Newbury assistants honored by National Football Foundation

For a number of years, the Mike Cleary Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation has presented one deserving high school coach with its annual “Ron Stoops Assistant Coach of the Year” award at its annual banquet.

This year, the foundation did something different. It honored an entire staff.

The Newbury football team’s assistant coach staff of Brock Jones, Don Smith and George O’Hamill were all honored with the Ron Stoops Assistant Coach of the Year award at the foundation’s annual banquet on March 6 at LaCentre Banquet Facility in Westlake.

Head coach Ryan Williams, who nominated his staff, was on hand for the festivities as Smith accepted the award in front of a capacity crowd. Jones and O’Hamill weren’t able to attend because of prior commitments.

“It is an incredible honor to receive the Ron Stoops Jr. Assistant football Coach of the Year Award along with Coach Jones and Coach O’Hamill,” Smith said. “It is fitting that the three of us won the award, as the success we’ve had at Newbury has been a great team effort as a staff under Coach Williams’ guidance. An award like this is always an honor and considering the quality of assistant coaches here in Northeastern Ohio, this is truly a special moment.”

Smith is Newbury’s defensive coordinator. O’Hamill is the offensive coordinator. Jones coaches multiple positions, Williams said.

Williams said he nominated the group last year, but was informed that only one coach is honored each year. However, after nominating them again this year, he was told that his staff was the winner.

“I got the message a couple months ago that our guys got it — it was exciting,” Williams said. “Without them, we would not be able to do this.”

This — as Williams put it — is a 10-10 record over the past two years. That might not seem like much, Williams said in his nomination letter to the committee, until one looks at where the program had come from to get to 10-10.

“The team’s best record in the past 18 years prior to my arrive had been 4-6,” Williams wrote to the foundation. “That’s correct! The team hadn’t even reached .500 since the late 1990s. Two seasons ago (2015) the team finished with an 0-7 record, forfeiting the last three games due to lack of players.”

Williams chronicled his assistants’ dedication to early-morning workouts with the players, selling the program’s direction to prospective players and serving as role models.

Newbury narrowly missed qualifying for the Division VII playoffs in each of the past two years.

“I know it’s probably rare to have three coaches nominated from the same head coach,” Williams wrote in his nomination letter. “However, I truly believe these three guys helped do something at Newbury that no other three guys could have accomplished. Taking a team with no hopes and aspirations to a team with a chance every week, a team with no loyalty to coaches to a team with loyalty and respect among players and coaches — this was only accomplished through the work done by Brock Jones, Don Smith and George O’Hamill.”

Williams beamed with pride as Smith accepted the award on behalf of the Newbury assistant coaches.

Smith said special thanks go not only to Williams, but also to the wives of the coaches for their support.

“What truly makes the Newbury experience special has been watching our young men, and young women, grow as studentathletes and see their hard work and sacrifices rewarded with the best two-year stretch of Newbury football in two decades,” Smith said. “The way the Newbury community has turned out to support the program is truly amazing and exemplifies what small-town football in America is all about.”

The Newbury staff wasn’t the only local group recognized at the banquet on March 6.

Kenston’s Allison Kure was the recipient of the “I’m a Football Mom” Award, thanks in part to team-building activities she orchestrated, banquets and get-togethers through the Kenston football program.

Post-graduate (college) award winners included Dominic Guinta of Ashland University and South, as well as Todd Green of John Carroll University and Mentor.

Among the high school scholar-athlete winners honored were Tyler Leroux (Gilmour), Michael Cassesse (University) and Kenny Streb (North).