Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Former Boardman head coach Seth Antram coaches against Fitch earlier this season.
YOUNGSTOWN — When football was brought back to Chaney high school, Seth Antram was the offensive coordinator for the coaching staff that helped grow the roster and revitalize the program.
But, other opportunities came calling and Antram was eventually hired as the head football coach at Boardman this past year.
Now, after former head coach Chris Amill departed Chaney for a coaching opportunity in Charlotte, North Carolina, Antram is heading back to the Cowboys as the new head coach of the football team. He will also be the Dean of Students.
“Obviously I was there when football was brought back and coach Chris had a great thing going and I just kinda wanna try to continue it,” Antram said. “There’s a draw to the kids that need a big influence in their life. I feel like I did what was best at Boardman and tried to be a big contributor there in shaping their future. I think this just felt like a way to expand that and shape more lives.”
The Cowboys went 4-5 this past year after losing starting quarterback Jason Hewlett to a season-ending injury in their season opener against Austintown Fitch. Although they lose a few talented players like Boston College commit Clive Wilson, there is plenty of talent left that Antram is familiar with. He said the opportunity to finish what he started was a part of the decision to head back to Chaney.
“There is a drive to kinda see out what was started,” Antram said. “No one expected coach Chris to leave, I definitely didn’t. If anyone knew it was going to go down like this it would’ve been me and I obviously had no clue. But there’s a drive to see this thing through and make sure it’s in the right hands for those kids and I felt like I’d be the guy to give them that opportunity.
“There’s a relationship there with the kids, there’s an opportunity to expand myself professionally. It’s more of an administrative role there. But none of that makes it easier leaving the kids at Boardman though, I’ll tell you that.
In his only season at Boardman, Antram led the Spartans to an overall record of 4-5 and just missed out on a playoff appearance after faltering in their final four games of the season.
Boardman was set to have plenty of talent come back next season and Antram said he believes the Spartans will be good for the years to come, but a return to Chaney was ultimately the one position he couldn’t pass up.
“I wasn’t looking for anything by any means and I wasn’t expecting coach Chris to leave but things kind of just unfolded like they did,” Antram said. “It’s 1,000-percent the one opportunity that would’ve pulled me away.”