Willard hires Fisher as next football coach

There is no sense burying the lede. Willard High School has hired a new varsity head football coach who is 21 years old with no previous head coaching experience. But Eli Fisher knows the question will constantly be asked of him over the next eight-plus months before he coaches a game at Willard. The school officially hired Fisher, a 2022 St. Paul graduate, on Dec. 8. He will be introduced at the varsity basketball game Tuesday night against Carey and meet his returning players Wednesday. For his part, Fisher knew the question was coming in the interview process and knows it will continue to be a question until experience proves it out. "I think there aren't many people who took the path I did," Fisher said. After graduating from St. Paul, where he was the starting quarterback for parts of 2020 and all of 2021, Fisher began taking college courses at the Bowling Green State University Firelands campus in Huron. He then drove back to Norwalk each day to serve as an assistant coach for John Livengood for one season (2023) and for Chris Doughty for the past two seasons. "Not many get that chance to have hands-on coaching every day while in college," said Fisher, who will graduate in May with a degree in K-5 general and special education. "I literally started coaching as soon as I could," he said. "I think what helps or plays a big part is seeing what John Livengood did every day for 15 years, not only playing and coaching for him, but I've been on the sidelines in some capacity since 2011." Livengood won 310 games with one state championship and four runner-ups during his 33-year tenure at St. Paul (1991-2023). He is also Fisher's uncle. Eli's father, Larry, has also been a longtime defensive coordinator for the Flyers and will join his son at Willard. "Coach Livengood had a way of going about things and a certain way of doing things," Fisher said. "Seeing that every day, you see what it takes to win and just be a consistent program. And I've been around a lot of good football minds at St. Paul. "My dad was an assistant for 30 years, same with Tom Baker, who is also someone I've learned a ton from. I feel like I have a unique amount of experience for someone my age. I've been around a lot of very good influences." Fisher, who will turn 22 in March, said what he learned the most from his years at St. Paul is that there is no secret or anything flashy to success. "Coach Livengood was able to get kids to want to work hard in the weight room first to win," he said. "That's going to be a big thing for us here. He held kids accountable, and if you were going to play football at St. Paul, you were going to work hard and be disciplined. "That's the culture he established there, and that's how it's going to have to be at Willard," Fisher added. "The biggest thing is, you don't have to have the most talent. High school football is unique in that sense. Buying in and belief can carry you a long way compared to college and the pro levels, where talent typically always wins out." Willard athletic director Joe Crawford also acknowledged the age of Fisher throughout the hiring process. Fisher will teach at the elementary building in the school system next year. "Eli is young, but he really did come in and blow me away on his own merit," Crawford said. "I liked what he had to say, and I know what we were looking for with where we are as a program. He will be able to relate to the kids, and he's from the area and wants to live in the area, which is huge." Crawford said what put Fisher over the top was already having a coaching staff ready to go. In years past, Willard hired coaches outside the school district who had a hard time putting a staff together right away. "He already has a good mixture of younger and older guys who want to coach with him," Crawford said. "And that includes some coaches I know who I already have a lot of respect for. We looked at it as this big package. "I met Eli, and I was very, very pleased and enjoyed the way he handled himself and what he had to say," he added. "But then you see the rest of the package. I've talked to him five or six times now just since he was hired. He's easy to be excited about, and he's also a young teacher coming in who is going to be here, which is also big for our school district." Fisher inherits a Willard program that has not posted a winning record since 2005. The Flashes finished 5-5 in 2010, 2018, and 2022 under three different head coaches. Fisher is the sixth different coach since Willard posted that winning season under Mike Eicher. "I think they have a bunch of really hard-working kids," Fisher said of Willard. "I think they have seen it show up in the other sports; now the challenge is to do it in the fall. I'm most excited to get going and build relationships and try and bring some excitement back. "We want to try and bring some energy within the program and the community. If we put a product on the field the community can be proud of, I know the support will come." The new coach also comes at a unique time for the football program and all sports at Willard. The Crimson Flashes join the Northern 10 Conference next school year. The league will have different divisions and include newcomers Hopewell-Loudon, Lucas, New Riegel, Old Fort, and Tiffin Calvert, along with Willard from the Sandusky Bay Conference. Current members include Buckeye Central, Bucyrus, Carey, Colonel Crawford, Mohawk, Seneca East, Upper Sandusky, and Bucyrus Wynford. "It's kind of a clean slate for Willard football," Fisher said. "The move makes a lot of sense in terms of playing schools more on our playing field. There are still the great programs in the N10, but with the league being tiered, you only play so many a year. "I think we will be playing teams we can compete with and win — if you can establish the right culture. It's a unique opportunity for a fresh start for the program and the kids." Crawford noted the timeline was where the opening for the job didn't impact the N10 move. "But now that we're here, you can say it's a clean slate," he said. "The Northern 10 will be super competitive with a lot of good football and sports programs. Playing teams more local and school districts with a lot of people we know makes that exciting. "But a coach also gets a new fresh start in the conference at the same time … it is serendipitous. It just lined up." Because of the size of the new league, Willard will have just two non-league games in nearby South Central and Plymouth. The Flashes then take on Bucyrus, Lucas, Seneca East, Buckeye Central, Mohawk, Upper Sandusky, Wynford, and Carey. Fisher believes the Willard community is still unique in its passion for high school sports. "That was something that stood out," he said. "That passion they show is something you can't find many places." The new coach also said it's too early to determine a philosophy on offense or defense. "What I can say is we want kids to want to work hard for a common goal," he said. "It's a little early to break down what we want to do on offense and defense, but I can say we want to make these kids better people and football players. "If we do that, it will take care of a lot of things. We want to be a disciplined football team to watch play. That, regardless of our record, we work hard, do what we are supposed to do, and don't take shortcuts."