“You’ve got to have some different voices of coaches who can connect with kids and I told Mike he was exactly what we needed and he would make that happen,” Daniels said. “He did that from the get-go.”
Earlier this month, tragedy struck the Cougars football program when Berry died suddenly on July 31 at the age of 35.
The 2004 Springfield South graduate coached at several area programs, including Springfield, Catholic Central, Urbana and Kenton Ridge — leaving a void felt by many across Clark County.
“He impacted so many people,” Daniels said. “That’s who he was. You can genuinely feel kids when you talk to them from Springfield, Catholic Central, Urbana. I’ve still got kids from Urbana who came to his funeral and just connected with him. He gave them confidence in themselves maybe more than anybody else had at that point. He did it for me. I never left a conversation with Mike where I didn’t feel like Bill Belichick. He was that type of ‘I’m going to maximize you’ type of person. It was never about him.”
The Cougars host Bethel on Friday night at Richard L. Phillips Field. Before its season-opening game against Mechanicsburg, the players set a jersey on the bench in remembrance of Berry. They’re also wearing decals with the initials MB on the back of their helmets.
“It hurts, but it motivates us knowing that he’s watching over us and pushing us each and every day,” said senior Josh Hill.
The coaching staff includes Berry’s brother, Troy Smith, and Clay Belton, who spent several seasons with Berry.
“Immediately, the season was dedicated to (Coach Berry),” Daniels said. “They’ve rallied behind him. They also want to have Coach Smith’s back and Coach Belton and myself in many ways.”
Daniels and Berry met in middle school and played football together at Springfield South. A few years later, Berry helped Daniels get his start in coaching. In 2007, they worked on the same middle school football staff in Springfield.
After going back to play collegiately at Wittenberg, Daniels got his first head coaching job at Urbana in 2015 and Berry joined the staff the following year.
After stints at Springfield and Catholic Central, Berry joined the Cougars coaching staff last winter and made an immediate impact in the weight room, Daniels said.
“He was driving them and helping them get more involved,” he said. “There are countless kids we would’ve said ‘I don’t know if that kid buys in this year,’ that jumped on board because of their interaction with Mike.”
While he wasn’t with the team very long, he meant a lot to the program, said Cougars senior Noah Hill.
“He made a big impact on everyone, including me,” Noah Hill said. “He always had a saying, ‘15 weeks. How long do we want to play for? 15 weeks’. He always made sure everyone had their heads up. He was a big part of our team.”
The Cougars nearly pulled off a road victory in Week 1, falling to Mechanicsburg 35-28. Kenton Ridge accrued 404 total yards of offense in the victory, outgaining the Indians by more than 60 yards. The loss gave them confidence heading into this week’s game against Bethel.
“We felt like our kids played where we needed them to play to get this thing where we want it to go,” Daniels said. “We fumbled the opening kickoff and against Burg, that’s usually a dagger. Our kids responded right away by taking it down the field and punching it in.”
Springfield also held a moment of silence for Berry before its season-opening game against St. Ignatius last week.
“Everybody was important to him and he was genuinely going to try to build them up,” Daniels said. “When you’re talking about kids, they need that person in their corner who doesn’t necessarily just point out what you’re doing wrong, but what you’re capable of. He was a master in that regard. We’re definitely going to miss him.”
Friday’s games
Northeastern (1-0) at Riverside (1-0): The Jets rushed for 255 yards on 16 carries in their season-opening victory over Bradford.
Greenon (0-1) at Northwestern (0-1): It will be the first matchup between the former CBC rivals since 2016.
Shawnee (0-1) at Eaton (1-0): It’s the first meeting between the two schools since the Eagles knocked the Braves out of the playoffs with a 41-21 victory in 2010.
Southeastern (0-1) at Ridgemont (1-0): The Trojans will take the hour-and-15-minute bus ride north to face the Golden Gophers, which beat Vanlue 56-16 last week.
Tecumseh (1-0) at Carroll (1-0): The Arrows are seeking their first 2-0 start since 2014. The Patriots won the last meeting 23-13 in 2019.
Urbana (0-1) at Fort Recovery (1-0): Hillclimbers senior Devonte Krebehenne rushed for two TDs and had eight tackles in their season-opening loss to West Jefferson.
Buckeye Valley (1-0) at Graham (1-0): The Barons beat rival Delaware Hayes 26-22 in their season opener.
Cedarville (0-1) at East Clinton (1-0): The Indians are seeking their first victory against their former Kenton Trace Conference rivals since 2018. The Astros beat Dayton Christian 46-13 in Week 1.
Greeneview (1-0) at Waynesville (1-0): The Rams will also face a former KTC rival. The Spartans beat Bethel 24-2 last week.
Mechanicsburg (1-0) at Covington (0-1): The Indians beat the Buccs 42-26 in their last meeting in the 2019 D-VI, Region 24 final.
West Liberty-Salem (0-1) at Benjamin Logan (1-0): The Tigers need a win to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2016.
Triad (0-1) at Buckeye Central (1-0): The Bucks beat Crestline 45-12 in Week 1.
Canceled
Springfield (1-0) at Fairfield (0-1): The game was canceled on Thursday due to COVID protocols.
Saturday’s game
Catholic Central (1-0) at Grove City Christian (0-0): The Irish were scheduled to play Dayton Jefferson, but the Broncos dropped their football program earlier this month.
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