Ontario hires Stephen Armstrong as new boys soccer head coach
ONTARIO − Ontario High School has a new man taking over their boys soccer program.
Stephen Armstrong will be the new Ontario boys soccer head coach, pending board approval. Armstrong was formerly the head coach at his alma mater Mansfield Christian, where he had a successful tenure.
A 2007 Mansfield Christian graduate, Armstrong assembled a 75-44-11 record, won one state championship (2014), three district championships (including this past season), three conference championships and was voted Mid-Buckeye Conference Coach of the Year three times.
"The position here for boys soccer opened up shortly after the season ended," said Ontario Athletic Director Jeff Fisher. "Chris McClenathan had a very successful tenure during his span of nine seasons. We feel like we have a winning tradition here in soccer that might facilitate for anybody who cares about the game."
"I'm excited about the new opportunity, new challenge and change," Armstrong said. "It kind of fell in my lap here. I met the boys last week. Excited to get to know them. Hard to leave Mansfield Christian. Been there for 11 years and graduated there. I'll always love Mansfield Christian. It was a great place to be."
Fisher said that former coach Chris McClenathan resigned from the role.
"He's an Ontario grad and I'm sure he's ... proud about his tenure at Ontario," Fisher said.
In McClenathan's nine seasons, he won 103 matches and led the Warriors to eight league titles and a regional appearance in 2017.
Fisher noted that he landed on Armstrong as a potential candidate after speaking with knowledgeable soccer people in the area.
"When you talk with adults in the area who have a certain history and passion for soccer, they name-dropped Stephen Armstrong and I'd be remiss if I didn't evaluate his level of interest and get to know him on a personal level, so he can make an informed decision about the opportunity here at Ontario," Fisher said.
"I wasn't seeking a new role," Armstrong said. "I was approached and at first I said I'm not that interested. Then I was approached a couple more times. After taking a couple of weeks of thinking and praying about it, it kind of seemed like the next step the Lord wants me to take. I've been tasked with a new role."
Armstrong will become the sixth boys head coach in Ontario history.
"I know Stephen relishes the opportunity and challenge ahead of him," Fisher said. "I want to give him the stage to lead hopefully over the next decade like coach McClenathan did."
Twitter: @JamesSimpsonII
jsimpson@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ontario hires Stephen Armstrong as new boys soccer head coach
