“This last year was my 19th year in coaching, the 12th in terms of being a head football coach,” said Dan Cairns. “And I was really thrilled to get the news about this because in all of my years of coaching this is the first year one of my teams has ever won one of these.
“So, all of this has been a huge accomplishment from the kids and our program as a whole. Statewide recognition even makes it more fun.”
Few teams become Academic All-Ohio squads because the criteria just to be considered for it is outrageously high.
Even the seemingly simple act of filling out the application is difficult.
“Ideally, what you would do is send in your top 22 lettermen, but the first task is to figure out who they are,” said Cairns with a laugh. “So you have to go down to the guidance office and pull the files of all of your lettermen, calculate their GPAs, and then you pick your best 22.
“Actually it’s a lot like how we do it when we are deciding who plays on game day. The best players play. That’s how good teams win.”
Quick studies
That hasn’t always been an easy task for the head coach as Sidney has struggled in recent years playing in the abnormally tough Greater Western Ohio North Division.
“Overall, we were 5-5 this year,” Cairns said. “But we were 4-1 in the GWOC-North (good enough for second place behind Trotwood-Madison) so I feel better because I think that we were competitive.”
The Yellow Jacket’s Zach Johnson — a two-year starter as well as the team captain — was recognized by the OHSFCA as an Academic All-Ohio designee.
“(Johnson) actually has way over a 4.0 GPA,” Cairns noted with pride. “He takes a lot of our weighted advanced placement classes—we have several players who fit that description, by the way—and he has been just a wonderful student as well as a leader for our football team.
“We will really miss him around here.”
The individual award salutes both academic achievement and athletic excellence, and only 111 of more than 35,000 Ohio high school football players were chosen.
“Zach was a senior this year and he did the things that coaches expect their seniors to do,” said Cairns. “He played both offensive and defensive line for us and he was our leader. He was also an All-GWOC selection (OL) in each of the last two years.
“He’s an outstanding individual, a great player, and an even better person.”
Worth the work
The OHSFCA doesn’t accept GPAs greater than 4.0 when considering candidates for the award. Sidney’s team GPA was actually far better than the 3.72 they ended up turning in.
“Those kids put in an incredible amount of work and time in those classes. They deserve to get more weight for them but I understand where the OHSFCA is coming from.”
As for Johnson’s immediate future, he is undecided. He is considering college and getting into an ROTC program, but he could also see himself in joining the military right away and trying to get into an officers’ training program.
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