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Home > Blogs > High School Huddle > Archives > 2008 > September > 09 > Entry
Dixie’s Tarpley credits Valley View’s Niswonger for SWBL quality
Second-year Dixie High School football coach David Tarpley tipped his cap to Valley View coach Jay Niswonger. Dixie is 3-0 for the first time in seemingly forever. The Greyhounds use a spread offense and even got accused of running up the score, something Niswonger has — fairly or unfairly — faced during his tenure.
“A lot of people talk about the level of football around here,” Tarpley said. “Jay has raised the level up in the (Southwestern Buckeye League). Look at the competition now in the SWBL — Milton-Union, Eaton, the others.
“Jay’s team made the playoffs (last year) at 5-5. That says something about that program. It’s good football (in the SWBL). At one time, it wasn’t good football.”
Niswonger’s teams won three state titles in the 1990s and are usually a fixture in the playoffs. The unspoken mantra has been, “If you don’t want to get hammered, get better.”
Tarpley credits Centerville’s Ron Ullery, Wayne’s Jay Minton and Northmont’s Lance Schneider for not being afraid to take some lumps from Cincinnati schools in an effort to get better.
“We’re getting more and more competitive,” Tarpley said. “Those coaches have raised the bar in this area.”
As for the Greyhounds, who battle Preble Shawnee this weekend, three wins is only three wins. But it’s a big deal in New Lebanon, where the last winning season is believed to be 7-3 in 1983.
“We’re just enjoying the ride,” Tarpley said. “Kids are doing what they are supposed to be doing, the band’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing and the fans are doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
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By Milton Grad
September 10, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
Tarply never played football in the SWBL back when he was in school, early 70s, so how can he say that the football wasn’t good before that? He credits Niswonger for raising the standard in the SWBL. Ok, he deserves that recognition from 1984-today but the SWBL back in the 50s-60s-70s was very good. That was a slap in the face to great programs like Northmont, Milton-Union, Brookville, Trotwood, Versailles, Tipp City, Butler and Greenville that all won numerous titles and are today competitive programs. Northmont and Milton-Union were the #1 and #2 winningest programs of the 70s. Both from the SWBL. The SWBL’s level of competition went down the tubes when Bellbrook, Valley View, Dixie, Carlisle joined in 1974 to replace Northmont, Butler, West Carrollton, and Trotwood. After 1982 when Milton, Tipp and Greenville left the league sucked. From that point until today I’ll give Niswonger credit, but not from 1945 until 1981. Valley View wasn’t even competitive back then.