By now you've probably heard that both Lorain's Todd Auvil and Elyria's Steve Hamilton will not be returning to their respective football teams next season.
Both jobs should be intriguing for anyone looking to move up in the coaching world. It will be interesting to see who takes over either program.
Elyria seems like somewhat of a sleeping giant. A lot of local coaches have agreed with this notion. The JV program has gotten stronger over the past few seasons and it's not hard to tell the kind of talent that has come through, including Ohio State commit Chase Farris, Bowling Green's Isaiah Byler and Findlay's Trynell Davis among others.
When we look back at both of these coaches, we won't see much past their losing records. However, it can't be overlooked how much influence both of them had in the lives of the kids who played for them.
Not every kid from Elyria and Lorain realizes the opportunities out there for them. I feel like both Auvil and Hamilton did a great job of getting their players to go to college. That certainly counts for something, a lot actually.
Auvil said almost every player who graduated from Southview when he was there is in college now, and Hamilton has served as a great motivator, helping players cut weight and catch the eye of college recruiters. It's hard to believe Farris once was an out of shape kid who didn't want to play football and had paperwork in to transfer to Southview. Hamilton convinced him he was destined for big things and next year he'll be answering to Jim Tressel.
I'm not saying either guy should have kept his job because of these things, but both guys should be recognized for stressing the importance of furthering one's education. Our schools need people like that, not just in the guidance office.
From an on-the-field standpoint, I'm interested to see who takes over both these programs. As Division I schools in diverse cities, it seems like both should dominate the local football scene.
In Elyria's case, a brand new high school and a recent levy passage might intrigue candidates more.
Lorain just failed another levy and cuts in athletics are imminent. That could also mean pay-to-play is close to being instituted, which seems like a potentially devastating reality to a district like Lorain. Although, the school still has three strong middle school programs feeding into it and a large population like Lorain will always produce quality athletes.