Marietta football - What's the deal ?

[boss8]

Yes, they still do.

They pay the college way too much money to play there.

At one time, I heard it was $10k per game. I could be totally wrong about that number but either way, I assume it's a lot.

Could be wrong, but I think that number is exaggerated.

[Wildcatone]

Good posts so far. I think everyone is correct in their assessments as there isn't just one reason MHS football continues to lose.
A couple things I will add:

- Marietta has about half the enrollment it had in the COL days. As much as I'd love to see Marietta compete with the big boys, the schedule we have now is fine. I wasn't a fan of it at first, but the truth is we need to build a foundation before we load up the schedule. I think the new TSL that starts next season is a good thing.

- Soccer definitely plays a role. Take a drive down River Road in Devola. Pretty much every evening/weekend half the town is down at the soccer complex. It starts at a young age. The "sports minded" families tend to choose soccer over football. If the football program could find a way to get that energy and participation into its youth league, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

- Marietta will still support a winner. Marietta College basketball has tremendous community support. If MHS football won some games, the fans would show up imo. It's hard to support a team that hasn't had a winning season in 20 years.

Long story short, culture is the issue, but I do think it can be changed. There is athletic talent walking the halls at MHS.

Great post. The question is this. Will the Administration at Marietta dare to be great and hand the reigns over to a dynamic culture changing head coach or stick with the hometown types that will be satisfied with 2 to 4 wins a year ? I have my doubts.

I’m pretty sure that the current head coach is not “satisfied with 2 to 4 wins a year”. Just because they don’t win a lot doesn’t mean they are lacking effort or desire.

Not talking about the head coach or the effort of the coaches or players. I'm talking about the administration settling for a losing culture. They need a coach outside the area to come in and build that culture. It's quite apparent the current coach cannot. But that's OK. He is a nice guy and a local. Marietta can be rough on outsiders.

[enigmaax]

Great post. The question is this. Will the Administration at Marietta dare to be great and hand the reigns over to a dynamic culture changing head coach or stick with the hometown types that will be satisfied with 2 to 4 wins a year ? I have my doubts.

I’m pretty sure that the current head coach is not “satisfied with 2 to 4 wins a year”. Just because they don’t win a lot doesn’t mean they are lacking effort or desire.

Not talking about the head coach or the effort of the coaches or players. I'm talking about the administration settling for a losing culture. They need a coach outside the area to come in and build that culture. It's quite apparent the current coach cannot. But that's OK. He is a nice guy and a local. Marietta can be rough on outsiders.

That is easy to say, harder to do. There’s just not people lining up to coach high school football in the MOV. A school almost certainly needs to have a real job opening and even then simple economics isn’t appealing to everyone. Schools in the area have brought in outside guys and without going through every single one, it seems like it’s rare that it works out long term.

The last sentence is true for the entire area on several levels. There’s almost always resistance to “we are going to do things my way now” when it comes to the general mentality here. There’s a lot more to that conversation, but the point being, it’s a huge challenge to find a quality coach and especially to draw in outsiders to this area just to coach a high school team.

[Ff3233]

They pay the college way too much money to play there.

At one time, I heard it was $10k per game. I could be totally wrong about that number but either way, I assume it's a lot.

Could be wrong, but I think that number is exaggerated.

Heard they paid 45k for the year. That includes football and track meets

[boss8]

At one time, I heard it was $10k per game. I could be totally wrong about that number but either way, I assume it's a lot.

Could be wrong, but I think that number is exaggerated.

Heard they paid 45k for the year. That includes football and track meets

Would be more in line with what I've always heard.

[JChipwood]

It all starts with the youth and then into middle school. Not only at MHS but all schools. Blocking and tackling, and as a result learning to break tackles, fight off of blocks, and play with pads in general. Innovation is great but old school never fails. Wheelersburg, ironton, Sheridan and Jackson come to mind in our area. Build a base skill set and the kids can learn and adapt to the x and o’s of any system.

[*D1*]

It all starts with the youth and then into middle school. Not only at MHS but all schools. Blocking and tackling, and as a result learning to break tackles, fight off of blocks, and play with pads in general. Innovation is great but old school never fails. Wheelersburg, ironton, Sheridan and Jackson come to mind in our area. Build a base skill set and the kids can learn and adapt to the x and o’s of any system.

Need to start by hiring a winner to lead the program. That’s what Meigs did and look at us now. Total transformation. Have fun with it.

[Ff3233]

It all starts with the youth and then into middle school. Not only at MHS but all schools. Blocking and tackling, and as a result learning to break tackles, fight off of blocks, and play with pads in general. Innovation is great but old school never fails. Wheelersburg, ironton, Sheridan and Jackson come to mind in our area. Build a base skill set and the kids can learn and adapt to the x and o’s of any system.

Need to start by hiring a winner to lead the program. That’s what Meigs did and look at us now. Total transformation. Have fun with it.

Exactly what kind of transformation are we talking about? Beat the truly bad teams on your schedule and get clobbered by the decent teams on your schedule?

[TigerFan15]

The current cost for Marietta High School to use Don Drumm Stadium is now $45,000 annually. Marietta City Schools gave the stadium to MC in 2003 for one dollar. The deal gave the Tigers use of the stadium for free for the first ten years. In year eleven, the cost began at $35,000 with $500 increases per year to get us to the cost for this year. Marietta also uses it for some football scrimmages, track meets and a BandoRama event for the band each year. The contract also allows for the use of the hospitality suite yet we never seem to take advantage. This information is correct based on my own public records request some five years ago. Marietta College has told us that we need to find our own home but we haven’t taken any action yet.

As far as winning seasons go for the Tigers, I was a sophomore who dressed varsity on Friday nights when it was still fairly uncommon for that to happen. Our JV team that same year went 6-2. Unfortunately, many things that occurred then do not happen now. TIGER PRIDE! Team unity came above all else. Players today drive themselves to Don Drumm, we went to the stadium via a school bus, team meals are either paid for or are donated as compared to when our Tiger Moms were actually preparing the food in the cafeteria. Longtime Athletic Director, Bill Bonar, rode the bus with us to away games. Coach Bonar was how many of us referred to him and still do today. He too handed each player their food when we stopped to eat yet the team now is rarely provided a meal after a hard fought contest. For many years up until the current AD was hired, the AD often didn’t bother to attend road contests. Many of these things might sound trivial but it’s simply a reflection of the change in culture from then to now. Even longtime Marietta Times sportswriter, Bill Robinson, also traveled with the team on the bus to away games. We simply haven’t changed with the times. We’ve lost our way.

[MttaFan]

That’s a great post TigerFan15. Really shows the disconnect between the admin, the community, and the program.

The WV state 16-17 year old dead lift champ is a junior at Marietta. Nobody has ever asked him about playing football. Football is just not that important at MCS.

[TigerFan15]

Let me clarify, I was a sophomore on the 83 team when the varsity went 6-3-1. Coaching staff then was made up of hard nose, football men who were longtime mainstays of the program which transferred down to the players. Coaches Spence, Becker, Hudson, Pape, O’Dell and Burke. Within two years, all of these coaches were gone. Our district didn’t try to keep any of them and let all of that knowledge retire at one time. How do you replace that? Coach Bonar retired as our AD. High school administrators, Lou Bett and Jack Powell were gone. Success and failure always starts at the top. We’ve had a leadership void at both the board and administration level for decades with no clear vision, no standards and zero accountability. Reinstating these principles is the only way to begin the effort in trying to restore Tiger Pride!

[MisterGalliaGuy2016]

Marietta only had 1 winning season in the 80's and 2 in the 90's, so it's been over 40 years since they were an 'average' program (after the 70's) and the schedules have gotten easier over those years..last game against Upper Arlington was 1980. Going to take alot to get it turned around. Soccer is absolutely a big part of it but the trend had been established way before that.

I was on one of those winning teams. 1983 record 6-3-1

1983 9/2 Meigs - won 9-3
1983 9/9 River - won 15-14
1983 9/16 Parkersburg - lost 0-7
1983 9/24 Bellaire - Tied 7-7
1983 9/30 Wheeling Park - won 13-8
1983 10/7 Athens - won 13-9
1983 10/14 Pburg South - won 20-13
1983 10/21 Zanesville - lost 19-21
1983 10/28 Lancaster - lost 0-31
1983 11/4 Newark - won 14-13

That schedule is murder.....

[TigerFan15]

Those four teams from the COL appear to all have lost their way. Record this year for each:

Zanesville Blue Devils 3-7
Lancaster Golden Gales 2-8
Newark Wildcats 2-8
Marietta Tigers 2-8

[Wildcatone]

Let me clarify, I was a sophomore on the 83 team when the varsity went 6-3-1. Coaching staff then was made up of hard nose, football men who were longtime mainstays of the program which transferred down to the players. Coaches Spence, Becker, Hudson, Pape, O’Dell and Burke. Within two years, all of these coaches were gone. Our district didn’t try to keep any of them and let all of that knowledge retire at one time. How do you replace that? Coach Bonar retired as our AD. High school administrators, Lou Bett and Jack Powell were gone. Success and failure always starts at the top. We’ve had a leadership void at both the board and administration level for decades with no clear vision, no standards and zero accountability. Reinstating these principles is the only way to begin the effort in trying to restore Tiger Pride!

What a great post and brings back memories. Well done sir.

[E High]

Those four teams from the COL appear to all have lost their way. Record this year for each:

Zanesville Blue Devils 3-7
Lancaster Golden Gales 2-8
Newark Wildcats 2-8
Marietta Tigers 2-8

Those days are All gone. COL was a great conference. Unfortunately those schools today are bad in all sports except Newark boys and girls basketball. Recruiting is the only thing helping Newark s basketball programs.

[TigerFan15]

I can’t speak for all four of these schools but know the following for Marietta this fall:

Girls golf - individual missed going to state tourney by 2 shots
Boys golf - entire team advance to district final with a shot to advance to state tourney
Girls volleyball - 20-3 - lost in district semis
Boys soccer - lost in district semis
Girls soccer - still alive - now playing in district finals

Respectfully, not all of these old COL schools are bad in every sport.

[E High]

I can’t speak for all four of these schools but know the following for Marietta this fall:

Girls golf - individual missed going to state tourney by 2 shots
Boys golf - entire team advance to district final with a shot to advance to state tourney
Girls volleyball - 20-3 - lost in district semis
Boys soccer - lost in district semis
Girls soccer - still alive - now playing in district finals

Respectfully, not all of these old COL schools are bad in every sport.

. Thanks for the update. Outstanding achievements. Unfortunately an athletic program is only as good as the football and maybe boys basketball. There are exceptions. The old COL schools mentioned above are basically not very good, with Newark the exception in basketball. Hoping Marietta can turn it around. I’ve always thought they were a sleeping giant. Only time will tell.

[TigerFan15]

I don’t disagree that athletic programs are typically measured by the success of the football and boys basketball teams. But your post said the four old COL schools are “bad in all sports.” That’s simply not the case. I forgot to include girls tennis who is sending to two doubles players to the state tourney.

[E High]

I don’t disagree that athletic programs are typically measured by the success of the football and boys basketball teams. But your post said the four old COL schools are “bad in all sports.” That’s simply not the case. I forgot to include girls tennis who is sending to two doubles players to the state tourney.

. My bad. I really meant football and basketball.

[formerfcfan]

Those four teams from the COL appear to all have lost their way. Record this year for each:

Zanesville Blue Devils 3-7
Lancaster Golden Gales 2-8
Newark Wildcats 2-8
Marietta Tigers 2-8

I won’t speak on Marietta. With the other three schools, I think you can draw the straight line with them being exurbs of generally-decent size where the impact of socioeconomic difficulty on the schools has trickled down to football. I know Zanesville on a population scale isn’t at the level of Lancaster and Newark, but all three have experienced middle-class erosion and that’s just tough to really work through when big school athletics has become more-and-more a rich man’s game.