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Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Place on Helms: ‘Andy was in a tough spot’
The best thing Jim Place did for Chaminade Julienne’s football program was elevate it to state power status. Of course, that just made it much harder for the next coach.
That would be Andy Helms. It was announced on Wednesday, Feb. 9 by CJ that Helms was no longer the football coach after five seasons.
“Andy was in a tough spot,” said Place, who led the Eagles to the 2002 Division II state championship. “He’s a good guy; he was just dealt a tough hand.”
CJ was 29-22 under Helms, but was just 0-1 in the playoffs.
Place left CJ after the 2005 season and was Hamilton’s coach the next five years. He admitted at the time that it was purely for financial purposes: The pension for a retired Ohio teacher is based on three of their highest paid final five years. Place retired from teaching and coaching at Hamilton in 2010 and did not coach last season.
But don’t expect the former UD football captain to reapply at CJ. At least, not yet.
“This caught me off guard,” Place said. “It’s a little late and I was assuming that Andy would be back.
“As far as me, I’ve got some guys who are really qualified now. I’m going to call them and ask them to apply and if they are, I’m going to help them. All these guys were on our staff when we won state.”
They would include Frank Ambrose. He was 1-9 at Piedmont (S.C.) in his first season (2008), but rallied with an 11-2 this past year and was named the of the year. One of his assistant is Chris Mangus, a lineman who Ambrose coached on CJ’s title team.
Another former CJ assistant on the fast coaching track is Mark Raetz of Terre Haute South. One of his assistants is another former CJ player, John Szabo.
Helms came to CJ after several successful seasons at small-school East Clinton. CJ athletic director Jon Payne said he’ll take applications through Feb. 25 and hopes to have a new coach in place by the end of March.
“It’s a different situation than it was five years ago,” Place said. “These kids are all five years older now and they established themselves as head coaches.
“My initial reaction is I’m not going to reapply right now. I’m going to call my guys and see if I can help them. That’s my first plan. We’ve got some great young kids and they’ve paid their dues. If they want to come back, that’s my first priority.”
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TweetAndy Helms out as CJ football coach
DAYTON — Andy Helms is out as Chaminade Julienne High School’s football coach after five seasons.
The school announced on Wednesday that it was searching for a new head coach. Neither Helms nor athletic director Jon Payne addressed whether he was asked to resign or if it were a mutual decision.
Helms had the misfortune to follow Jim Place as the Eagles’ coach. Under Place, CJ football won the 2002 Division II state title and was a playoff regular.
Helms posted three winning seasons, including a best 8-3 in 2009. But his overall record was 29-22 and the Eagles were 0-1 in the playoffs. CJ was 4-6 last season and five of the losses were by seven points or less.
“We certainly do want to be more competitive in the (Greater Catholic League North Division) and make more regular appearances in the playoffs,” said Payne.
Helms is at least the third area football coach to resign. Longtime assistant Bob Levy was named to replace Steve Bartlett, who retired from coaching at Carroll after 16 seasons last fall. Also, Dan Cairns left Sidney after six seasons to become Parkway’s head coach last month. The Yellow Jackets position remains open.
CJ will take applications through Feb. 25 and hopes to name a head coach by the end of March.
Helms came to CJ after several successful seasons at East Clinton, where the Astros were playoff regulars. But that success never shifted to the Eagles.
Ironically, CJ’s greatest victory was Helms’ last game, a 13-6 upset of Alter that cost the Knights’ a top Division IV playoff seed. However, that was CJ’s only defeat of their GCL rival in Helms’ five games. The Knights outscored the Eagles a combined 158-63.
CJ was 2-3 vs. Carroll and 4-1 vs. Fenwick, its two other North Division foes.
“I’m sure that based on that rich tradition and expectations that we’ll get plenty of qualified candidates,” Payne said.
“I have a few names in mind and I’ve had a few names thrown at me.”
Helms was unavailable for comment. He is expected to remain at CJ as a full-time computer science teacher.
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