(2-23-25) Greenville football is facing many questions for the upcoming season…but to this point no answers seem to be forthcoming.

Last season the Green Wave went 0-10, including a 72-7 loss to Tippecanoe.

Sean Ford was named the Greenville Head Coach in January of 2024…his term lasted just one season as he resigned shortly after the conclusion of season.

While many in the Greenville community thought they would find some answers at the February Board of Education meeting…all they found was more concerns and unanswered questions.

Daily Advocate/Early Bird – Greenville needs coach, superintendent resigning

With a little less than five months until practices begin for the 2025 football season, Greenville’s football team has had no off-season direction. There have been a couple of attempts to hire a coach, but neither have been successful. In December it was announced that TJ Powers was tapped to lead Green Wave football, but because the school district could not find a position in the district, he declined the offer.

Leading up to the school board meeting on Thursday, current athletic director and former coach, Aaron Shaffer, appeared on the agenda to be confirmed as the coach for the coming season. However, by the time the meeting began the entry had been removed from the agenda and no explanation was given during the meeting. No name on the agenda means no coach.

Daily Advocate/Early Bird –Supporting Powers to lead football program

At the January Greenville Board of Education meeting Ron Kerg, who has recently coached the 7th grade team with Powers, read a letter from concerned residents on the hiring practices for the football coaching opening –

“We are writing as concerned parents and compassionate advocates for our students and athletes. We are deeply disappointed with the way the school administration is handling the hiring process of our football coach.

It is disheartening to learn that an incredibly qualified and well-respected applicant, an alumni of GHS who has coached in our school district and served as our athletic director at one time was unable to accept the position due to lack of support for his vision.

This individual has not only invested in the success of our football program but also in building a stronger foundation for our athletic programs at the school and bringing back school spirit and pride. His request to be hired as a teacher to assure he could work closely with students in the buildings to help and recruit talent was denied.

Why are we not investing in our students and athletes in a meaningful way? This was a missed opportunity to bring someone on board with a proven track record, deep ties to our community and a genuine passion for making a difference. Instead of focusing solely on football, he aimed to improve the experience of all student athletes, creating a culture of excellence and pride across all programs.

This decision not to accommodate this request sends a troubling message to students, families and the community at-large. It appears the administration is more focused on bureaucratic restraints rather than on fostering spirit, growth and opportunity for our youth.

The ripple effects of this decision are already being felt with athletes and their families considering transferring out of the school system.

This situation highlights a broader concern. Why are we not prioritizing our kids, their development and potential?

A thriving athletic program benefits not just the athletes, but the entire school community by instilling discipline, teamwork and pride. It’s not about money or power. It’s about ensuring our students have the best resources, role model and opportunities to succeed.

We urge you, as our administration, to advocate for a renewed focus on building stronger programs for our students. Decisions like these have lasting consequences on our community. We cannot afford to allow opportunities to slip away due to shortsightedness.

Powers is a 1998 Greenville graduate, in 2010 he was hired as the Green Waves football coach and AD. Powers would leave in 2012 to become the head football coach and social studies teacher at Arcanum, his last season as head coach was in 2016.

In a myCounty posting Mike Stegall said….

To me, this looks bad for them (BOE). What was the reason? Would it have killed them to at least say something other than it was off the agenda? What in the hell is going on with the school board? This board has fumbled around ever since Coach Ford’s resignation. What is taking so long? My God, this group has now put the student-athletes who are going to play football in a terrible position.

As the school year winds down…the future of Greenville football will be a tough one to change the current path…they are members of the tough Miami Valley League (MVL). They play 9 MVL games out of the ten games on the schedule.