WALKERTON — Ron Brown didn’t plan on coming out of his high school football coaching retirement. That was, until several John Glenn players came asking him to take over the program.
The assistant principal for the high school the last four years can now add head football coach to his title after being hired for the job March 19.
Brown takes over after former coach John Barron was placed on administrative leave before ultimately resigning in February after being charged with misdemeanor battery. Barron was charged by the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly slapping a female student on the butt multiple times in November 2023. The case is scheduled to go to a jury trial in October.
More: John Glenn football coach resigns after being charged with battery
“The kids were very convincing with their reasons why I should come out of retirement and try this again,” Brown said. “At the end of the day, you don’t want to let the students down, you don’t want to let your community down. Hopefully, we can do some things that can make the students and community proud.”
Brown previously spent four seasons as the Triton head coach from 2015-18, winning a Class 1A sectional title in his final season. He also coached one year at Elwood High School, located in central Indiana, in 2019 before taking the assistant principal gig at Glenn in 2020.
In recent seasons, Brown has coached the Glenn middle school team, as well as helped out the high school program when needed.
The early feedback on Brown as head coach has been universally positive.
“I think it’s been great,” senior Julian McMahan said. “He’s really building a culture around us. We had good culture last year, but this year, it’s completely changed for the better. It’s definitely more family oriented. (Brown) likes to say we’re part of his family and treats us like we’re one of his kids.”
Key departures
Statistically, the biggest player Glenn needs to replace from last year in Chase Miller. He did just about everything for the Falcons a season ago, playing quarterback, defensive back, kicker and returner. He had 2,159 yards of offense and 24 total touchdowns (12 pass, 12 rush), eight interceptions on defense and went 11-for-14 kicking PAT’s.
More: State leaders, record breakers headline 2023 South Bend Tribune All-Area Football team
The second-leading rusher behind Miller, Mason Kobelt (847 yards), along with the leading receiver in Ty’Ronn Larkin (454 yards) have graduated as well. Kobelt and Larkin were also key pieces on defense. Others Glenn will have to replace include Caleb Spodnick, Markease Patrick and Ira Napier.
Key returners
As far as college prospects on Glenn go, McMahan probably tops the list. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior had a team-best three sacks last season to go along with 38 tackles. He was also involved in the offense, catching eight passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Expect him to be part of a lot of what Glenn tries to do, offensively and defensively.
Senior Walter Drews and junior Blake Wright will likely get the bulk of the rushing attempts on offense. Junior Brayden Benwell was the only other Falcon to throw a pass last year, converting on both attempts for seven total yards. Wright and senior Brody King could be top pass catching options for whoever plays quarterback for Glenn.
“A lot of running,” said Drews on the new-look Falcon offense. “It’s a lot, but it’s simple, if that makes sense. … Even though we return a lot of our coaches, having new additions like our offensive coordinator, defensive backs coach gives us a little bit more experience, so we’ve gotten more teaching.”
More: Who are the best South Bend-area HS athletes this century? Here’s the school-by-school list
Defensively, leading tackler Eli Beeney is back after totaling 126 tackles last year. Wright had 52 tackles and Benwell 31 among top returners as well. Benwell had three interceptions and junior Kaden Lang two in the secondary a season ago.
A potentially key newcomer is Myles Cheaton, who transferred from South Bend Adams last winter. He plays both offensive tackle and defensive lineman.
“Once football workouts started, the guys have welcomed me to the family,” Cheaton said. “We’ve all just bonded. … There were moments during track (in the spring) where we bonded, too.”
New year, new conference for Glenn
After spending a decade in the Northern Indiana Conference, Glenn has made the move to the brand-new Indiana Northern State Conference. Former NIC foes Jimtown and Bremen join them, along with LaVille, Knox and Tippecanoe Valley.
It’s expected to be a competitive conference, with Knox coming off a Class 2A semistate appearance, LaVille a sectional championship and Tippecanoe Valley a 9-0 regular season last year. Glenn (7-5 in 2023) and Bremen (6-6) also both reached sectional finals, while Jimtown went 4-6 against a difficult schedule.
John Glenn High School 2024 football schedule
All times Eastern
-
Aug. 23: @ Boone Grove, 7:30 p.m.
-
Aug. 30: vs. EDWARDSBURG (MI), 7
-
Sept. 6: @ Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, 7
-
Sept. 13: vs. JIMTOWN, 7 (INSC)
-
Sept. 20: @ Knox, 7:30 (INSC)
-
Sept. 27: vs. BREMEN, 7 (INSC)
-
Oct. 4: @ LaVille, 7 (INSC)
-
Oct. 11: @ Tippecanoe…
South Bend Tribune
