Middletown Middies looking for new coach

J

jdizzle

Well-known member
I saw on Instagram/Twitter/X that Middletown is looking for a new football coach.

Coach Simpson informed the team of his resignation at the post-season awards banquet earlier this week. Not sure if Coach Simpson will finish out the year in his current position at Middletown High School or not.

Let the speculation begin on who the new Middie hire will be.
 
 
2011 was the last time that Middletown had a winning record. They were 10-2 that year.

2014 and 2015, they were 4-6

You are right Hornet4L, not a lot of relevancy in Middletown Football lately.
 
Hate to see him go. I thought he had the program moving in the right direction. Their record wasn't improving much, but they were playing a lot of close games the last two seasons. They were a play or two away from 2 or 3 more wins in both 2022 and 2023.
 
NewOldBlood said:
Hate to see him go. I thought he had the program moving in the right direction. Their record wasn't improving much, but they were playing a lot of close games the last two seasons. They were a play or two away from 2 or 3 more wins in both 2022 and 2023.
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4 of the 8 losses this season were within one score.
 
I keep hearing a couple of names around the Middletown opening: (disclaimer: lots of rumors...)
Jalin Marshall- former Middie who was on staff this year.
Maurice Douglass- current Springfield coach....still coaching in the tournament as I type this.
Chris Wells- had a coaching stint in Middletown previously. Had a couple 4-6 seasons to end his career. Still is a teacher in Middletown.
Jason Krause- had a coaching stint in Middletown previously. Had the last winning season for Middletown. Always has competitive teams in Fairfield but doesn't fair well in the playoffs.

My two cents worth: Marshall needs some more experience. Been there and done that with Wells....love his passion for Middletown though.

Douglass would be a great pick but I think someone is pipe-dreaming here. What would Middletown have to throw at him to make it worth it?

Dominoes will start to fall once Springfield wins it all or gets knocked out. Not even sure Douglass knows the Middletown job is open because he is full-go in his own season right now in Springfield. I would think no one on the current staff wants it or they are not interested in hiring anyone on the staff or it would be a done deal at this point.
 
I don't get the "he needs more experience" argument with young coaching candidates. Take a chance on someone young like Marshall who actually WANTS to be there. Having someone who bleeds for that community is way more than half the battle. Let's face it, Middletown is nowhere near a destination dream job. Will young coaches take their lumps and learn by fire..... yes, absolutely. But I'd much prefer that than someone who's been "groomed" by someone else and doesn't really do things his own way. Those guys spend their entire career trying to figure out what kind of coach they'll be and typically don't last that long. Get someone who really wants to be there, through the good and the bad. Let him figure out what works and what kind of head coach he wants to be. Eagerness and hunger are the biggest contributors to success in coaching, not always pedigree or experience.

It's ironic that 20+ years ago, chances were taken on young, unproven coaches all the time, and led to many of the coaching legends we have, and that wasn't just in Ohio. Now we don't give those chances to young hungry guys and we wonder why some places are hiring a new head coach every 2-4 years. Start getting some younger guys chances and let them develop, and you could go decades without having to hire a new coach.
 
cincifbfan said:
I don't get the "he needs more experience" argument with young coaching candidates. Take a chance on someone young like Marshall who actually WANTS to be there. Having someone who bleeds for that community is way more than half the battle. Let's face it, Middletown is nowhere near a destination dream job. Will young coaches take their lumps and learn by fire..... yes, absolutely. But I'd much prefer that than someone who's been "groomed" by someone else and doesn't really do things his own way. Those guys spend their entire career trying to figure out what kind of coach they'll be and typically don't last that long. Get someone who really wants to be there, through the good and the bad. Let him figure out what works and what kind of head coach he wants to be. Eagerness and hunger are the biggest contributors to success in coaching, not always pedigree or experience.

It's ironic that 20+ years ago, chances were taken on young, unproven coaches all the time, and led to many of the coaching legends we have, and that wasn't just in Ohio. Now we don't give those chances to young hungry guys and we wonder why some places are hiring a new head coach every 2-4 years. Start getting some younger guys chances and let them develop, and you could go decades without having to hire a new coach.
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Well said, I agree 100%!
 
cincifbfan said:
I don't get the "he needs more experience" argument with young coaching candidates. Take a chance on someone young like Marshall who actually WANTS to be there. Having someone who bleeds for that community is way more than half the battle. Let's face it, Middletown is nowhere near a destination dream job. Will young coaches take their lumps and learn by fire..... yes, absolutely. But I'd much prefer that than someone who's been "groomed" by someone else and doesn't really do things his own way. Those guys spend their entire career trying to figure out what kind of coach they'll be and typically don't last that long. Get someone who really wants to be there, through the good and the bad. Let him figure out what works and what kind of head coach he wants to be. Eagerness and hunger are the biggest contributors to success in coaching, not always pedigree or experience.

It's ironic that 20+ years ago, chances were taken on young, unproven coaches all the time, and led to many of the coaching legends we have, and that wasn't just in Ohio. Now we don't give those chances to young hungry guys and we wonder why some places are hiring a new head coach every 2-4 years. Start getting some younger guys chances and let them develop, and you could go decades without having to hire a new coach.
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I agree with this as well.

Can Middletown ever return to what they were back in the 1990's and even prior? They used to be a football power, competing at some of the highest levels of D1. Is the talent still there?
 
jdizzle said:
I keep hearing a couple of names around the Middletown opening: (disclaimer: lots of rumors...)
Jalin Marshall- former Middie who was on staff this year.
Maurice Douglass- current Springfield coach....still coaching in the tournament as I type this.
Chris Wells- had a coaching stint in Middletown previously. Had a couple 4-6 seasons to end his career. Still is a teacher in Middletown.
Jason Krause- had a coaching stint in Middletown previously. Had the last winning season for Middletown. Always has competitive teams in Fairfield but doesn't fair well in the playoffs.

My two cents worth: Marshall needs some more experience. Been there and done that with Wells....love his passion for Middletown though.

Douglass would be a great pick but I think someone is pipe-dreaming here. What would Middletown have to throw at him to make it worth it?

Dominoes will start to fall once Springfield wins it all or gets knocked out. Not even sure Douglass knows the Middletown job is open because he is full-go in his own season right now in Springfield. I would think no one on the current staff wants it or they are not interested in hiring anyone on the staff or it would be a done deal at this point.
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Krause is the name I've heard being the closest but still not sure if they could make it happen. No chance Wells would be back in that spot imo.

I've also heard Davis from Madison being thrown into the mix. Big step up for someone like him who hasn't HC'd in half a decade but he is both young and experienced and has a Middletown and YSU background. Could be someone M-town needs.
 
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They need someone who can connect with the kids and community for sure. Maybe go after some of the coaches that have had success in Cincinnati Public. Those guys typically have to build programs from the ground up while dealing with a ton of outside factors (similar to middletown) . They also relate to kids well. Jeff Cargile, Kali Jones, Armand Tatum etc.
 
cincifbfan said:
I don't get the "he needs more experience" argument with young coaching candidates. Take a chance on someone young like Marshall who actually WANTS to be there. Having someone who bleeds for that community is way more than half the battle. Let's face it, Middletown is nowhere near a destination dream job. Will young coaches take their lumps and learn by fire..... yes, absolutely. But I'd much prefer that than someone who's been "groomed" by someone else and doesn't really do things his own way. Those guys spend their entire career trying to figure out what kind of coach they'll be and typically don't last that long. Get someone who really wants to be there, through the good and the bad. Let him figure out what works and what kind of head coach he wants to be. Eagerness and hunger are the biggest contributors to success in coaching, not always pedigree or experience.

It's ironic that 20+ years ago, chances were taken on young, unproven coaches all the time, and led to many of the coaching legends we have, and that wasn't just in Ohio. Now we don't give those chances to young hungry guys and we wonder why some places are hiring a new head coach every 2-4 years. Start getting some younger guys chances and let them develop, and you could go decades without having to hire a new coach.
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I agree with you to some extent. The Middletown community would have to be patient and I don't think that is in the cards for some folks there. I am sure that is not an isolated problem just in Middletown.
SWPicker said:
Jalin can't stay off the adderall or I feel like he'd be a great option. Young and football smart but just not capable of putting the beans down.
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Maybe there are skeletons in the closet that won't allow this to happen. Unfortunately, his rap sheet of being run out of places could be a red flag for a potential person hiring.
 
jdizzle said:
I agree with you to some extent. The Middletown community would have to be patient and I don't think that is in the cards for some folks there. I am sure that is not an isolated problem just in Middletown.

Maybe there are skeletons in the closet that won't allow this to happen. Unfortunately, his rap sheet of being run out of places could be a red flag for a potential person hiring.
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Obviously if there are skeletons, don't make that hire. And I think too many don't have anywhere to realistic expectations for their programs. Not everyone can win regularly.
 
ex_dc_atc said:
I agree with this as well.

Can Middletown ever return to what they were back in the 1990's and even prior? They used to be a football power, competing at some of the highest levels of D1. Is the talent still there?
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They have some talent, but not 1980s-1990s Middletown-type talent. Middletown is now one of the smallest GMC schools. That has something to do with it as well.

Some of the Middletown parents/players think that little Johnny is the next big D1 talent. Like I have said in other posts, this is not an exclusive problem just in Middletown.
 
Middletown could be a top tier program, with the correct hire. Marshall would be a great hire, hometown kid that made it. Would bring energy to the program and be impactful to the youth.
 
jdizzle said:
They have some talent, but not 1980s-1990s Middletown-type talent. Middletown is now one of the smallest GMC schools. That has something to do with it as well.

Some of the Middletown parents/players think that little Johnny is the next big D1 talent. Like I have said in other posts, this is not an exclusive problem just in Middletown.
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How close is Middletown to being DII in football?
 
I'm a die hard Monroe Hornets fan but I'd like to see Middletown competitive again. If parents would be patient and kids stay out of trouble they might get somewhere with the right coach who could make the kids believe if they work hard enough and buy in to the right system they might get somewhere.
 
Heard a rumor that Marshall also applied for the Monroe job. Not sure I agree with everything being said about giving a young coach a chance. At a place like Middletown that's struggling to stay competitive on a consistent basis, maybe you give a young guy a shot. There's a lot more to building and running a football program than X's and O's. It's fun to watch when a young guy gets a shot a puts it all together. It's more often than not a train wreck that can set a program back another 5 years. If you're an administrator and you take a shot on a young, inexperienced coach, you better be all in on the guy because there will be issues that arise. And hopefully, that young coach has a mentor that can guide him through the process of establishing a program.
 
NewOldBlood said:
Heard a rumor that Marshall also applied for the Monroe job. Not sure I agree with everything being said about giving a young coach a chance. At a place like Middletown that's struggling to stay competitive on a consistent basis, maybe you give a young guy a shot. There's a lot more to building and running a football program than X's and O's. It's fun to watch when a young guy gets a shot a puts it all together. It's more often than not a train wreck that can set a program back another 5 years. If you're an administrator and you take a shot on a young, inexperienced coach, you better be all in on the guy because there will be issues that arise. And hopefully, that young coach has a mentor that can guide him through the process of establishing a program.
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More often than not it's a Trainwreck with anyone you bring in. If it wasn't, everyone would be winning 7+ games each year, and we all know that's not possible.

In just about every profession, people under 40 are getting the raw end of the deal. All employers want people with experience, but very few are willing to give younger people the opportunity to get that experience.

Take a chance and give it some time, especially with people who WANT to be there more than anything, instead of hiring someone with experience who is always looking for something else.
 
jdizzle said:
Not sure he is ready for that role. Only one year of coaching experience. Only my opinion, but I think you should have the experience of being an offensive or defensive coordinator prior to being a head coach.
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Imagine saying a guy with big time college and some nfl experience isn’t ready to coach at little sisters of the poor Middletown. I’m Sure at this point they’ll just be happy to have someone who’s not using heroin.
 
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