 11 games. That team finished the season 5-6. The second most powerful WR duo was Thomas "Teco" Powell & Omar Provitt, who combined for 65 catches for 1,384 yards & 17 TDs for the 14-0 Division I state champions in 1990. The idea that "Harding hasn't had any talent in recent years" is false, but being satisfied with sub .500 seasons is now a thing of the past.

Having sat in numerous Gridrion Club meetings over the years, I can tell you that there's certain programs that Harding refused to schedule (which in itself makes no sense given our 25-60-3 record against Massillon) because the overall mentality from the top was that "they couldn't compete," which is one of the main reasons why I haven't been in the GC the last few years because I don't want to be around people who didn't believe in our kids. In fact, IMG Academy's associate AD grew up with me in Warren (I'm 3 years younger than him) and wanted to play Harding in 2021. Harding declined to drop Youngstown East, so Bishop Sycamore ended up taking the game (and the rest is history). The next year, East wasn't even on Harding's schedule. :unsure:

Give Harding two, MAYBE three years and I bet you that a Hoban, Iggy, St. Eds, etc. is added to the schedule. A completely different mindset is coming to 860 Elm Rd. NE in Warren. I promise.
If 2 teams are pretty close in talent level the team that is slightly not as talented but very close can often win the game with great coaching. No coach I don't believe can win a game if the talent is a lot better on the other team. For example Greg Schiano is an excellent college football coach but there is no way he can beat Ohio State or Michigan. The talent gap is too wide.
 
If 2 teams are pretty close in talent level the team that is slightly not as talented but very close can often win the game with great coaching. No coach I don't believe can win a game if the talent is a lot better on the other team. For example Greg Schiano is an excellent college football coach but there is no way he can beat Ohio State or Michigan. The talent gap is too wide.

I just gave you two examples where the gap in talent was significant. To eaborate on those examples...

1. '07 Mooney sent several players to Power 5 schools. In fact, John Simon, a junior on the '07 Mooney squad, recently retired after a 9-year NFL career.

2. Glenville had seven future NFL players on their 2009 & 2010 squads...

'10 LB Jayrone Elliott- Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers
'10 FS Christian Bryant- St. Louis Rams; Arizona Cardinals
'11 ATH Shane Wynn- Jacksonville Jaguars
'11 CB Justin Hardee- New Orleans Saints; current NY Jet
'11 DT Willie Henry- Baltimore Ravens; San Francisco 49ers
'11 QB Cardale Jones- Buffalo Bills
'12 LB Chris Worley- Cincinnati Bengals
'13 CB Marshon Lattimore- current New Orleans Saint
'13 DT Davon Coleman- Dallas Cowboys

3. Meanwhile, Marshon Lattimore was a senior on Glenville's '13 squad. Since his NFL rookie season of 2017, he's been to four Pro Bowls.

On paper, Coldwater, Hilliard Davidson, and Loveland had no business beating Mooney & Glenville.
 
I just gave you two examples where the gap in talent was significant. To eaborate on those examples...

1. '07 Mooney sent several players to Power 5 schools. In fact, John Simon, a junior on the '07 Mooney squad, recently retired after a 9-year NFL career.

2. Glenville had seven future NFL players on their 2009 & 2010 squads...

'10 LB Jayrone Elliott- Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers
'10 FS Christian Bryant- St. Louis Rams; Arizona Cardinals
'11 ATH Shane Wynn- Jacksonville Jaguars
'11 CB Justin Hardee- New Orleans Saints; current NY Jet
'11 DT Willie Henry- Baltimore Ravens; San Francisco 49ers
'11 QB Cardale Jones- Buffalo Bills
'12 LB Chris Worley- Cincinnati Bengals
'13 CB Marshon Lattimore- current New Orleans Saint
'13 DT Davon Coleman- Dallas Cowboys

3. Meanwhile, Marshon Lattimore was a senior on Glenville's '13 squad. Since his NFL rookie season of 2017, he's been to four Pro Bowls.

On paper, Coldwater, Hilliard Davidson, and Loveland had no business beating Mooney & Glenville.
Those in charge just need to have "a little" patience and allow Matty to BUILD and GROW an Elite program!! There are NO quick fixes, unless the talent and schedule mesh for success!! Matty needs the support of the admins to be able to bring in and put together an ELITE staff!! Better days are ahead for WGH! Go Raiders!!
 
I just gave you two examples where the gap in talent was significant. To eaborate on those examples...

1. '07 Mooney sent several players to Power 5 schools. In fact, John Simon, a junior on the '07 Mooney squad, recently retired after a 9-year NFL career.

2. Glenville had seven future NFL players on their 2009 & 2010 squads...

'10 LB Jayrone Elliott- Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers
'10 FS Christian Bryant- St. Louis Rams; Arizona Cardinals
'11 ATH Shane Wynn- Jacksonville Jaguars
'11 CB Justin Hardee- New Orleans Saints; current NY Jet
'11 DT Willie Henry- Baltimore Ravens; San Francisco 49ers
'11 QB Cardale Jones- Buffalo Bills
'12 LB Chris Worley- Cincinnati Bengals
'13 CB Marshon Lattimore- current New Orleans Saint
'13 DT Davon Coleman- Dallas Cowboys

3. Meanwhile, Marshon Lattimore was a senior on Glenville's '13 squad. Since his NFL rookie season of 2017, he's been to four Pro Bowls.

On paper, Coldwater, Hilliard Davidson, and Loveland had no business beating Mooney & Glenville.
I see your point. I was speaking in general most of the time the more talent will win
 
I see your point. I was speaking in general most of the time the more talent will win

And my point is that when kids are coached up properly, they'll learn to be fearless and take their chances against whoever. You're not always gonna have the most talent and even when you do, you aren't guaranteed to be successful just because. The mentality in Warren is that even when we do have talent, we're "less than" the next. When you have that mindset and you already don't believe in yourself, you've already lost.

The days of Harding simply going through the motions are over. Does that mean that they'll always be successful? No, but in any case, opposing teams are gonna know that they've just been in a fight.
 
I agree with everything your saying. The team with the better talent doesn't always win. The ultimate won loss record though will mostly be based on how much talent you have compared to the opponents you are playing. Hoban ,Massillon ,Lakewood St Eds win so much because their talent is so superior to most teams they are playing that is all I'm saying. No coach can makeup a 58 to 10 loss. That is a talent issue not a coaching issue. 24 to 17 could be a coaching issue. As the saying goes the race doesn't always go to swiftest or the fastest but it is a good way to bet.
 
It might be hard to get great assistant football coaches in without teaching jobs.
Nature of the business these days in a perfect world all your assistants would be working in the system as teachers, but most places these days are a mix match of assistants that teach somewhere else and others that aren’t teachers. Matt being in the school is the first step and hell surround himself with teachers in the system he’s comfortable with Im sure he’s had guys in mind for quite awhile and some of those are likely teaching in Warren
 
Would have been better off with the kids that were already in the building. I think they would have won in 2021 and 2022.
I agree. Those 2 kids transferred out and were really good with their new teams. Hoban is going to have another quarterback next year. They are moving Boykin back to db where he played as a sophomore and was second team all state.
 
Not really...

-Even without Dan McCarthy, '07 Cardinal Mooney had a way deeper talent pool than Coldwater.
-Neither '09 Hilliard Davidson or '13 Loveland had half of the talent that Glenville had.
-Mentor's system traditionally allows them to knock off teams with more talent.
-As far as college recruits go, Archbishop Hoban had more talent than Massillon this past season.

There's many other examples, but in all of the cases above, it was all about a team's ability to have the discipline & work ethic to raise their level of intensity for 48 minutes. That's why the hiring of Matty Rich is so big for Warren because he, along with the staff the he assembles, is going to make our kids work harder than they ever have before. No, it won't happen overnight, but the entire culture is getting ready to change.

Having said that, statistically, Harding had their most lethal wide receiver combo ever in 2021 as Dom Foster & Tyirq Ivory combined for 63 catches for 1,379 yards & 19 TDs in 11 games. That team finished the season 5-6. The second most powerful WR duo was Thomas "Teco" Powell & Omar Provitt, who combined for 65 catches for 1,384 yards & 17 TDs for the 14-0 Division I state champions in 1990. The idea that "Harding hasn't had any talent in recent years" is false, but being satisfied with sub .500 seasons is now a thing of the past.

Having sat in numerous Gridrion Club meetings over the years, I can tell you that there's certain programs that Harding refused to schedule (which in itself makes no sense given our 25-60-3 record against Massillon) because the overall mentality from the top was that "they couldn't compete," which is one of the main reasons why I haven't been in the GC the last few years because I don't want to be around people who didn't believe in our kids. In fact, IMG Academy's associate AD grew up with me in Warren (I'm 3 years younger than him) and wanted to play Harding in 2021. Harding declined to drop Youngstown East, so Bishop Sycamore ended up taking the game (and the rest is history). The next year, East wasn't even on Harding's schedule. :unsure:

Give Harding two, MAYBE three years and I bet you that a Hoban, Iggy, St. Eds, etc. is added to the schedule. A completely different mindset is coming to 860 Elm Rd. NE in Warren. I promise.
I’m with you on the coaching part. Great Coaching can overcome a talent disparity. I’ve seen it happen too many times to count where the less talented team beats the more talented team.
 
Not really...

-Even without Dan McCarthy, '07 Cardinal Mooney had a way deeper talent pool than Coldwater.
-Neither '09 Hilliard Davidson or '13 Loveland had half of the talent that Glenville had.
-Mentor's system traditionally allows them to knock off teams with more talent.
-As far as college recruits go, Archbishop Hoban had more talent than Massillon this past season.

There's many other examples, but in all of the cases above, it was all about a team's ability to have the discipline & work ethic to raise their level of intensity for 48 minutes. That's why the hiring of Matty Rich is so big for Warren because he, along with the staff the he assembles, is going to make our kids work harder than they ever have before. No, it won't happen overnight, but the entire culture is getting ready to change.

Having said that, statistically, Harding had their most lethal wide receiver combo ever in 2021 as Dom Foster & Tyirq Ivory combined for 63 catches for 1,379 yards & 19 TDs in 11 games. That team finished the season 5-6. The second most powerful WR duo was Thomas "Teco" Powell & Omar Provitt, who combined for 65 catches for 1,384 yards & 17 TDs for the 14-0 Division I state champions in 1990. The idea that "Harding hasn't had any talent in recent years" is false, but being satisfied with sub .500 seasons is now a thing of the past.

Having sat in numerous Gridrion Club meetings over the years, I can tell you that there's certain programs that Harding refused to schedule (which in itself makes no sense given our 25-60-3 record against Massillon) because the overall mentality from the top was that "they couldn't compete," which is one of the main reasons why I haven't been in the GC the last few years because I don't want to be around people who didn't believe in our kids. In fact, IMG Academy's associate AD grew up with me in Warren (I'm 3 years younger than him) and wanted to play Harding in 2021. Harding declined to drop Youngstown East, so Bishop Sycamore ended up taking the game (and the rest is history). The next year, East wasn't even on Harding's schedule. :unsure:

Give Harding two, MAYBE three years and I bet you that a Hoban, Iggy, St. Eds, etc. is added to the schedule. A completely different mindset is coming to 860 Elm Rd. NE in Warren. I promise.


You could add Elder beating WGH in 2001. Harding was much more talented on paper.
 
Nope. Not in HS football. It's 95% coaching.

That's why you see the same teams over and over in the State Championship games. Heck, I think Kirtland won a state championship without a single senior that went on to play college football.

Matty Rich is absolutely without a doubt the right person for this job. Excellent hire.

I just wonder how much chicken has to be sold to pay him.
Yes high school football the coaching matters more to a teams success than in college and pro. In pro it is more coach/ quarterback driven. Probably a lean to quarterback over coach Belechick/ Brady. College it's 50/50 coach/quarterback. The thing is on all levels a coach still needs good to great players to win. You could bring Lombardo Chuck Kyle Tim Tyrrell and Nate Moore to coach Cuyahoga Falls and in a few years they can improve the program but they would never be able to win a state championship at Cuyahoga Falls. There is just not enough talent for that to happen. It's like telling Akron u to be as good as Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State. That is impossible.
 
Any big name assistants joining Coach Richardson's staff. I'm hearing Coonce and Ungaro have been tabbed to be OC & DC. Any truth to that? Two fine coaches IMO if it is true.
 
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