Ursuline opponent hopes for different result this year

By JON MOFFETT

jmoffett@vindy.com

Youngstown

Dan Reardon is considered by many as one of the best coaches in the Mahoning Valley. But opponent in this weekend’s state title game also knows a thing or two about walking on the path of greatness.

Chip Otten, the head coach of the Coldwater High team that will play Ursuline in the Division V state championship game Saturday, was put in his position by chance. He replaces legendary Cavaliers coach John Reed, who passed away in May after a long battle with esophageal cancer. He was 64.

“John’s name comes up pretty much on a weekly basis,” Otten said in a conference call with media Monday.

Otten said the team has a special decal on its helmets to honor Reed, who won 168 games, six league titles and two state championships over 15 years with the school. But Reed has left his mark on more than just the gear.

Otten said the Cavaliers use many of Reed’s principals and philosophies. Otten adds his own touch, but the longtime assistant under Reed still applies many of his mentor’s practices.

“There certainly is a lot of a John with us still,” Otten said. “With our continuity of our some staff, that philosophy hasn’t really changed.”

Read the story in Wednesday’s Vindicator.