Springboro assistant takes over at Beavercreek

Nicolas Black wasn’t looking for new coaching opportunities.

For the past two years, Black had not sent out a single application. He was happy being the defensive coordinator at Springboro High School.

Then, the head coach position opened at Beavercreek when Scott Clodfelter left.

“I had a good relationship with the people at Springboro,” said Black, a guidance counselor at Beavercreek High School. “This opportunity felt right. It was the right opportunity to apply for. It felt like it made sense.”

Black was selected from over 40 candidates to succeed Clodfelter.

Prior to taking the helm at Beavercreek, Black had prior head coaching experience. Black served two years as the head coach at Graham, recording an 8-2 mark in his first season. He also spent time as a defensive coordinator at Shawnee High School, and spent time as an assistant at the University of Dayton and Milikin University.

“You learn some things that are done the way you want the way you don’t want,” Black said of what he picked up at his other stops. “It is a matter of learning different ways to do things and getting that experience along the way.”

Black inherits a squad that finished 5-5 overall and 2-3 in the Greater Western Ohio Conference Central Division.

“He is well known in the area as a quality coach and has a lot of experience,” Beavercreek athletic director Jim Smerz said. “He is still getting to know the kids, but has done a tremendous job so far connecting with the kids and parents.”

Black says he will stay more involved with the defensive side of the ball while surrounding himself with the right people on offense. The former All-NCAC linebacker at Wittenberg and All-GWOC selection at Piqua led Springboro’s defense to back-to-back top five rankings in total defense in the GWOC the last two seasons.

Being in the building as a counselor, Black already knew some of the Beavercreek players. He’s quickly acclimating himself to the rest of the squad as the 2014 season creeps closer.

“I looked at the countdown clock in the weight room and it said 74 days,” Black said. “It re-emphasized that the seconds never stop ticking away.”

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