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Meet the six new YAIAA football coaches for 2016


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Six new YAIAA head coaches take the helm this season. Here's what you need to know about each of them.

Greg Bowman, New Oxford

Previous job: Head coach at Northern York.

Need to know: Bowman spent last season leading the Polar Bears to a 7-3 record and the District 3 playoffs, where they defeated York Suburban. Before that, he spent time as an assistant at Lower Dauphin and Central York, learning under Rob Klock and Brad Livingston. The new Colonials coach has high expectations for his team.

He said it: “They hadn’t been asked to do a ton in the past. We demanded a lot out of the guys. It’s the only way I know how to run a football program. The majority of the guys on our roster have bought in and worked extremely hard all offseason, much harder than they’d ever worked before.”

Read more: New Oxford unveils new look, new coach

Chris Grube, Kennard-Dale

Previous job: Co-head coach of Kennard-Dale for the final six games of the season.

Need to know: Grube helped turn things around in the second half of the 2015 season, when the Rams beat Gettysburg and Eastern York, and nearly managed a win against Millersburg in the season finale. Aside from winning games, the 26-year-old Grube's broader goal is to create a more family-like atmosphere within the Kennard-Dale football program.

He said it: “Unfortunately in 2016, when you see Kennard-Dale on your schedule you’re going to think it’s an easy win. I’m trying to change that mentality and hopefully last year, towards the end of the season, we were able to change something.”

Read more: Kennard-Dale carries optimism into new season

Jeff Mesich, Eastern York

Previous job: Defensive coordinator at Northeastern.

Need to know: Mesich was part of a Northeastern coaching staff that went 9-3 and helped win a district playoff game. Mesich received an outpouring of support when his hiring was announced, and he was well respected by the players at Northeastern. He hopes to transform the Golden Knights from a run-based offense to more of a dual-threat scheme that can adjust to any situation.

He said it: “We have different types of kids on our team that are going to allow us, as a staff offensively and defensively, to come up with some interesting ways to get them in one-on-one matchups that will help us.”

Read more: Eastern York's new coach embraces 'dream come true'

Josh Oswalt, Central York

Previous job: Head coach at Carlisle

Need to know: Oswalt has big shoes to fill as he replaces longtime coach Brad Livingston. Oswalt comes to Central after going 18-46 during his six seasons at the helm at Carlisle. He took his team to the District 3 playoffs the last two seasons. Oswalt plans to increase the tempo in everything that Central does on the field this season.

He said it: "Me as a coach, personally, I bring a lot of energy to the table. That's in everything we do. Whether we're in the weight room or we are on the field, or whatever. We are bringing it in a high energy tempo to it. If you look at how my offense runs, it's all no-huddle, it's all fast pace, so everything kind of translates. Just the energy, the tempo, the flying around that's pretty much going to be our staple."

Read more: Central York starts fresh without Livingston

Russ Stoner, William Penn

Previous job: Spring Grove head coach from 2011-14.

Need to know: Stoner led the Rockets to a YAIAA Division I title in 2012, and his teams reached the postseason twice during his three-year tenure. After stepping away from coaching for a season, Stoner returns to the sideline at William Penn.

He said it:  “For me it’s nothing about trying to save anybody. We’re trying to give the kids an opportunity to be held accountable. We’re trying to give them some structure. We have some tremendous young men.”

Read more: William Penn building from the ground up

Charlie Troxell, York County Tech

Previous job: Assistant coach at York County Tech under Matt Glennon

Need to know: Troxell is back for another go at running the Spartans’ football program after serving as head coach from 2002-04. He posted just two wins in that span, later returning to Tech as an assistant coach. Troxell’s challenge this season will be to rebuild confidence among the players and create a more supportive environment them as well.

He said it: “My big thing is going to be, especially, never give in and never give up. We want our guys to go out on that field and play four quarters instead of two, three. I don’t really care about the mistakes, we’re going to make mistakes, but I don’t want us to get down about our mistakes. I want us to say, ‘Hey there’s another play, we’re going to move on and we’re not going to scream at each other.'”

Read more: York County Tech ushers in another new coach