Nov 30, 2014 3 min read

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Jefferson-Morgan is looking for a new head football coach.

The school board accepted Liam Ryan’s resignation at its Nov. 17 meeting.

Ryan was the head coach for the Rockets for three seasons and guided J-M to a 4-4 record and fifth-place finish in the Tri-County South Conference this season. The Rockets were 4-5 overall.

After three years at Jefferson-Morgan and still teaching at Waynesburg Central High School, Ryan decided it was time to step away.

”I’ve spent a great deal of time away from my family,” Ryan said. “I’m ready to spend some time with them. My kids are getting to the age where they will start playing sports. Between working full-time as a teacher and my wife working with the kids starting to have their own activities, it began to be too much for us.”

He had an overall record of 15-13 and coached Jefferson-Morgan to the WPIAL Class A playoffs in his first season, in 2012. He replaced Jan Haiden, who had been Jefferson-Morgan’s head coach for 20 seasons. Prior to J-M, Ryan was an assistant coach for five years at Waynesburg High School.

Jefferson-Morgan athletic director Scot Moore said there is no timetable to hire a new coach, but he hopes to find someone who can continue to build on the foundation Ryan laid over the past three seasons.

The job will likely attract strong candidates. The Tri-County South has been the starting point for many coaches over the years, including Mike Bosnic of Wash High. Bosnic coached Carmichaels before taking over the Prexies’ program.

With a longstanding tradition and history of success, Moore won’t have trouble finding the right man for the job. There are many assistant coaches throughout the WPIAL who would jump at the opportunity. A coach can win at Jefferson-Morgan. It will be interesting to see what type of candidate Moore hires.

While leaving the Rockets was not an easy decision, Ryan enjoyed his time leading Jefferson-Morgan.

”I had a great time there. Coming out of the gate, we had some pretty nice kids my first year and we made the playoffs, but the past two year’s teams have been tough kids,” Ryan said. “It was a lot of fun to coach them. It was a really positive experience for me and hopefully for all of them as well.”