The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Coach out to restore Midview pride
Armstrong takes over at alma mater; Middies were 2-8 in 2022
For many coaches, the though of being the head coach of their alma mater would be a dream job.
The dream was made a reality for Midview grad and former assistant Jack Armstrong.
He is ready to bring back the pride for his football program.
“Midview gave a lot to me, so I am ready to give back,” he said. “This is a very special place. Midview football is an amazing thing that brings the community together. I am ready to use Midview football to bring the community together even more and bring it back to what it was.”
Once he was brought onboard, Armstrong has put the pedal to the metal this offseason, with the goal of putting Midview back on the map.
“It’s about keeping the foot on the gas and getting better every single day,” he siad. “These kids with the mindset. We have to stay positive. We have to work through, always be positive and keep getting better.”
He coached both sides of the ball as a former assistant to former head coach Luke Beal for six of the previous seven years.
Armstrong enters the 2023 season leading the program and already noticed the responsibility differences from a assistant to a head coach.
“It’s more about the bigger picture (as a head coach),” he said. “You take care of talking to the parents and all that stuff. At the end of the day, it’s about setting the culture and the right direction for Midview. I have a great staff. I have a lot of alumni on the staff, so we know the standard at Midview and we are trying to put that standard back to what it was.”
The addition of Midview alumni on the coaching staff also brought an increased sense of pride in the locker room as the second smallest football school in Division II that competes in the
Southwestern Conference.
“Midview is a smaller school in our conference, and we take that as a challenge,”
Armstrong said. “We embrace that challenge. We have been successful in the past and we are ready to be successful again.”
A new system is in place for the Middies’ previous run-first approach. Armstrong has already seen
progress in assignment and alignment.
“The kids are starting to pick it up,” he said. “We are having way less mental mistakes. By the time our scrimmage comes against Buckeye, I think we will be ready to roll.”
The 2023 Midview team enters young, with a limited number of seniors who came off a 2-8 (1-6 in SWC) record in 2022. Armstrong expect his seniors, such as wide receiver Dane West, running back Hunter Anderson
and lineman Danny Dular, to set a foundation.
“I have high expectations for every single one of them,” Armstrong said. “I expect them to be leaders of this team, continue to set the standard, keep pushing everyone to be better every
single day and always do the right thing.”
Midview’s out-of-conference schedule will be against the Great Lakes Conference, as it will take on Westlake (Aug. 18), North Olmsted (Aug. 25) and Elyria Catholic (Oct. 1).