Prep football: Fairfield looking to take next step

Four straight winning seasons and three Division I playoff appearances in the last four years have placed Fairfield High School among Southwest Ohio’s better football programs.

It’s not enough for seventh-year coach Jason Krause, though. The Indians are 0-3 in the postseason during his tenure and have yet to win a Greater Miami Conference title, so there’s plenty of work to be done.

“We feel like the next step is where we need to be,” Krause said. “We’ve yet to win that first-round playoff game … that’s a big notch we want to put in our belt. Obviously it’s tough to get there in our region. In our league, you’ve got to come to play every night. I feel really good about the guys that we have.”

Fairfield was 7-4 last season, and if the Indians post a winning record in 2017, that five-year streak will be a first in school history.

Seniors Jack Carman and Malik Vann are the national recruits on this squad. Carman, an offensive tackle, has narrowed his college list to Clemson, Ohio State, Florida State, Wisconsin and Southern California. Vann, a defensive tackle in the Tribe’s 3-4 alignment, is committed to Cincinnati.

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Carman and Vann are givens. But junior quarterback Jeff Tyus isn’t, according to Krause. Neither is Fairfield’s kicking game now that Jerred McGuire has taken his place-kicking and punting skills to Davenport University.

“Tyus has got a chance to be really good,” said Krause, with the southpaw making a pair of starts last season. “He’s every bit of 6-5. He’s really thick from the waist down. He runs better than you think he does, and he throws a really good ball.

“As a sophomore, I didn’t think he was physically or mentally ready in our league. But he’s had a tremendous offseason. He had a good season in basketball as a varsity starter, which really helps. It gets you in that atmosphere. I think all that has helped propel him into a guy that’s comfortable now with the reins in his hands.

“With our kicking game, when you get back out here for the first time, you realize what a big weapon Jerred McGuire was, especially as a punter. We feel OK about it right now, but things change when those lights go up and there’s three or four thousand people in the stands and it’s crunch time.”

Juniors Jacob Hensley and Erick All have Division I offers as they make position changes this year. Hensley, a former guard and tackle, has moved to center and has an offer from Toledo. All, a former wide receiver, is now a tight end and has offers from Cincinnati and Kentucky.

There’s been a change in the coaching staff as well. Joe Snively stepped down as Fenwick’s head coach in May and has come to Fairfield as an assistant.

Snively and Matt Tyla will coach the Indians’ offensive linemen. They have freshman sons in the program.

“I feel like that’s a really nice pickup for us,” Krause said of Snively. “Joe was an assistant with me at Monroe and Middletown, so obviously we’ve got a connection. The difference with Joe from then is he’s been a head coach and understands the big picture of how to run a program and the finer things that have to take place. He brings a lot of wisdom.”

Will Amburgey was a volunteer secondary coach for Fairfield last season. He’s back this year as a full-timer.

The Indians don’t play Hamilton in the new eight-game GMC schedule this season, but will be on the road to scrimmage Big Blue on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.

Fairfield will also travel to Springboro for a scrimmage that includes Wayne and Lakota West on Aug. 12 at 9 a.m. The Tribe will only compete against Boro and Wayne.

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