Conaway leaves Shiloh Christian
Jeff Conaway said that he didn’t know The First Academy even existed until about two weeks ago.
Now he’s about to become the new head football coach at the Orlando, Fla.-based school after he announced his resignation Monday at Shiloh Christian High School in Springdale, where he has spent for the past nine seasons as football coach and athletic director. The First Academy will hold a news conference today in Orlando to announce Conaway’s hiring.
“They called me,” Conaway said. “But the school reaches out, and we start having conversations. With more and more information about the school that they were giving me, I felt like this is a door that opened at the right place at the right time. And after a lot of prayer and seeking God about it, I felt like He was opening this door for us.”
Conaway spent a total of 13 years at Shiloh Christian — first as an assistant, then he returned in 2014 to be the Saints’ head coach after a stint at Greene County Tech. Shiloh compiled a 99-27 record under Conaway’s direction, including a 12-2 mark and its fourth straight state championship game appearance last fall after a move up to Class 5A.
He led the Saints to their eighth state championship when they claimed the Class 4A title in 2020, and the Saints have at least reached the semifinal game in each of the past five seasons. He told Shiloh’s players of his decision Monday morning.
“This has been the most difficult decision I’ve made in my 20 years of coaching,” Conaway said. “But I’ve been faithful and obedient to God in this. I believe this is His plan, and I am at peace with that.
“I’m sure our players were in shock. There were a lot of tears and a lot of hugs, and players were whispering they were proud of me.”
The First Academy — a school Conaway said is very similar with Shiloh in enrollment terms — finished with an 8-3 record overall and a 3-1 mark in Florida’s Class 1A Metro District 2 last season. The Royals finished as the district runner-up and lost their first-round playoff game to Jacksonville University Christian.
Conaway said he realizes there won’t be a lot of time to prepare his new team for some things, but he is confident the Royals can have things in place before their season starts.
“Orlando presents an open door where we can create some excitement,” Conaway said. “I think we can put a product on the field that can attract people. It has the capability to create and grow, just like Shiloh did.
“We just have to be efficient and patient. We’re going to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Football can be a simple game. We have to be able to run, tackle, block and catch better than the other team does, and we’ve got plenty of time to do that.”
Attempts to contact Will Cohen, the director of athletics at The First Academy, and Shiloh superintendent Keith McDaniel about a timetable to find Conaway’s replacement were unsuccessful as of press time.