Meet Jeff Ditty

STORY BYRYAN MORELAND // PHOTO BYEMILY BARBUS

Federal Hocking High School sits atop rolling hills just outside Stewart in Athens County. Tucked behind the brick fortress is an unassuming pole barn that belongs to the high school’s football team, the Lancer’s.

Inside the building, the weight room’s sweaty smell permeates the air, and amidst the equipment sits a conference table scattered with playbooks and a white board marked up with drawing of formations and plays. And, more often than not, you will also see the Lancer’s head coach Jeff Ditty here.

Prior to the 2019 season, Federal Hocking High School had not won a football game in four consecutive seasons and student participation was reaching an all time low. In response, Federal Hocking hired Ditty to turn things around. What was it like to enter that culture and try to win games?

It’s been the biggest challenge to date, and it still is. What has changed, I think, is the perception of what we are doing. We didn’t have a weight room, so we put one together in two weeks.

So, there was a lot of building blocks, and most of what I was focused on was not on the field, it was off the field. I wasn’t going to assume that there was a baseline level of commitment … I didn’t assume anything. You just kind of take it one step at a time and fix what you can. And when you identify things you can’t immediately address you set a plan in motion.

What was your goal for the first season?

To be accountable. [In previous years] guys showed up to practice when they wanted to. They weren’t held to a standard. We have set a zero-tolerance policy. In order to be effective and do your job, you have to show up. That’s life, that’s here. Before you started, the team was defeated 42 games in a row. You snapped that streak your first game with a win.

I’m not going to lie, it felt really good. I know it was very emotional for our guys. None of them have had a football victory since they have been at this school. In some regards, I think some people didn’t know how to react. But overall it was a very positive experience.

It was a tough game, too, a dog fight for four quarters. So, I think it was very fitting that, not only did we get the first game and the first win, but that it was a fight to get it. It really helped emphasize some of the characteristics that we have adopted with the program—You have to put the work in and you have to fight if you want it.   

UPDATE: The Lancers forfeited the final four games of their season due to player injuries and finished the season 1-9. However, this football coach is hardly discouraged. In fact, he is already focused on recruiting players for next season.

Just remember, Jeff Ditty loves a challenge.

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