HHF / GID Interview with East Central Head Coach Jake Meiners

[Guest DT]

HHF Interview with East Central Head Coach Jake Meiners

 

The Trojans look to once again be in the drivers seat in the EIAC, and the team is focused on winning its 20th sectional championship and making another long post season run.

 

Question 1

Coach, many of our readers are from northern and central Indiana and are not familiar with your background. Where are you from originally, what is your educational and playing background, and when did you decide to get into coaching? Also who were some of your key coaching mentors who helped push along the way and up the coaching ladder?

Response

I grew up in the St. Leon area and graduated from East Central in 2009. During my high school years, I played baseball, basketball, and football. On the football team, I started at quarterback for three years. I graduated from Franklin College in 2013. It was at Franklin College where I really decided that I wanted to go into coaching. My first job out of college was at Franklin County where I coached freshman and JV football and baseball. After one year at Franklin County, I returned to East Central to teach and coach football. I served several different roles on the EC staff including Associate Head Coach in 2018 before taking over as Head Coach in 2019.

There are plenty of guys who have helped me along the way and are still helping me to this day. Justin Roden, who left EC for Noblesville and is now the HC at Oak Hills (OH), gave me my start at EC. What I really appreciate about him was his ability to trust and to listen to young assistant coaches. Tim Behlmer, longtime EC assistant coach and former EC head coach, spent countless hours with me teaching me about the game and coaching. Don Stonefield, current EC Athletic Director and former EC head coach, was my football coach during high school and has taught me the ropes of what it means to be a head coach. These guys and others are vital in my life and have mentored me along the way.

 

Question 2

Entering your 3rd season at EC, you have had two solid years to put your imprint on this highly successful program. What is the core identity of your program today, and what are the major changes you have implemented structurally and culturally since taking over in 2019?

Response

The core of our football program is championship effort in everything that we do. St. Leon is still a hard-working, blue-collar community. We have players all over the spectrum socioeconomic wise, but our players know how to work. Those values are instilled in our players at a young age by their parents and in our PeeWee program. We hang our hat on playing stout defense, controlling the line of scrimmage, and downhill football. This style of play, first introduced by legendary Rod Ballart, fits our community well. Since taking over, I have made some minor changes here and there to the program, but nothing major. I have tried to streamline a few things K-12 in our program and utilize technology a little bit more. However, the program that I took over was not broken by any means, so I would not be very smart if I didn't continue the traditions at EC. The head coaches before me put the program together and laid the groundwork for the success we are having now.

 

Question 3

East Central has thoroughly dominated the EIAC for years, similar to how Penn has dominated the NIC and Columbus East has ruled over the Hoosier Hills. Several of the programs have shown steady improvement over the past several seasons, while some remain stagnant or in decline. How would you assess the overall strength of the conference today, do you like the divisional setup, and do you feel the EIAC exposes your team to the speed and physicality you are likely to see in the postseason?

Response

We are very proud of the success that we have had in the EIAC, and I do feel the EIAC is a pretty strong conference. The challenge for many schools in the EIAC has been changing enrollment numbers. Franklin County has already dropped to 3A and South Dearborn will be close to dropping to 3A here soon. Lawrenceburg has been one of the few schools actually increasing in enrollment and our numbers at EC have stayed pretty steady. There is a good chance in the next few years that EC and Connersville are the only 4A schools remaining in the conference. The football programs in the EIAC have still produced good products despite various challenges. The EIAC has a very good record in the last few years in non conference games, so I think that speaks well of the conference. It will be interesting how the conference will move forward with our current divisional setup (3A/4A). There are some benefits to playing divisions because we are able to schedule a few more non conference games. We are only mandated to play the schools in the 4A division, although we do play everybody except Greensburg and Rushville. As a player at EC, I always like the one division and one champion concept. Each week mattered in regards to winning the conference. Overall, I feel the conference is healthy and provides us with what we need to compete in the postseason. We have won two state championships and been runner up two other times while being a part of the EIAC.

 

Question 4

EC has played a variety of non conference schools over the years. Based on your location, certainly options are limited. You had a nice win over Ohio power Moeller last season, and a rematch is scheduled this year. Also you close out with two tough matchups against Indy Catholics Guerin and Roncalli. What is your general approach to non conference scheduling, and do you anticipate any potential changes in the near future?

Response

Coach Don Stonefield has always had the mantra to play anybody, anywhere, and at any time. He instilled this into the culture while head coach, and I love it. We have had some fun opportunities over the years to compete with several different teams. We were able to beat Cincinnati Moeller last year and lost two close games to Chatard and Roncalli. This year we were able to get Guerin Catholic on our schedule along with Roncalli and Cincinnati Moeller again. Plus, we have our rival in Harrison, OH. Our non conference is extremely tough, but our players love them. I call them primetime games because there is normally a heavy media presence, large crowds, recruiters, etc. along with being a tough matchup that prepares us to play in the postseason. As a teenager, who wouldn't want to play in these games? We do like to schedule Catholic schools because of their traditions, style of play, and success. Plus, they typically have the ability to field teams at all three levels, which is extremely important to us since we have been averaging 120 players grades 9-12 over the last ten years. We do end up having to travel a bit to play some of these games, but we are going to have to travel if we wish to make a deep playoff run. I don't anticipate too many schedule changes over the next few years unless our conference decides to mix the divisions or go back to one division.

 

Question 5

What is your basic philosophy regarding offensive and defensive schemes, and who are some of the top returning starters for the Trojans this fall?

Response

My offensive philosophy is to control the line of scrimmage and play downhill. What that means is not a whole lot of side to side movement, a lot of down-block kickout, and control of the clock. Our formations and how we get to the philosophy has changed over the years depending on our personnel. In our two recent state championship appearances (2015 & 2017), we were more power spread with quarterbacks who could really run the football. The past two years we have been more traditional pro style, even though we have elements of the power spread included. We are returning Casey McQueen and Noah Houser at OL, our leading WR Nate Buesing, and our RB Josh Ringer. We have a lot of guys that will play that weren't starters last year, but saw a lot of time at the varsity level.

Defensively, my philosophy is to play aggressive, create turnovers, and be sure tacklers. Again, our scheme has changed based on our personnel. We have been an even front team over the past three seasons, but we are going back to an odd front because of our players and what they do best. Up front, we return Louis Gray and Ryan Bovard. At LB, we return Hunter Sohns, and we return Cooper Hoog, Sam Ringer, Charlie Euson, and Jack Rinear in the secondary.

I think that many coaches try to fit their players into their scheme. Coaches must be willing to adjust their scheme based on what their players do well in order to be successful.

 

Question 6

What did you learn about your team thru summer drills and competition? What were your core team strengths coming out of the sessions, and what areas did you identify that need work before opening kickoff?

Response

We learned a ton about our team this summer. We have had competition at several positions this offseason, which only pushes the players to get better. We were able to compete with Rushville, Oak Hills (OH), and Colerain (OH). We were able to compete against some high-caliber athletes. We will have a few sophomores playing at the varsity level for us this year (that normally doesn't happen for us), so we were able to learn a lot about them. I think we learned that our players are willing to compete against anyone. That is something that we preach, but it is hard to teach. We just need the younger players to grow up in a hurry if we want to be successful this season. Our schedule is very tough out of the gate starting with a good Lawrenceburg team, so we have to be ready to go.

 

Question 7

4A is a class that is heavily impacted by Success Factor moves. What are your personal thoughts on the SF, do you believe that it has impacted competitive balance in any way, either positive or negative, since its implementation?

Response

The 4A class has definitely been impacted by the Success Factor. In the past decade, our sectional has changed a couple of times with teams moving up and down. We haven't been moved up, although we were one win away from it in 2018. Honestly, I think the Success Factor is a mixed bag. Obviously, there are teams like Cathedral that used to compete at the 4A level that have proven to be competitive at the upper classes. However, I think that it can hurt the public schools. Like other coaches have said, schools can be hurt because of one great class that has come through. Then, they get bumped up a division and the classes behind them get hurt. I guess if you're looking for a positive it seems that different teams have been able to make deep playoff runs. I am not sure if you can credit that to programs just simply getting better or to the Success Factor. Personally, I don't know that I have a good answer for the Success Factor. A lot of coaches around the state have good ideas and I think that people should be willing to listen to them. What we have preached in our program is that no matter what class we are in we are going to keep trying to raise the bar and to compete.

 

Question 8

EC has always had a rep as a big physical football team that generally wins the battle of the line of scrimmage. Strength training and conditioning are at the core of this key physical advantage. How would you assess your EC strength and conditioning program, has the school invested in coaching and equipment to maximize the development of your athletes, and do you believe this is a competitive edge the Trojans have over their 3A and 4A competitors?

Response

The EC strength and conditioning program is the foundation of everything that we do. All sports are expected to be in the weight room whether you are in or out of season. The football program works with the other programs to make sure that players can play multiple sports. The football program has always put an emphasis on the weight room, but Tim Behlmer started our Advanced PE (weight training) program that students can take during the school day. Once he retired, our school hired Louis Sipe to take over those classes. Our school also has a stipend weight room coach during each season to work with players who cannot fit the Advanced PE class in their schedule. We have a first-class weight room and field house that most small colleges don't have. Our school is in the process of creating a recovery area for athletes to rehab to come back from injury and in the process of building a new state-of-the-art pool. We also have a contract with Beacon Orthopedics to have an athletic trainer at all of our practices and games. So, EC definitely invests in our athletes to make sure that they have everything that they need. I do believe that this gives us a competitive advantage over some of the teams that we play. It is important to have these things because our guys have to be prepared to play our style of football.

 

Question 9

It's no secret that Indianapolis area football continues to grow and improve, and for the most part, distance itself from the rest of the state. We watched the state's 4A public school representative just get pounded by Indianapolis Roncalli in last year's finals at Lucas Oil. Do you feel the competitive gap between Indy football and other areas of the state is widening, and what are you and your staff doing to keep that gap to a minimum?

Response

You're definitely right that Indianapolis has continued to improve. I think a lot of it has to do with schools investing in their facilities and sports. I think a lot of it has to do with open enrollment. Kids can choose what school they go to and there is more opportunity for movement in the Indianapolis area. Schools don't want to lose students or athletes so having great facilities and good coaches matters. The schools that you see investing in sports have the money to do so. Plus, in a city there's more opportunities for camps, 7v7s, personal trainers, etc. for younger players without having to travel. You're seeing these players have success at the high school level because they have been well trained since a young age. I don't know if there's a competitive gap widening between Indianapolis and the rest of the state, but I could see the argument being made. My staff and I try to control what we can. We try to prepare at the PeeWee level (our PeeWee program has 300 K-6 this year) and middle school level so that we are prepared to compete at the high school level. We travel to Cincinnati a lot because of where we are located. We try not to make excuses and figure out ways to compete. That is what we are going to have to do to compete for a state championship.

 

Question 10

Looking ahead to the coming season, what are your primary goals and expectations for this team in 2021?

 

Response

Our expectations are always high in St. Leon and this year is no different. Every year, we want to win the rivalry games, win conference, win a sectional, and compete for the state championship. We have talked a lot this off-season about being on a mission to win our 20th sectional title in school history. It is time to bring more hardware back to EC and our guys are focused on doing that. Our program can't wait for the season to get started.

 

Thanks Coach, and best of luck to you and your team this fall.

[southend]

He is right, EC seems to always be a tough  team every weekend. Win or lose, there opponents know that they were in a game.  They seem to feed off of the Cincinnati aura of football. 

[Guest DT]

2 hours ago, southend said:

He is right, EC seems to always be a tough  team every weekend. Win or lose, there opponents know that they were in a game.  They seem to feed off of the Cincinnati aura of football. 

Take a look at that picture.  They look just like Chatard.

EC really is a Catholic program dressed in public clothing.

Name of their hometown?  St Leon.  

 

[southend]

Wolf In sheep’s clothing…….

[Lysander]

St. Leon, Indiana - a metropolis of 680.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?msa=0&ll=39.29252285852623%2C-84.95534173489618&spn=0.0018%2C0.003484&mid=1PDP71tPA2QUnGYHzYK17CVjpz20&z=16

Edited August 13, 2021 by Lysander

[fenderbender]

Only 4A team to play within 3TDs of Roncalli last season.    

They were really impacted by Covid in the post season at RB and lost the Fike (sp?) kid early in the season.

Always a strong team.  Going to go watch them when they play at Roncalli.