Southern Local (Ohio) head coach steps down weeks before season

As high school football teams around the country gear up for the preseason, one team is dealing with a sudden vacancy at the top of the program. According to a report by the East Liverpool Review, Southern Local (Ohio) head coach Rich Wright resigned on Tuesday. Wright’s resignation came shortly after the district’s board of education voted to suspend him pending an investigation.

Wright led the Indians to seven straight playoff appearances and owned a 68-39 record in 10 seasons at the helm of the program.

Southern Local assistant Zack Almy has been tabbed as the team’s interim head coach as the school conducts its search for Wright’s replacement.

“We were not expecting what happened the last couple of weeks to happen,” Southern Local superintendent Tom Cunningham said via the report.

Cunningham told local reporters that the district’s investigation does not involve the police but there were “irreconcilable differences” between Wright and the district. No further specifics were provided by Cunningham in the report due to legalities of the investigation ongoing.

Between coaching stops at Southern Local, Wellsville and Beaver Local, Wright has a head coaching record of 167-110.

Southern Local was coming off a 6-5 campaign in which the Indians qualified for the OHSAA Region 25 AA playoffs. The team began last season 1-4, but clinched a postseason berth after winning four of its last five regular season games. The Indians fell in the first round of the 2024 playoffs in a 50-35 loss to Windham.

The Indians are scheduled to open their 2025 season on the road against Toronto on Aug. 22.