Coach Q&A: East High's Brian Shaner

When the doors at Wilson and Rayen high schools closed, football coach Brian Shaner saw a new, exciting opportunity to begin a new era of football at the new East High School.

“For us, there was definitely a lot of excitement,” said Shaner. “It was a new school building, new facilities and we had a great team to work with. The kids from Wilson fit right in and we really played as a team. To go 8-2 was great and everyone was a part of it.”

Despite a great start to the era, things haven’t been easy and the success hasn’t been sustained. Some of the excitement has worn off and with a brutal schedule, wins have been hard to come for the Panthers.

“From the outside looking in, I think people thought we’d consolidate two teams into one big powerhouse, but that hasn’t happened,” said Shaner, whose team enters Week 9 with a 2-6 record. “We haven’t had huge numbers and the biggest part of the transition was the lack of a field and a weight room. It’s kind of gone back to being a grind.”

Don’t take Shaner the wrong way – he’s not complaining. And that’s because the players he has haven’t spent much time feeling sorry for themselves. They play as hard as they can and do it because they have a passion for football – no matter what team they play for.

“They love football,” said Shaner. “They don’t have some of the things that other teams have, but they show up every day ready to go. It takes a special kind of kid to go through the grind every practice and every game. They do it every day.”

Q. What makes coaching kids from the city more unique or different than coaching kids from other area communities?

A. The biggest positive is that we can build relationships with our players beyond just a coach and a player. Sometimes I’m the dad or their friend or their mentor. With them, I can let my guard down and be more personable with them. Some people may see this situation as a negative, but I see it as a positive. I have a lot of pride when I see our kids succeed – not just on the field. You can’t measure their success in wins and losses.

It’s a unique situation here. We don’t have a lot of things here, but we make due. We have a good booster club who get the kids meals after games or shirts and it’s great to have that support. The kids appreciate those things, too, while maybe some other teams take it for granted.

Q. You have eight away games on your schedule this season – how difficult has that been for the kids to deal with?

A. Well, without a home stadium, it’s hard to schedule at YSU – there are so many games played there. Personally, I like playing away games because I like the challenge of going into hostile environments and trying to win. It really adds some incentive for the kids. It’s a tough schedule, but the guys have embraced it. We’ve played some good football teams. And these kids look forward to Fridays – eating that pregame meal, getting their stuff together and getting on that bus to go somewhere they’ve never been before.

Q. With the breakup of the old City Series, East is playing an independent schedule – do you see that being the case for the forseeable future or is it possible to find a league to join, like Canton Timken did?

A. I’m sure we’re 100 percent looking for every available option to get into a league. We applied for the All-American Conference, but didn’t get in. I think a great fit for us would be the Akron City Series. It would be some travel, but we travel already. I think that league would be a good fit for us and Chaney.

We’re pretty much open to anything. I think if you look at us, we deserve to be in a league. We play Liberty and Hubbard already and I think there could be some good local matchups. I just think if people are open-minded about East and give us a chance, there will be some success.

Q. When did you know you wanted to be a football coach?

A. My first degree at YSU was in finance, but in my last year I realized that I couldn’t be stuck behind a desk doing paperwork and crunching numbers. So through some mentors, I decided to get into education and be around kids. I was always involved in sports and I wanted to be around kids. It’s fun to see them on the field participating at something that’s good for them. I think no matter what sport it is, it gets them ready for life – learning how to win and lose. Sports are one of the most positive things around for kids today.

XInterview by Vindicator correspondent Eric Hamilton.