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DAYTON, Ohio — It’s not everyday that you find a head high school football coach devoted equally to growth of the entire student body both on and off the field.
What’s even more rare is to be in that role for two decades.
From practice on the field to hours spent in the weight room, the Springboro High School football team has their eye on the prize as they prepare to take on Elder.
“There’s probably a lot of people here at Springboro that are surprised we even play that game, to play a school as big as Elder down in Cincinnati. We’ve played them three times and came really close one of them, so this is the fourth meeting and our guys are hungry. They’d like to get one of those for sure,” said head coach Ryan Wilhite.
Wilhite is also a school counselor.
“I think the people here really really care about each other,” he said. “The schools are a point of pride for our community.”
For Wilhite, the days are long, but the years fly by.
He’s been in his role since 2006, and a lot has changed.
“We went from a small school that was just becoming Division I to the big school you’re at today and I’ve kind of grown with it. That’s been kind of neat to see how our program has evolved how the community has evolved. A lot of our coaches on staff are former players, guys that I’ve coached,” he said.
And a lot of the players have grown up together.
“It’s a great community. My dad was my peewee coach until first grade to sixth grade. So that was really nice and same seniors this year, the guys I’ve been playing with since first grade. So it’s going to be really sad to see them go after this year, but I’m ready to put that work in,” said senior Jack Harper.
In the beginning, Wilhite didn’t think he’d stay at Springboro so long, but he said it’s been a great place to raise a family and have an influence on the program, including the creation of the nearly 7,000 seat stadium.
“I was on the planning committee for the building and the stadium we built. So you get to be on the ground floor of those kinds of things and help with the planning and see it evolve,” he said.
As a counselor, he’s also seen students and their needs change.
“There’s something about being in a role of helping, not just your football players but all students here. I think that helps you and that gives you a good in when it comes time to meet with your players, meet with their parents. They see you as someone who helps others in the school, I’ve always kind of embraced that,” Wilhite said.
“He’s a really great guy, knows how to get a program going. One thing I like about him is he likes to keep the seniors in charge. So yes he’s the head coach, but he gives the seniors a lot of opportunities to be the leaders on the team as well,” said senior Mattias Brunicardi.
For 20 years Wilhite has helped students and athletes reach the next level and it’s something he takes pride in.
“If you ask me do I feel like Springboro is me, 100%. I would say it defines me as much as anything,” he said.
Springboro takes on Elder at home at 7 p.m. on Friday Sept. 5.
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Alese Underwood
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