Ottawa-Kent Coaching Update

Every year we have coaches coming and going from programs all across the state. This year, the Ottawa-Kent conference has seven teams bringing in new Head Coaches, with three having already been filled. In this newsletter, I'll be going over each new hire, as well as breaking down the four programs still searching for their coach. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>New Coaches</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>OK-Blue</strong></span> <strong>Darren Gerathgy - Allendale </strong> Geraghty told Fox 17 news that acquiring the Allendale job is a "Dream come true." Gerathgy replaces Ben Burk, the longest-tenured head coach in the OK-Conference at a whopping 22 years. Prior to Allendale, Gerathgy served as the Head Coach of Grant High School, earning many playoff appearances. Last season, Grant went 4-6, losing to Tri-County during the 1st round of the postseason. Upon glance, it seems that Grant ran a blitz-heavy defensive system, stopping the run at all costs and getting after the QB. It's going to be interesting to see if Gerathgy brings the same approach to Allendale, whose opponents will pass a bit more. Offensively, Grant mostly ran the ball (like most teams in the Central-State conference), but I was pretty impressed by the deception and creativity established in the run game. In 2021, the Allendale offense looked predictable, so this could be a substantial upgrade. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>OK-Green</strong></span> <strong>Cody Kater - Reeths-Puffer</strong> Kater is an exciting hire for Reeths-Puffer, though I'm impressed by some of the work he's done thus far. Kater is a young, offensive-minded coach who previously served as the QB Coach and Director of Offensive Implementation at Tifton (Georgia). During Kater's time as a Quarterback, he led Montague to two-straight State Championship titles in 2008 and 2009, then had a great season at GRCC before heading to Central Michigan. At Central Michigan, Kater earned the starting job in 2013 then tragically broke his collarbone against Michigan, leaving him out for the season. Kater knows the game better than many other coaches as a young ex-player. There seems to be little doubt that he's prepared for the job, and I'm very excited to see what he's able to accomplish. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ok-Silver</strong></span> <strong>Bob Nichols - Calvin Christian </strong> Coming from Lowell, Bob Nichols has a bit of work to do. Nichols takes over a struggling Calvin Christian program. The Squires finished with just 17 Varsity Football players at the end of last season, so Nichols has been prioritizing recruiting in the hallways. This seems to be working, as the program now has about 31 students interested in the Winter Lifting program (Fox 17, Jason Hutton). Quite honestly, just about any change would have been great for Calvin Christian. This program hasn't seen much winning at all, and a significant turnaround could be in play, but we likely won't see much improvement for a season or two. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Teams Searching for Coaches </strong></span> <strong>West Catholic - OK-Blue</strong> I understand I likely don't have the whole story, but the news still comes as a surprise. Shockingly, West Catholic has fired Head Coach Justin Michalowski after a 9-2 season. This sends an unequivocal message: The standard at West Catholic is State Championship. There once was a time when the Falcons were a goliath in the High School Football scene. Under now De La Salle Head Coach Dan Rohn, West Catholic contented for a State Championship nearly every season. Now, West Catholic is searching for another head coach in a very high-risk-high-reward job, though a very prestigious one at that. This is a job everyone should have their eye on. Of course, West Catholic is expecting to compete against Unity Chrisitan, a program that has in a way taken West Catholic's place in the High School Football hierarchy. <strong>Spring Lake - OK-Blue</strong> Dan Start has stepped down as the Head Coach for Spring Lake in another shocker. Just as this program was becoming outstanding, Start steps down to spend more time with his family, an honorable move. Now for Spring Lake, this hire is going to be especially important. This team has shown steady improvement, going 6-4 in 2021 with a heartbreaking playoff loss against Grand Rapids Christian. I have no inkling of where their new head coach may come from, but I genuinely hope it's someone that can propel this program to great heights. <strong>East Grand Rapids - OK-White</strong> Long-time head coach Casey Longo has stepped down. Longo has been with the program since 1999 as a high school freshman, coached at EGR through college, and worked his way up to head coach. He has stated that the door is open for future coaching opportunities despite the departure. The East Grand Rapids job is a very prestigious one, and I'm very interested to see who gets the opportunity to coach the program. All around, EGR is a historic school with some very historic sports programs. <strong>Holland - OK-Green</strong> <p class="headline-basic headline-basic__article"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Shawn McManus has stepped down as Holland's head coach. It was an up-and-down road for McManus, as he has been on-and-off as head coach of the Dutch since 1999. In 2011, McManus led Holland to a program-defining season, advancing to the state quarterfinal, but in these last two seasons, Holland has gone 2-16. </span></p> This program seems to need a coach who can ignite a new life into the program. This looks like a rebuild, so I'm excited to see who steps up to the task.