PREP FOOTBALL Fitch coach Kopp is suspended

The one-game suspension involved wearing pads in the opening practice.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Neal Kopp will have to wait another week to coach his first game.
The first-year Austintown Fitch High football coach was suspended for Friday's game against Chaney by the Ohio High School Athletic Association after the Falcons wore shoulder pads during the first day of the August acclimation period.
"Obviously, it's disappointing," Kopp said. "I accept full blame."
Teams are not allowed to wear shoulder pads or football pants during the first three days of two-a-day practices.
Anonymous writer
The investigation was prompted by a photo of a player wearing shoulder pads that appeared in The Vindicator on Aug. 5. An anonymous reader mailed the photo and a letter to the OHSAA asking them to investigate.
Kopp talked to commissioner Clair Muscaro, admitted the mistake and was notified last week of the punishment.
Kopp notified his players on Thursday.
"Coach Kopp was very up front about it," Fitch athletic director Dick Kenney said. "We're not going to whine about it, we're going to own up to it and deal with it. We made a bad decision."
The OHSAA also fined Kopp $250 and required Fitch to issue a public statement acknowledging it had broken the rule.
Kopp said he will not appeal the punishment.
"It's just one night and it will probably garner a lot of attention, but come Saturday everything will be back to normal and we'll be better off having accepted responsibility," he said.
Father to coach team
John Kopp -- Neal's father -- will serve as interim head coach. John was a longtime head coach at Wilson.
"Our week of preparation has been good and I'm confident in our coaches and our staff that we've assembled a good game plan," Neal Kopp said. "We'll just see this as a lesson learned."
Kopp said the reason he waited to announce the suspension was to help the team focus on Chaney and not the punishment.
"We weren't trying to keep it secret; we just didn't want to disrupt the kids' preparation," Kenney said. "We wanted the focus to be on Chaney."
No forfeit
Kopp, who served as defensive coordinator under Carl Pelini the past four years at Fitch, will resume his coaching duties following Friday's game. The Falcons, however, will not have to forfeit the game.
"That's always a concern," Kenney said of the possibility of a harsher penalty. "When I told my wife what happened, she said, 'Geez, I thought it would be way worse.' I told her this is pretty doggone bad.
"But we'll live with it. We've learned our lesson and hopefully the other coaches will step up."
scalzo@vindy.com