Two of north central Ohio’s most successful and tradition-rich high school football programs are searching for head coaches.
Ashland announced recently it would not renew Sean Seder’s contract for the 2023 season, prompting Seder to tender his resignation Tuesday afternoon and ending a brief yet successful stint after four seasons. Seder was 21-20 with two playoff berths, including a regional semifinal appearance during the coronavirus-stricken 2020 season.
The news of Seder’s ouster came about two months after Clear Fork announced it would not renew Dave Carroll’s contract. Carroll was 90-61 in 14 seasons with seven playoff bids.
Coaches work on one-year supplemental deals and it’s up to the school board to renew or non-renew the contract for the following season based on the recommendation from building administrators. In both instances, school officials indicated they wanted to take their programs in a different direction.
I’m left to wonder what direction?
Seder had the unenviable task of following Ashland legend Scott Valentine — and did so admirably. The Arrows were 4-6 in 2019 but five of those six losses came to playoff-qualifying teams, including Division III state runner-up Mansfield Senior.
The coronavirus made a mess of the 2020 season, but Ashland won its first five games and earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the all-inclusive playoffs. The Arrows beat Senior High in their playoff opener and knocked off a talented Norwalk team in the regional quarterfinals before falling to Holy Name 17-14 in the regional semifinals.
Ashland was 3-7 in 2021, but all seven losses were to playoff-qualifiers. Four of those losses were by 10 points or less.
The Arrows bounced back in 2022, going 6-4 and earning a spot in the Division II, Region 6 postseason. Ashland fell to eventual state champ Toledo Central Catholic in the opening round.
I spoke to Seder during last week’s J.C. Gorman Invitational at Mansfield Senior (he remains as Ashland’s wresting coach). While blind-sided by the administration’s recommendation to non-renew, he harbored no ill will and noted he wants the best for the program.
I covered some of Seder’s toughest defeats, including the 2020 playoff loss to Holy Name when the Arrows were stopped on fourth-and-short in their own territory late in the fourth quarter. Holy Name parlayed the turnover on downs into a game-winning field goal with just seconds left on the clock.
I asked Seder a lot of tough questions that night about his decision.
Why not punt and play defense?
Would you do things differently given another chance?
Seder owned the decision, which taught me everything I needed to know about his character. I’ve covered plenty of coaches over the years who would rather pass the buck or blame referees. Seder was not among them, which should be commended.
Carroll was never one to pass the buck, either. The news of his non-renewal came as an even bigger surprise, if for no other reason than he piloted Clear Fork to an outright Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship and the second round of the Division IV, Region 14 playoffs this fall. For his efforts, he was selected the Northwest District Coach of the Year in Division IV.
Carroll took over for Rick Beans in 2009 and led the Colts to the playoffs in his first two seasons. Clear Fork won an Ohio Cardinal Conference championship and reached the second round of the Division IV, Region 14 playoffs in 2010.
Clear Fork moved to the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference in 2017 and posted undefeated regular seasons in 2017 and 2018. The Colts won another MOAC title and reached the second round of the playoffs last fall, finishing 10-2.
Clear Fork opened the playoffs with a 56-26 win over Upper Sandusky. By his own admission, Carroll wasn’t especially pleased with his team’s preparation or performance. He got into a shouting match with an assistant coach during the game and never addressed the team afterward.
Carroll said he wanted to talk to his team in the privacy of the locker room. That conversation never happened and Carroll was told he abandoned his players on the field.
While I wasn’t at the playoff game, I’ve covered more games at the Colt Corral than I care to remember and Carroll didn’t always address the team on the field. It wasn’t unusual for him to wait until he got back to the locker room to talk to his players.
Carroll wasn’t always easy to play for or serve under as an assistant coach. He admitted as much after the Colts clinched the MOAC championship with a dominant 42-7 win at Highland in the regular season finale.
He was also quick to heap praise on his players and coaches publicly.
“I’m just so proud of these kids,” Carroll said at the time, later adding, “I can’t thank (my assistants) enough.”
Carroll received mostly glowing marks in his most recent performance review, obtained by the Richland Source in a Freedom of Information Act request. He was rated as poor in some categories pertaining to his professional and personal relationships and coaching-related responsibilities.
As was the case with Seder in Ashland, the Clear Fork administration decided it was time for a new voice.
“Dave Carroll has been here 14 years. He’s done a good job in the Valley,” Clear Fork Valley Local Schools Superintendent Janice Wyckoff said during a November board of education meeting. “Moving in a different direction at this time is what we’re suggesting.”
While what course Ashland and Clear Fork will plot remains to be seen, one thing is certain. North central Ohio’s coaching fraternity lost a couple of good ones.
