Fairmont, Fairborn sack football coaches


NON-RENEWED

Fairborn: Roy Thobe, 14 seasons, 50-90 record, 2-8 this season.

Fairmont: Andy Aracri, 6 seasons, 16-44 record, 2-8 this season.

A couple of well-established area Division I high school football head coaches have been informed their supplemental coaching contracts won’t be renewed: Fairmont’s Andy Aracri and Roy Thobe of Fairborn.

Both programs have had minimal success during their tenures and both teams are Greater Western Ohio Conference members, Fairmont in the Central Division and Fairborn in the South.

Fairmont’s best and only winning season during Aracri’s six years as head coach was 6-4 in 2014 when the Firebirds rallied from an 0-2 start by winning six of their last eight games. That was Fairmont’s fourth winning season in 17 years. But Fairmont was 2-8 in all five other seasons.

This year Fairmont went 0-5 in the GWOC Central and finished with a 62-15 bashing from Beavercreek. Aracri is a celebrated Fairmont alum who also starred in football at Miami University. He began his Fairmont coaching career in 2001 after being cut from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His career coaching record is 16-44.

Fairborn (2-8) was 1-4 in the South Division and was beaten 52-7 by Xenia in the season finale. Thobe spent 14 seasons as Fairborn’s head coach, compiling an overall record of 50-90. He also is Fairborn’s head track and field coach.

Thobe and Shawn Lamb of Lebanon were the GWOC South co-coaches of the year in 2011, when Fairborn had its last winning season (6-4) and was 3-1 in the division.

“The Kettering City School District prides itself on its reputation of excellence in the classroom, and our expectation of excellence is no different for our athletic programs,” said Fairmont athletic director Chris Weaver in a release. “These high expectations as they relate to our football program … has led us to this decision to begin the process of hiring a new football coach.”

Aracri indicated he hopes to land another coaching position by next season.

“The conversations were very positive of what was going on in the program, but in the end it was going to be a decision based on wins and losses,” he said. “In the end, you play the game for a reason. When one door closes I do believe another door opens. That in itself is always exciting.”

The decision not to renew Thobe’s football coaching contract led to a petition created on change.org entitled “Reinstate Roy Thobe as Fairborn Football Coach.” As of Monday there were 354 supporters.

Neither Thobe nor Fairborn AD Micah Harding responded to requests for comment.

“We appreciate the time and energy that Mr. Thobe gave to our program, but at this time we believe that a change will be positive and productive for the program and student-athletes,” Harding said in a statement.

Contact the AD’s for more information about applying for those coaching positions.

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