At T.L. Hanna High School, we have a 7,300 square foot weight room. We utilize Williams Strength equipment and have eight half racks and eight double racks. I train most of our high school athletes daily. I dedicate much of my time working closely with football players and staff, helping prepare the team for competition year-round.

I was blessed to be the first strength and conditioning coach at T.L. Hanna. My advice on starting a strength and conditioning program from the ground up is the same advice I would have given myself almost 10 years ago. The first thing I would do is meet with all the different sport coaches. Without the sport coaches’ buy-in, you have no athletes to train. You might have participation in the beginning, but if your vision and theirs do not line up, you will see a decline in their athletes’ participation. Get the coaches’ feedback on what they want to see in training. Listen to them, see their perspective, and if it does not align, let them know your concerns from a safety or philosophical standpoint. Let them pick one of their favorite exercises to include in the training program. Inclusion like this will go further than you think. This will create a feeling of ownership in the program.

Execute Your Plan

Come up with a plan that works for the coaches and the athletes. Once the relationship is developed with the coaches, reach out to them every week or so by providing updates on their athletes. The athlete wants to make their sport coach happy because the coach controls playing time. If the head coaches buy into your training program, this will keep the line of communication open between you, the coaches, and the athletes. The strength program is only as good as the commitment from the sport coaches. In my experience, you may not have 100% buy-in from all coaches, but never give up on them. Do your best to keep “striking the stone” with them and trying to develop a relationship. Remember, we are in the relationship-building business with both players and coaches!

When starting a new strength and conditioning program, you may not know the athletes or coaches. I would start with the K.I.S.S method (Keep it Simple Silly). I would do my best to evaluate the athletes in the beginning with basic exercises. How well can they squat body weight? How well can they do push-ups and pull-ups? You can build your program off how well they can perform these, and this will give you a good rule of thumb of who is ready to progress to the barbell. In the beginning, the exercises might not look as crisp as they should. There is a bell curve in all things, especially the weight room. I used to think I could fix all things in one training session. When it comes to exercise technique, that is not the case. It takes time to develop some of the movement patterns in the weight room. Be consistent in how you teach it, give direction, and stick to it. Do not use different coaching techniques in each training session. One of the most important things we can do as coaches for our athletes is to be consistent. This will benefit you greatly down the road!

The Hanna Way

One thing we do at Hanna is keep all of our athletes in one area of training during the session. Example: We keep our athletes at a fixed location with the equipment they will use for that training session. This reduces the amount of time an athlete has to be distracted and drift off task in our weight room. This has helped us tremendously. Another thing I would recommend is keeping your weight room clean and organized. When I first got to Hanna, I implemented a “Jacket Order” standard, closely linked to the T.L. Hanna Yellow Jackets mascot. “Jacket Order” is all weights are returned to the original location, organized, and wiped clean after each session. Leave it better than you found it! There is an old saying, “many hands make light work,” however, it teaches the athletes to clean up after themselves and to take pride in our weight room. In closing, find out what works best for you.

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No training tool, book, or advice beats having experience. Everyone’s situation is different. You have to figure out the space you have to work in, the equipment you have, and how long you will have your athletes for a training session to solidify a training plan. Set the plan and work the plan!

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In addition, the first three rounds of the postseason will be hosted by the higher-seeded team instead of the first two rounds.

From 1999 through 2019, eight schools per region qualified for the playoffs, which was a five-week tournament. In early 2020, the OHSAA approved a proposal from the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association to expand to 12 qualifiers per region, which added a week to the postseason. Shortly after that, the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected high school sports, and the OHSAA allowed every school to participate in the 2020 playoffs since schools played a varying number of games. The positive feedback from schools that season prompted the OHSAA to expand from 12 to 16 qualifiers per region from 2021-24.

“For the last few years, we have been pleased that more schools experienced the football playoffs, and there were some lower seeds that won playoff games,” said Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. “But over the last year, we have received feedback from our schools, with a slight majority favoring 12 qualifiers per region, and we had many conversations with stakeholders around the state that led us to make this proposal to our board. We appreciate the feedback we received and will continue to gather comments moving forward. Like we do with all of our sports, we want to make sure the student-athletes are our No. 1 priority.”

With the top four seeds in each region receiving a first-round bye, the first-round parings include the No. 12 seed playing at the No. 5 seed, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 and No. 8. In the second round, the No. 1 seed will host the winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9, the No. 2 seed will host the winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10, the No. 3 seed will host the winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11, and the No. 4 seed will host the winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12.

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There are no changes to the 2025 divisional breakdowns and regional assignments announced by the OHSAA on May 1. The 2025 divisions and regions are posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports-Tournaments/Football/Football-2025

2025 OHSAA Football Divisional Breakdowns

• I 592 and more students — 72 teams
• II 378 to 591 — 104
• III 268 to 377 — 107
• IV 202 to 267 — 105
• V 157 to 201 — 106
• VI 112 to 156 — 106
• VII 111 and less — 106
  • Total Teams — 706

*This is an issued press release from the Ohio High School Athletic Association. 

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Kevin Murphy’s reinstatement comes nearly a month after the school reassigned him from the position he held for the previous 20 years.

A recent story from SwimSwam.com detailed the decision by Southlake Carroll and the school’s press release. Below is an excerpt from the SwimSwam.com article.

Justin Pudwill, the district’s aquatics supervisor and head water polo coach, will assume the role of the head coach of the girls’ team.

While in some states, especially midwestern states that have different boys’ and girls’ high school swim seasons, it’s not uncommon for the teams to have different head coaches. In Texas, where the teams have identical seasons, it is almost unheard of.

From the Press Release:

“We’re excited about the future of our swim program,” said Athletic Director Riley Dodge. “Having both Coach Murphy and Coach Pudwill in leadership positions allows us to provide the best possible support for our student-athletes. Their combined expertise and passion for the sport will elevate our program even further.”

Carroll ISD looks forward to continued success in the pool with both coaches working collaboratively to guide our student-athletes to new heights.

No explanation for Murphy’s reassignment, or the decision to bring him back as only the boys’ coach, has been given by the district, though local observers say that the complaints that prompted the move were brought forward by members of the girls’ team whose parents are influential boosters for Southlake Carroll’s football team.

The school’s athletics director is Riley Dodge, who is also a former star quarterback for the school and head football coach.

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One local parent says that they were told by the AD that there were no applicants for the position.

Murphy took over the programs in 2005 and was named to the Carroll ISD Athletic Hall of Honor in 2017. The Carroll boys have won 10 state titles in that era, including nine straight from 2011 to 2019, and the Carroll girls won five state titles from 2012 through 2022.

To read the full story from SwimSwam.com, click here. 

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Surely, there are several reasons for this terrible situation, when all young athletes want to do is play and have fun. Among these are specialization, resulting in injuries, pressures from parents, and playing for what I think are the transactional (command style) bully, narcissistic coaches who coach with fear, insults, embarrassment, and sometimes even physical force or punishment. Many of these coaches had similar role models who prioritized winning over the physical, mental, and social development of their athletes.

I know this type of coach because I played for one on an elite high school lacrosse team that won 91 straight games, numerous championships, and college All-Americans, proudly myself included. We played our best to prevent the harsh treatment of this transactional coach.

Having graduated from Penn State as a physical education teacher, I knew I wanted to coach. Here was this young hotshot who figured if he coached like his high school coach, he too would win games and get the glory. Maybe he would move up to the college ranks. It was all about me, and I was using my athletes for personal gain. Over the years, I gradually changed to a more cooperative coach.

Then, I read the book “InSideOut Coaching” by Joe Ehramm, and it really inspired me. All new coaches should be required to read the book before starting their coaching career. It was hard work because there was a lot of soul searching involved. As Ehramm would say, “You cannot do anything on the outside unless you know what’s going on inside.”

Ehramm was a successful football player at Syracuse University, coached by the legendary Beb Schwartzwalder — a transactional coach — before moving on to the Baltimore Colts and Detroit Lions, where he worked with more transactional coaches. After his playing days, he became a minister, and during his ministry, he discovered that many of the youth boys had no positive male role models. Either there was no father, a distant father, or an emotionally and physically abusive father. There was no one to teach them how to grow up like a man who displays empathy, integrity, grace, respect for himself or others, and who could communicate correctly and develop meaningful relationships, and express their feelings.

Ehramm and a few others set out on a task to try to help boys become good men. They developed the InsideOut — Transformational Coaching Style. It is defined as a transformational coach who is dedicated to self-understanding and empathy, viewing sports as a virtuous and virtue-giving discipline. Transformational coaches believe young people can grow and flourish in sports in a way that is more liberating and instructive than what can be achieved through other activities.

Here are some small things that can add up to helping young athletes grow with communication and relationships.

1. Meet with players and parents before the season to explain this transformational style. Many parents and their kids have not experienced this style of coaching.
2. When players enter the field or court, encourage high-fives, fist bumps, and elbow taps. Ask them about their day. I ask parents to provide us with a few things their kids excel at or like, so I can use this information to connect with all athletes.
3. Use skill games under pressure to simulate game-like situations instead of boring drills. Games under high intensity develop game-like conditioning and game sense.
4. Take five or 10 minutes at the end of practice to discuss communication, respect, integrity, sportsmanship, and more.

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I am sure there are many other ways to develop the culture of communication, relationships, respect, and caring, but these are a few ways to get started. Remember, sports are all about the athletes and not the coaches.

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Rule 2-7-3 was approved by the NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules Committee during its annual meeting March 23-25 at The Alexander in downtown Indianapolis. All recommended changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

The new, permissive rule allows backstroke ledges in pools that maintain a 6-foot water depth, measured from the starting end wall to at least 16 feet, 5 inches (5 meters) from the end wall. It also specifies the acceptable dimensions for the ledges.

Under Rule 2-7-3, if backstroke ledges are used in a competition, identical ledges must be provided by the host team for all lanes. Even if the ledges are available, individual swimmers are not required to use them.

The change follows years of discussions regarding backstroke ledges in high school competition, with the committee making its final decision based on research focused on risk minimization and alignment with national and international swimming standards.

“I think the most important thing to consider about this rule passing is that it is a permissive rule,” said Rod Garman, chair of the Swimming and Diving Rules Committee and assistant executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association. “State associations will have the choice of whether to allow backstroke starting ledges in their state. We recognize this is a major change in high school swimming, so it may take time for some states to adopt it.”

A strongly recommended teaching protocol for backstroke ledges will be available through the NFHS in the future.

“I think it’s going to create an opportunity for swimmers to improve in backstroke events,” Garman said. “Swimmers sometimes slip when placing their feet along the wall or touchpad at the start of a backstroke race. These ledges will help prevent that, allowing for stronger and more consistent starts. I’m excited to see the positive impact this will have on our sport.”

The rules committee also approved clarifying language in Rule 8-3-4a regarding relay exchanges, addressing the concern that swimmers using deck starts could run to the pool edge and launch into the water, creating both significant momentum and serious safety risks.

The amended language states: “On starts from the deck, the second, third, and fourth swimmers must assume a position with at least one foot stationary at the front edge of the deck. The remainder of their body may be in motion prior to the finish of the incoming swimmer.”

The original rule was not intended to penalize swimmers whose initially stationary foot engaged in slight movement for better balance or comfort.

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A complete list of swimming and diving rule changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. To access it, click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the homepage and select “Swimming and Diving.”

According to the 2023-24 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, swimming and diving is the 10th-most popular sport for boys, with 116,799 participants across 7,855 schools, and the ninth-most popular sport for girls, with 138,174 participants in 8,133 schools.

This is an issued press release from the NFHS. For more information, click here. 

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