DELTA, Ohio — Delta overview:
2023 Record: 3-7 (Missed Playoffs)
Head Coach: Mike Vicars (1st year)
Top Returning Players:
Brodey Roth, Senior K (2nd Team All-NWOAL)
Landon Lintermoot, Senior RB (Honorable Mention All-NWOAL)
Parker Cone, Senior OL (Honorable Mention All-NWOAL)
Cass Chiesa, Senior OL (Honorable Mention All-NWOAL)
Carl Warner, Senior DB (Honorable Mention All-NWOAL)
Tyler Ruple, Junior DB (Honorable Mention All-NWOAL)
2024 Schedule:
WEEK 1 8/23 @ Ayersville
WEEK 2 8/30 vs. Fairview
WEEK 3 9/6 vs. Lake
WEEK 4 9/13 vs. Bryan*
WEEK 5 9/20 @ Archbold*
WEEK 6 9/27 vs. Swanton*
WEEK 7 10/4 @ Wauseon*
WEEK 8 10/11 vs. Patrick Henry*
WEEK 9 10/18 vs. Liberty Center*
WEEK 10 10/25 @ Evergreen*
*Denotes Northwest Ohio Athletic League game
Delta football welcomes in a new but familiar face to serve at the helm for the 2024 season.
After putting up a 3-7 record last year and missing playoffs, the program sought change.
"I feel like it's what we needed," said senior center Cass Chiesa. "We needed someone who's known for winning. Knows how to win, knows what he's doing ... because the past couple of years we've been on the losing side, but I think he's the solution to turning the program around."
Mike Vicars served as the Panthers head coach from 1999 to 2006, leading the 2003 team to a state final four appearance, and coached for a single season in 2013.
He most recently served on Genoa's staff, but said when he was asked to come back to lead the Panthers for a third time, he felt an obligation to a higher power to fulfill the role.
"They told me a lot of things about the kids, there's several coaches that I've worked with before," he said. "And to be honest I really felt a stirring I think within from the Holy Spirit that said 'This is something that I want you to do.'"
Vicars said his goal is to help restore the program's self-esteem in this comeback season.
"Besides all the clichés of 'We have to get better each day' and fundamentals and all that, our goal is to be a pain in the butt for every team that we play," he said. "We really want when a team comes to practice on Monday and they have us Friday night, we want them to have to work and not be the team that's looking forward to the next week."
In addition to revitalizing the program's rapport, Vicars' style of coaching has naturally sparked a new environment. One from a deeper level as a mentor.
"He's really involved in everyone's performance. He's really close with everyone," Chiesa said. "He cares a lot about us and lets us know that every day. Always ends it with 'I love you all.'"
Vicars added that he is past the "ego things" of coaching, such as statistics and wins and losses. He said he's focused on having high school football serve as a stepping stone, impacting each player's personal life by being a part of something bigger than themselves.
"Whenever that last game comes, I want to see those seniors sit on that field forever and cry," he said. "And they don't want to leave because they know it's done. And regardless of what the wins and loss total is, if we can do that, then we've done some really good things with those kids."