What do you believe it will take for more SEO teams to be more relevant?

[Buck Nut]

All starts at the youth level. Successful high school programs typically have successful youth programs. The community comes next, without community support, programs won’t go far. Having consistent coaching seems to be an issue with a lot of programs in SEO. NY has only had 4 coaches since 1967. Then it comes down to just winning ball games, keep winning and relevancy will come.

[FIDO]

Less population, less talent. The larger the population, the greater the talent pool.

[Ironman92]

As a few others have said, population increases.

The pool continues to shrink you’ll see less and less trips to state, in football especially, from this area.

Portsmouth is a few census cycles from being a village instead of a city.

Also, we seem to have a strange obsession with pee wee championships down here. Like who gives a rip that you had dozens of families pay hundreds of dollars to win a 4th grade state championship?

I think you mentioned a big thing….

[TigerBob]

Top 2 things that would help:

Every program focuses on numbers at the youth level. The goal would be to get as many boys in each grade to play as possible. I would shoot for half of the boys in each grade all the way though junior high. Would be tough, but not impossible. Sadly, many schools don’t want to cut their grade level teams in half because that makes it less likely the coach can win another A team Super Bowl.

A SEO mega conference is born. We can never be the MAC, but as long as Wheelersburg, Jackson, and Ironton are stuck not challenging themselves multiple weeks a year, they’ll never be their best. Get as close to the MAC as you can Imagine a six team league with those 3 plus 3 more who’d like to compete at the highest level (Fairland, Waverly, West, whoever) that could play a great league for half their year and a great non conference for half the year. Would be a perfect schedule to prep for Week 11 and beyond. Will never happen though.

[TomcatFootball11]

Consistency is a big part in it. Having Coach Faires since 1994 has certainly helped. I think he may be the longest tenured coach in our area as of right now. Not certain. I think having a good tradition will help too. A strong tradition will likely help kids start coming out to play. We haven't had the success we've liked to have had the past few years, but roster numbers are still high.

Our youth programs are pretty strong too. I think one was the runner up in the super bowl and the other lost a close game in the 2nd round. Jr High going 7-1 will probably help, too.

All in all, I think it boils down to consistency, tradition, and community support.

[BJCassady]

Consistency at the district level is key. IMHO you need to hire teachers that are also successful coaches. They don't have to have a state title on their resume to be successful, just a track record of success building programs. I played schools sports from the early 70's until I graduated in 1978. Every coach from junior high thru varsity was a teacher, no outsiders or parents etc.

I am not a big fan of pee wee football. I think to many kids get burnt out on the game and some never get any meaningful playing time to keep their interest in the game from pee wee thru 12th grade. Also, some kids are typecast at an early age due to their size or weight. I have seen the slow, clumsy overweight kid or the small underweight kid hit puberty and become an athlete but never play sports in school because of their prior physical limits or worse, some parent who thought their kid the standout in 3rd or 4th grade convincing the school coach who isn't the teacher/coach that he can't win without his kid.

School districts have the responsibility to hire the best available person for any opening that they have regardless of the position, be it for a classroom, band, choir or any sports.

Belpre once had that consistency that built our successful programs. I am not knocking our current football HC because he inherited a bad program but he is turning our culture around and I think that is because he was a teacher first with experience and he has had the same staff for both seasons.

Lastly, you need a conditioning program that works first and foremost on the body's core muscles, especially before puberty hits. Lift weights after puberty in my opinion. For the life of me I don't understand why school districts and the state do not mandate physical education classes from K thru 12th grade anymore. I am not talking about walking the kids on the track or in the gym but some real physical fitness programs. Do any schools or the Federal government still offer the Presidental Physical Fitness Award any more? That was kind of a big deal back in my day.

[scott1297]

recruit like ironton

Agreed. The Burg recruiting process isnt cutting it anymore

Sorry fbnut, I couldnt resist

Burg has never recruited like ironton does never have and never will but every once in a while we will have one player move into the district that makes a difference but i can count on one hand how many players have come to Burg while in high school in the past 10 or so years most of burgs competitive balance comes from kids who live right outside the school district who have been attending Burg since kindergarten