Grove City Christian Football Q&A: New coach Ben Schall takes on task of rebuilding Eagles
In his first head-coaching role, Ben Schall has eagerly accepted the challenge of resurrecting the Grove City Christian football team.
With only two winning seasons since reaching a Division VI state semifinal and going 12-2 in 2009, Schall’s task is building the Eagles into a Division VII contender.
He replaced Hank Patterson, who went 15-30 in five seasons. Grove City Christian was 4-3 in 2020 and 6-4 in 2014.
Schall, who took over the program in January, has served as an assistant at Dublin Scioto, Grove City and Hamilton Township. A drawing, painting and AP art teacher at Scioto, he graduated from Logan Elm and Capital University and is a former coach in Grove City Christian’s youth program.
Schall recently sat down with ThisWeek to discuss his new position and his goals for the Eagles.
Question: Why was this the right time for you to take over a program for the first time?
Answer: When I finally put my application in, I knew I was going to get it. That sounds cocky, but it’s not. It’s one of those things where you just have this inkling that this is where you’re supposed to be and this is what you’re supposed to be doing. I don’t want to be a head coach anywhere else. This isn’t a stepping-stone for me.
Q: Why are you optimistic you can turn around the program?
A: I know they were 0-9 last year, but coach Patterson did a lot of really good things. I watched film and his offense moved the ball. They were able to score on a lot of people. We’re running a very similar offense to what he did. I’m sure our terminology will be different, but going into it the kids having a little familiarity with it will be very helpful. Hopefully we can keep moving forward and build some real excitement, enthusiasm, belief and confidence in themselves and have a really fun season.
Q: How has the transition been since you took over the program?
A: I’m really pleased. The kids have bought in and they’re really working hard. They’re intense and they’re excited. They’re coming in with enthusiasm every day. They just put me in the best mood. It’s a really cool thing. It’s definitely a blessing.
Q: What has your offseason looked like?
A: We have just been lifting weights and trying to get bigger, faster and stronger. We do a lot of speed training, drills and agility things before we lift. We try to hit our base lift. We do a lot of bench, squats and power cleans and work from there, trying to get the basics down. It’s cool because we have a really young team. We have so many kids that are eighth-graders and freshmen that are in there lifting and are working hard.
Q: Have you received a positive reception from parents and student-athletes?
A: Yes. I want to put together a parent committee and see what we can do about getting meals taken care of. I’m going to be counting on them big time when it comes to running the program and keeping things going smoothly. I’ve had parents come up to me and say, ‘We’re with you.’
Q: Are you looking forward to being a first-time head coach?
A: Yes, I am. It still makes me nervous. The saying is you didn’t know what you didn’t know until you got there. That’s how I am. There’s so much to being a head coach and there’s a lot of things that I didn’t even realize. I’ve had some really good mentors and some really good people around me that have made it smooth. I talk to K.J. (Scioto coach Karl Johnson) all the time. He just gives me all kinds of information and answers my questions. Our principal (Jim McMillan) and our athletics director (Brian Leland) have been just amazing. Having good people that you work with makes all the difference.
Q: How has your previous coaching experience as an assistant helped prepare you for your new role?
A: You take something from just about everybody that you’ve been around. Whether it’s Matt Shaul or Tennyson Varney or K.J. (Johnson). All the way back to Bruce Kotlinski, Mark Hundley and Mike Kauffeld when I was at Hamilton Township. I learned so much from all those guys. There are definitely things in the back of my mind that are reminders of how you should do things.
Q: What does your coaching staff look like?
A: (Former Dublin Jerome coach) Mark Hundley is going to be our defensive coordinator. Andrew McCampbell is with me and he’s my co-offensive coordinator. He and I have spent so much time together in the last month and a half putting together our playbook. He’s in the school and he’s helped me so much. John Hyder is our co-defensive coordinator. Tristan Taylor is coaching our defensive backs. He’s brought a great, youthful attitude to the weight room. It’s really cool when he walks in the room. Guy Cullison is coaching our defensive line. Ken Tucker has tons of experience. He’s going to be our special teams coordinator and receivers coach. Sean Butt is going to coach our running backs.
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Football: Schall takes on task of rebuilding Grove City Christian
