Joey Paridaen named new Tecumseh High School football coach

Posted by author February 11, 2025 Football

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The high school football coaching carousel took an interesting turn on Monday night.

Joey Paridaen, who had been coaching at Evansville’s North High School, was approved to be the next Tecumseh High School coach during the Warrick County School Corp. board meeting. He takes over a Class 1A program with just one victory over the past two seasons.

The move follows a seven-year run at North that concludes with 35 victories and a sectional championship.

“You have to make decisions as a coach and a teacher in this profession sometimes,” said Paridaen. “It’s not always an easy one. I feel like it’s just best for me and my family at this point in time. I’m really excited and grateful for this opportunity at Tecumseh.”

Paridaen said among the reasons was the time commitment required at a 5A program like North. A smaller school could allow more attention for his young family; Paridaen and his wife have three daughters.

His head coaching career began at smaller programs. The Gibson Southern High School graduate coached Eastern Greene to the Class 1A state championship game in 2017. He has a 71-72 record across 13 seasons that also included a stop at Wood Memorial.

“The one thing I missed being at a smaller school was building those relationships,” he said. “You get to see those kids on a more consistent basis. At North, there’s 1,500 students and only one of me.”

The idea of returning to the Pocket Athletic Conference was also enticing. Tecumseh rejoined the conference in football two years ago. The Braves went 0-9 last fall under Bret Szabo, who announced his retirement in November. The program last won a sectional in 2003 but did have an undefeated regular season in 2022.

“Every program goes through ups and downs,” said Paridaen. “Tecumseh in the late 90s and early 2000s had some really good teams. My hope is to build some consistency within that program and build some excitement by being competitive in that conference.”

North went 5-6 last year and lost to Castle in the Class 5A sectional championship. It was only the second losing season for Paridaen at North. His best year came in 2023 with eight wins, a second-place finish in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference and the program’s first postseason title in 23 years.

The Huskies will be looking to replace multiple starters on both sides of the ball next season. Among the key returners will be all-state linebacker Ricky White Jr. and all-SIAC defensive lineman Mike Epps.

“We would like to sincerely thank Coach Paridaen for his years of dedication and leadership as the head coach of North High School football,” North Athletics Director Tyler Choate said in a statement. “His commitment to our athletes, program and community has been truly appreciated, and we are grateful for the time and effort he has put into developing our players both on and off the field.

“As we begin the search for a new head coach, we are excited about the future of North football. With a strong foundation and a talented group of student-athletes, the program is in a great position to continue growing and achieving success. We appreciate the support of our North football family during this transition and look forward to the next chapter of Huskies football.”

Paridaen said his biggest lesson from coaching a larger school was thinking big picture. The Huskies had five straight losing seasons before he took over in 2018. He believes North still has “big things yet to come.” He specifically thanked the North administration for the opportunity, one which allowed a move back to Evansville.

But a smaller program such as Tecumseh was ultimately the right move for his family.

“No doubt they’ll get somebody to build off that momentum and hopefully take (North) to the next level,” said Paridaen. “An opportunity presented itself. It didn’t require a move for me in any way. Looking forward to being a part of that culture there at Tecumseh and Warrick County.”