HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Bill Bohren interested in return to coaching
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For just the third time in the last 58 years, the high school football season opened without Bill Bohren roaming the sidelines as a coach.
Bohren, who began his coaching career in 1965 at Ohio High School in Ohio (IL), stepped down at Mathews during the offseason due to failing eyesight.
Mathews was just the latest program that Bohren revitalized during his hall-of-fame coaching career which saw him win 309 games.
Although Bohren wasn't donning a clipboard and whistle, he was still on the sidelines last Thursday for the start of the season. He roamed the sidelines at Bo Rein Stadium, closely watching the Niles-Howland game.
"The game pretty much went as I expected," Bohren said. "Howland had a nice game plan and they hung around for a while but Niles eventually wore them down and took over.
"Niles has a really good running back and a strong quarterback who can beat you with the run and pass. They have really improved since last year."
Bohren spent Friday night close to the television watching Massillon-Valdosta (GA) and South Range-Springfield while monitoring other games.
"Massillon looked good," Bohren said. "Mineral Ridge is going to be really good this year. They beat a Pymatuning Valley team that has two really nice backs. The Northeast-8 is going to be very strong this year. You have three or four teams who can win that league."
So, how is a lifetime coach coping with the role of armchair quarterback?
"I absolutely can't stand it, I always wondered what I would do all day if I didn't have football in my life and now I'm finding out and I don't like it," Bohren said. "I miss the game, not just the Friday nights but I miss the everyday activities involved with being a coach. All of the offseason stuff and the conditioning and the practices. I miss every aspect."
In fact, Bohren feels such a void that he is not ruling out a return to the sidelines. Bohren says he is receiving treatments on his eyes, and his vision has slightly improved. If the progress continues, Bohren insists he will be coaching in some capacity in 2024.
"Oh, for sure I will be back if I'm able to do so," Bohren said. "I only stepped down because I couldn't even see well enough to draw up a game plan. It wouldn't have been fair to the players to stay. But if things start to improve I'll be back.
"If I know I can return and do the job without cheating the kids, absolutely I'll be back."
Bohren would be 90 years old at the start of the 2024 season. Still, he is adamant about his possible return.
"If I can correct my vision, nothing else would hold me back because I know I can still coach," he said. "I don't want to see anyone lose their job but if something does open up I'd go after it for sure."
STORMY START
The 2023 season got off to a rocky start on Thursday as a handful of games were either cut short, delayed or suspended due to a line of storms that produced thunder and lightning.
The Howland-Niles and Warren JFK-Champion games were both declared "completed" even though there was time left on the clock in both contests.
Niles held a 21-point edge with 3:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, while JFK was up on Champion by 19 with 9:17 left in the fourth quarter.
At Stambaugh Stadium, Ursuline and Steubenville waited out a 79-minute delay when their game was halted with 5:06 left in regulation with Ursuline up by 14. The game resumed just after 11 p.m. and the Irish prevailed 36-28.
Meanwhile, Youngstown Chaney's game at Akron East was halted at halftime with East leading 14-7. The two teams resumed the game Friday afternoon, with East hanging on for a 14-13 victory.
When a game is stopped due to a weather-related event, there are no predetermined protocols to determine the contest's ending.
Instead, it is an on-site decision that must be mutually agreed upon by game officials, coaches and//or school administrators from both schools.
"By rule, both coaches can agree to stop a game at any time," said Beau Rugg, who is the director of officiating and sports management with the Ohio High School Athletic Association. "In the case of weather delays, it's usually a group decision between the coaches and the athletic directors on both sides.
"Bringing teams back the following day is sometimes a logistical nightmare. It's really a case-by-case decision based on what's best for the players and what is best from a logical standpoint. In nearly every instance, it comes down to common sense and common sense almost always prevails."
In a rare case where coaches or administrators cannot come to an agreement, the OHSAA would make a determination regarding the final ruling of the contest. Rugg noted that he recalls this happening just one time in his 13 years with the OHSAA.
Games are suspended whenever thunder is heard, without exception. Games must remain in delay for 30 minutes following the last sound of thunder.
Games are also suspended for the same timeframe for any sign of lightning. Rugg noted that there is an exception. If it can be determined "through technology" that the visible lightning is more than 10 miles away, play can continue.
SIDELINE NOTES
Six of the seven defending state title holders won their season-openers. The lone exception was New Bremen, the defending Division VII champs, which fell to Lima Bath 14-7. Two schools that won state titles in 2022 dropped to a lower division this year. Toledo Central Catholic dropped from II to III while Maria Stein Marion Local dropped from VI to VII......The Northeast-8 Conference put together a perfect opening week of non-conference play. NE-8 schools went 7-0, winning by an average of 21 points per game. With the exception of Hubbard's 10-6 win over Youngstown East, member schools each logged victories by 17 points or more......South Range extended its current overall winning streak to 17 (second-best in the state) and its regular-season winning streak to 31 (third-best in the state).