Herzer, who works as a Dayton firefighter-paramedic, took a year off, and then the Knights job opened up.
The position struck his curiosity, and he interviewed, although he didn’t have a real interest in returning to the sideline.
His daughter is a senior at Wayne and he intended to take up dad duty, watching her patrol the court for the Warriors.
Plans change, though.
Herzer went through the process with Greenon. He also interviewed with Fairmont and Beavercreek.
“When they stepped up and made the offer, I was ready for the challenge,” he said.
The result has led Greenon to one the best records in school history.
The Knights ended the regular season with a 17-5 mark, while going 12-3 in the Ohio Heritage Conference. They play Carroll today at 5 p.m. in the Division II sectional at Tecumseh High School.
The record is no small feat for the program. A quick perusal of the Knights’ previous volleyball records back to the late 1960s reads like that of the recent history of the downtrodden Cleveland Browns. Losing seasons dominate the record book.
Herzer, along with assistant Molly Van Oss, made some “swift” changes, as the coaches described. Two girls on the team are playing the same position they previously played.
“I was perfectly honest with them,” Herzer said. “I’m either going to look like a genius or an idiot. There is going to be nothing in between and if you don’t like what I’ve done at the end of the year just tell me and I’ll be happy to go away.”
Under Herzer and Van Oss, the girls have adopted a family motto. That message was clear for anyone who attended a Greenon game.
The girls led every huddle coming out of a timeout by chanting “1-2-3-family.”
“We’re so close…and we’ve always been close, but this year, we’ve gotten even closer,” said senior Elysia Smith. “Maybe it was Coach, or just being together for so long, but we are such good friends that we don’t get in fights, we’re not mad at each other, we work together well.”
Cohesion is critical because Herzer has brought a business-like attitude to the squad.. And the roster is dramatically different, with 15 members as opposed to last season’s eight.
The veteran head coach believes that if a player is not being pushed for playing time, complacency could set in.
“I don’t allow comfort,” Herzer said. “You’ve got to earn it every day, and if you don’t, you get replaced. And I’ve got girls who can replace girls. I’m a firm believer in it.”
The girls have bought in.
“We don’t take things personal,” senior captain Jillian Boling said. “We can be honest with each other and push each other on the court to be better.”
The Knights have plenty of weapons. Senior Amanda Remmetter led the team during the regular season with 323 kills. Fellow senior Olivia Hale added 226 kills. Seniors such as Boling and Lacey Gibson combined with sophomores Katie Pry and captain Lydia Henry for 300 additional kills.
Boling led the team in blocks (42), while Smith had 218 digs.
The Knights hope to end their season with 20 wins. They are three tournament wins from making it happen.
With Herzer at the helm, and a core of sophomores ready to step up, Greenon could be a force in the OHC for the foreseeable future.
“I’m going to hate to see [this season] end. It’s a special group of kids they have here,” Herzer said. “Greenon volleyball is on the map now.”
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