Western Warriors head football coach Torrey Shinholster yells instructions to his team. 04 November 2016
Two more Jefferson County Public School football programs are searching for head coaches after the resignations of Western’s Torrey Shinholster and Seneca’s Ted Leasor.
Shinholster resigned Friday after posting a 24-35 record over five seasons at Western. His best season was his first in 2012, when the Warriors finished 6-7 and reached the quarterfinals of the Class 4-A playoffs.
“I’ve been at Western since 2009, and it’s time for a change for me; that’s all it was,” Shinholster said. “I have two daughters who play basketball at Butler and another one who plays T-ball, and I want to spend more time with them.”
Western and Seneca are among six JCPS high schools now searching for head football coaches, joining Ballard, Central, Eastern and Pleasure Ridge Park.
Shinholster said it’s not a coincidence that several coaches have stepped down this off-season.
“You look around at other states and coaches are treated more like administrators and paid very well for their time,” he said. “I feel like we give out a lot and we’re not getting much in return. At a school like Western … we haven’t had new uniforms in four years. It’s hard to fundraise at a poor school.
“Guys are getting older, and their kids are getting older. Guys are putting their priorities straight and putting their families first. You can’t be mad at that.”
Western athletic director Jared Baker said the school is accepting applications for Shinholster’s replacement.
Seneca athletic director Scott Ricks said Leasor stepped down Monday after going 1-21 in two seasons, getting his only victory on Oct. 7 of last year when the Redhawks beat Jeffersontown 42-32.
Ricks said the Seneca program started the 2016 season with 50 players and finished with 18.
“He didn’t kick anyone off the team; they either left because of grades or behavioral issues,” Ricks said. “He changed the program around. We went from a 2.1 team GPA when he started to a 2.6 GPA. We didn’t have any classroom issues with the kids. It just came down to a numbers game for us.”