Adams returns to Findlay football as head coach

Stefan Adams will be returning to the Findlay High sidelines following an announcement by the school on Monday that the former FHS assistant had been hired as the Trojans next head football coach. "I have very close ties with the guys, and I've kind of seen these kids come up," said Adams, a counselor at Glenwood Middle School who first came to Findlay in 2014 and served for three years on the football staff at the University of Findlay before being an assistant at FHS."This is an opportunity for them to come together and if they do it the right way it could be pretty special. I'm looking forward to being a part of it, and helping raise that standard to get them where we need to get to." Adams served as Findlay High's running backs coach and special teams coordinator in both 2017 and 2019. In 2018, Adams was the head football coach at B. Reed Henderson High School in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Last season, Adams served as head coach at Riverdale, guiding the Falcons to a 4-4 overall record and 4-2 showing in the Blanchard Valley Conference. Adams attended Bloomsburg University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies in 2010 and a masters in Elementary and Secondary School Counseling in 2014. He was an assistant coach at Bloomsburg in 2010, and from 2012-14.Whether college or high school, big school or small, Adams' vast experience at different levels of the sport has taught him one thing: "Football is football, anywhere you go. Bottom line," he said. "This is not about me, though. This is about being in a wonderful community and having the opportunity as a head football coach to bring people together, and I'm looking forward to doing exactly that on Friday nights." Adams replaces Matt Pees as FHS head coach. Pees, a former assistant with the NFL's Tennessee Titans, replaced Mark Ritzler a year ago and led Findlay to a 3-2 record in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Pees then joined his father Dean, returning to the NFL when the Atlanta Falcons lured the elder Pees out of retirement to become their defensive coordinator. "I think the kids took a big step last year under Matt Pees," Adams said. "Matt did a great job brining a new attitude on defense. I look forward to being a catalyst in helping move that forward." Adams advocates no specific style of football. That, he says, depends on the personnel he has to work with. "I can tell you what we want to do and right now, on paper, it might sound good and make sense," Adams said. "(But) I'm not going to give you coach-speak. We're going to be multiple, very flexible on offense and defense. We want to tailor our schemes where we can take best advantage of our athletes and hone in on what we're really good at. "A lot depends on what the guys do in the weight room. I think we have an idea of what we want to do. I know it's there, I know the kids coming up, and I'm excited to see what the kids put into it." With his past experience as an FHS assistant, Adams is well aware of the competition he'll be facing in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference. "Any coach will tell you when they get into this thing (coaching) that you want to shoot for the stars," he said. "You want to compete at the highest level. I enjoy that. I come from a big school in an area back in Pennsylvania that a couple of teams that were championship-caliber teams, so we're looking forward to the challenge."