MVCA Annual Arvin Classic scheduled for tonight at Hubbard's stadium

Coach John Smith finally will get a chance to experience an all-star game.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HUBBARD -- Tonight's Jack Arvin All-Star Football Classic will be a milestone in the career for coach John Smith of Springfield High, who is directing the Mahoning-Columbiana white-jersey squad against the Trumbull County red-jersey team.
That's because the annual battle between the top graduating seniors in the area, that will start at 7 at Hubbard High Stadium, will be Smith's first all-star game after more than 15 years as a high school and college player and coach.
"This is my first all-star game [as a coach]. And I never played in one either," said Smith, a graduate of Logan High, southeast of Columbus, and Mount Union College where he played center for the Purple Raiders under coach Larry Kehres.
"We [Logan High] were the only school in the county and we didn't have all-star games. I never knew there were all-star games until I went to Mount, and everyone had played in one."
Sees advantage
But Smith, entering his third year as Springfield's coach, believes this type of all-star game, sponsored by the Mahoning Valley Coaches Association, has a lot of value.
"It's a great opportunity for the kids who love the game of football to get out and learn a little bit, and the kids that are going to college, this is the first time they get to play with guys they didn't grow up with. This gives them a chance to play with people they haven't met before," said Smith.
Regarding the type of offense he will use, Smith calls himself "about a 60-40 run-to-pass guy. We'll probably try to keep it even at 50-50 to keep everyone happy."
He said his 34-player squad has been reduced by three players.
"Colin Brubaker is questionable. He had some minor surgery done over the weekend," reported Smith. "Isaiah Poindexter never showed up, and J.D. Powers is unable to play because he has a fracture in his toe from football season."
Winning background
Smith played center on Mount Union's first national-championship team in 1993, snapping to quarterback Jim Ballard. He also was on three Ohio Athletic Conference championship teams.
Smith said he learned a lot about coaching at Mount Union (1994 and 1997) and Otterbein (1995-96) under coach Wally Hood.
"Both opportunities [were valuable]. At Mount Union, I saw what it took to develop a national-championship and winning program and keep it there," said Smith."
And, "At Otterbein, I learned how to build a program from scratch, take a team that had nothing and build it up."
He said Otterbein went from an 0-10 record to 7-3 in four seasons. He was there the middle two years.
"I saw first-hand how it developed. The guy that was there [Hood] was a program-builder. He did that at Ohio Northern, Otterbein and Fairmont State," added Smith.
Two tips from a pal
While at Streetsboro High (1998-2000), Smith heard about the Springfield job twice from a friend.
"A lot of my friends were from this area and knew about this job," said Smith. "One of my close friends [A.J. Calderone] is coach at Grand Valley [High]. [He] told me about the job both times it opened. I didn't apply the first time, then he called me and told me I should apply for it."
So far, Smith is 12-8 in two seasons at Springfield, including 11-3 in the Inter-County League with a pair of runner-up finishes.
kovach@vindy.com