Martin Tobias no longer Penns Valley football coach, other changes announced

After 20 years at the helm, Martin Tobias is no longer the head football coach at Penns Valley. The coach’s departure, along with other vacancies and one hire, was announced Tuesday night by Penns Valley athletic director Nate Althouse.

Penns Valley girls’ soccer head coach Jeff Smucker resigned his post, golf coach Steve Fleagle stepped down, and the school board approved the hiring of Jon Bowersox as varsity baseball’s head coach, according to a release the school district.

Tobias, whose Rams finished 2-8 with a 2-5 Mountain League record this season, said the decision was not his to make.

“Nor was it my choice,” Tobias said. “It was my full intention to keep coaching the great game of football. I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to coach all the fine young men who have been involved in our program the last 20 years. They represented our community with Ram pride.”

Althouse said the decision to move in a different direction was not a rash one.

“It’s extremely tough,” the athletic director said. “For somebody who is such a pillar in our community and has been in his position for so long, it’s not a decision we take lightly.”

Althouse said a desire to become more competitive, especially in conference games, was the driving factor for a change. Dating back to 2006, Penns Valley football has had two winning seasons, and a combined 33-69 record. The Rams’ conference record in Tobias’ last three years is 6-15.

“If you look at the last few years, we’ve had a number of games where we just weren’t competitive,” Althouse said. “It’s not just Marty. It’s looking at the program as a whole.”

Althouse also said it was not out of the realm of possibility that Tobias could return to the position.

“This has been a hard week at Penns Valley, as you can imagine,” Althouse said in an email. “I want to point out that opening the position does not preclude the chance of Marty’s return. If he wishes to continue coaching he will be given strong consideration.”

As the athletic department searches for a new head football coach, it’ll also be seeking a new leader of the girls’ soccer program.

Smucker was the Lady Rams’ head coach for the last five seasons. Prior to being at the helm, Smucker was an assistant under former head coach Jeff Weist for nine years.

The Lady Rams tallied a 10-7-1 overall record in 2015, including an 8-5-1 conference mark, and lost 3-1 to Richland in the first round of the District 6 Class A tournament last month. Under Smucker’s direction, Penns Valley improved on its record every year.

Meanwhile, Althouse said he was excited about the hire of Bowersox, a former Penns Valley baseball standout.

The athletic director believes Bowersox, replacing former head coach Charlie Romig who resigned in October, has been looking forward to the opportunity.

“He’s got a wealth of baseball knowledge,” Althouse said. “It’s good to see that glint in the eye that says, ‘I’m ready to go.’”

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 11:39 PM with the headline "Martin Tobias no longer Penns Valley football coach, other changes announced."