Chris Weaver is on the clock.

The Kettering City School District this week named the Columbus native and Wright State University graduate its athletic director at Fairmont High School. He comes to the Greater Western Ohio Conference Central Division member from Oxford Talawanda.

That’s a good progression. At Talawanda, he dealt with a high school with fewer than than 900 students in grades 9-12. At Fairmont, there are more than 2,400. And more than that, greater expectations.

Under Tim Cogan, Fairmont has one of the state’s best girls Division I basketball programs. The Firebirds have been to the final four the last three seasons, placing runner-up the last two years.

They’re also just one of four Fairmont team sports to have posted a winning record this school year. Joining that select club are girls volleyball and the boys and girls bowling teams.

Pick your reasons for a lack of overall athletic success at any high school, let alone one of the state’s largest. That’s a sensitive subject that makes coaches cringe and residents and alumni wail.

Weaver hasn’t even landed in Kettering yet, but he didn’t dodge that bullet.

“All the pieces are there,” he said this week. “We just need to put everybody in the right positions to be successful and hopefully sit back and watch our student-athletes perform really well.”

It’s not as if AD’s can wave a magic success wand. However, like Weaver said, knowing your personnel and putting them in the best positions to succeed is the next best thing.

Contact this reporter at 225-2381 or mpendleton@DaytonDailyNews.com.