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I got dumber by reading these. Saying a guy who has never lost more than 3 games in a season isn't a good coach because he never beat a really good program is just ignorant. The whole "never a Rochester guy" is stupid. One thing I've learned is schools will do what's best for the school corporation, so teachers/coaches need to do the same for themselves. To hold coaches to a different standard because they get a 9k stipend is ridiculous. I've only talked to Coach Shaffer once, seemed like a nice guy. I wish him the best of luck at Plymouth.

I don't believe I blamed the refs. Never said anything about them missing a call. Simply stated that if a play was called differently it could have been a different outcome because it was a controversial call where both sideline judges called it differently. It didn't go in our favor and we moved on. Ask other head coaches of 2A programs around this area if their rosters are shrinking or growing. If you're a Rochester guy, ask Brant Beck if he would rather have played for someone else, ask Jabez Yarber who came from Caston what he thinks of Coach Shaffer, ask the Swango's, ask Alex Demming. If players didn't play for him or quit, they probably weren't wanting to be a football player in the first place. I can tell you that was absolutely his plan to retire to spend more time with family. He also felt like it was time to step aside for someone to take over long term and it was the right time for that. Plymouth reached out to him because he is a winner and wanted him. If you want to know more about the Mac job feel free to PM me. I'm more than happy to explain it there. The biggest joke here is you bashing a guy who took a program at one of it's lowest points in program history arguably and turning them back into a winner. Since you are so concerned about Rochester and the program, I'd love to hear what you have done in the last 5 years to help the program grow and succeed?

Point blank, I wouldn't be the man I am today if it wasn't for Ron Shaffer. He taught me more about myself and more about life from the ages of 14-18 than anyone besides my own parents. He was tough on me, held me accountable, and never gave up on me as a player, or as a young man. He was tough on me--and he knew exactly what it would take and how far he could push me to make me the best player possible. He knows his players and he supports them both in the sport of football, but also outside the gridiron. He knew about my professional aspirations and gave me my first ever coaching job assisting him when I was still in high school. We've stayed in touch long into adulthood, and yeah, I do take this shot at Coach Shaffer personally, as I consider him a mentor and friend. Talking scheme and his coaching acumen...his offense led Maconaquah to their best season in a decade in 2004. His offense produced multiple conference and postseason championships at Cass. His offense took Rochester from an 0-10 team in the TRC, which you described as having several cupcakes to a team that was a perennial conference contender and eventual champion. Maybe he never beat Valley--which I can understand from a rivalry perspective how large that game looms--but a few plays and bounces here and there and Rochester probably gets one of those under his tutelage. No moral victories, but he's taken Rochester from a program that "was" good, to a program that "is" good. It's pretty easy to armchair quarterback decisions and playcalls from the stands, but unless you've done it at the level Shaff has, you need to sit this one out. Plymouth is in a similar spot that Rochester was when he took over. Knowing kids that have had the opportunity to play for Shaff, yeah he's tough and he absolutely has high expectations, which is why roster size is a bad metric of his ability. Those kids that are "hangers on" in lesser programs just won't make it on his teams. It's not because he runs them off--it's because the standard is the standard. Kids today don't want or appreciate that level of accountability. We saw it at Maconaquah. After a coaching change following 2004, a new coach came in with a much more "relaxed" and "less accountable" style that allowed more guys to stay on the team that otherwise would have not been a part of the program. Guess what happened to the culture and eventually the W/L record. Maconaquah would have been LUCKY to have him there for a second run in that program...but if you know what's going on inside Maconaquah football right now, then you know exactly why that didn't come to fruition. It's a shame for this generation of Braves, the same way it was a shame that he wasn't given the chance in 2005. If anyone can help Plymouth get back to being competitive, it's him. He knows what he's getting himself into. Rochester should do nothing more than thank him for what he did for the program and for the young men there during his tenure. Rochester is fortunate that Ike is taking over the reins, as he's had the chance to learn from one of the best there is in this area of the state.

yeah, I go, 9k ...... no chance #TeamShaff

How much is he getting paid to be unemployed again?

Rotate the south bend schools and drop Marian, I think Marian is better competition than the south bend schools, but we shouldn't be playing a 3A school. We would be better off playing Concord each year, if we cannot get consistent FW or Indy competition.

It's lower than that even at Rochester, and I believe they have one of the lowest paid coaches in the conference if not the lowest.

I think character had a lot to do with it. I don't think that always the case when a program goes after a head coach.........see LSU. Freeman was the perfect guy for the job from a character perspective. Speaking of LSU, there was NO WAY Notre Dame was going to allow LSU to take their head coach AND one of the most sought after young coordinators in the country. If Freeman went to LSU, that would have been a curb stomping of all curb stompings. Notre Dame was retaining this guy at all costs. Risky move, but sometimes risks are rewarded.

Look at the margin of victory between Valley and Rochester the years prior to him getting there. It was getting really bad. He comes in and every year it shrunk. If you watched the bell game last year you would know that one or two calls the refs made go a different way and that game might have a different outcome. Look at the couple of seasons before he got there. Rochester wasn't even beating those cupcakes you speak of before he got there. There wasn't a push for utilizing the weightroom when he got there. All those things have changed. This is a really dumb take on your part in my opinion. Plymouth wants a guy that can get them back to a winning program. They got the right guy to do that. May not happen as quickly as Rochester, but it will be better than the 3 and 4 win seasons they've grown accustom to. Really crappy thing for a Rochester person to say about a guy who took over a program that went 4-15 in the two seasons before he got there and won 75% of the games they played the next 5 seasons. Easy for someone on the outside of the program who just sees the team on Friday nights to say. Clueless as to all the work he puts in the other 6 days of the week.

I don't know, with so many options they could get overwhelmed by choosing which two to drop.

Homestead replaced South Side with Warren Central. I would think the memory of beating Warren Central would supersede the memory of defeating South Side on the way to an SAC title. What good is it to say "we're conference champions" if you get waxed by the best teams on your schedule? I think the goal is to get better and make deep playoff runs.

Link to article https://hbcunews.com/2026/05/13/the-circle-city-classic-moving-from-hbcu-college-showcase-to-high-school-football-and-flag-games/