Who says you can’t go home?

Who says you can’t go home?

Certainly not Dan Yeagley, who for more than a decade has enjoyed phenomenal success as a coach at his alma mater.

After graduating from South Range High in 1980, Yeagley attended Muskingum College, then began his teaching and coaching career at Watkins Memorial High School.

In 1992 Yeagley returned home to teach at South Range while being a part of the Raiders’ coaching staff. Three years later, he took the reins of the football program, and has since emerged as one of the most successful coaches in Ohio.

Now in his 14th season with the Raiders, Yeagley owns a career record of 123-29. His teams have won seven league titles and have made 10 playoff appearances.

Following a season-opening one-point loss to Massillon Tuslaw which snapped a 32-game regular season winning streak, South Range rebounded last Friday with a 28-7 win over Independence. The Raiders have now won 54 of their last 56 regular season games.

Dan and his wife Kelli have been married 23 years. They have two sons, Scott, 19 who is a sophomore at Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Luke, 17 who is a senior goalie for the South Range soccer team.

Q. Until two weeks ago, your entire roster had never experienced a regular-season loss. How did the players react to the setback against Tuslaw?

A. “These young men realize you learn from both wins and losses. Our team began moving forward the following day when we studied film and pointed out our weaknesses. Anytime you can learn from a loss, it’s not a total setback. Our job as coaches was to get this team back on track mentally. This is a great group of kids and they bounced back like we expected.”

Q. At what point did you begin to appreciate the winning streak as something special?

A. “Fans talked about the streak quite a bit, but as players and coaches it was never a point of emphasis. As a coach you are always looking ahead to Friday night. You don’t have time to concentrate on the past. That being said, it was special for every player and coach who was part of it.”

Q. Can you pinpoint a main reason for the continued success of the South Range program?

A. “The work ethic of the kids at South Range is unbelievable. They continuously strive to be the best. That, and I am blessed with an unbelievable coaching staff.”

“We constantly emphasize to our players that they are not only playing for themselves, but for the players of yesterday and tomorrow. It’s about commitment to the program. Winning does breed success. Today’s players grew up studying the young men who graduated before them, and they learned a great deal from the success of past players.”

Q. Has the creation of the Tri-Inter County League helped the majority of the schools involved?

A. “I definitely think so. It has created a more level playing field in terms of competition. It has also helped spur on some new rivalries while maintaining old ones. The merger has done pretty much everything it was supposed to do.”

Q. If you were put in charge of creating a new playoff system, what changes would be made?

A. “I never thought about it, but I guess I don’t mind things the way they are. Sometimes I think that four teams per region is more realistic, then an eighth-seed ends up in the title game and proves me wrong. The downside is that with five weeks of playoffs, sometimes its a case of survival rather than having the best team win.”

Q. Do you believe that it is important for a varsity coach to have interaction with his junior high program?

A. “Absolutely! Our seventh and eighth grade coaches run things exactly as we do. They run the same drills, the same formations, and they use the same terminology. When our lower level kids become freshmen, we can call out a play and they know exactly what to do.”

Q. At the end of the football season, which is a more likely scenario – The Browns in the playoffs or the Buckeyes in the national title game?

A. “I’ll go with the Buckeyes playing for a title. I’m a huge Tressel fan in every way. He’s a great man and a great leader. He also helped me in a huge way when I first began coaching here. I could never repay him for all that he has done.”

XInterview by Vindicator correspondent Steve Ruman.