First-year Troy coach Ryan Jones has the Trojans at 6-1, and on a collision path with rival Tipp for the MVL Miami Division title. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
In a combination of what we saw over the weekend and our regular ‘Who’s Hot’ recognition, it’s hard to overlook the redemptive season of the Troy Trojans thus far, and the anticipated fulfillment of old expectations.
Troy, OH – They say there’s a man for every job.
And in coaching, they say there’s men for some jobs, and other men for other jobs.
And no more obvious than with football, where emotions run hot, and community fulfillment exists with those rare cases where wins, satisfaction over playing time, and open-door policy for whosoever may come co-exist in harmony. Along with, of course, just plain likeability.
Find a person who has all those qualities and you’ll likely put him on the Mt. Rushmore of high school football, in a spot so prominent as to be suited for George Washington.
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
And so it is in Troy, at least for seven weeks, as first-year coach Ryan Jones has guided the Trojans to a 6-1 record, an undefeated record in the Miami Valley League, and satisfied many of those who previously said, at least figuratively: “We’re winning, yes, but we want something different.”
Different? Troy Everhart won 9 games as coach in 2025, including a Division I playoff game, before falling to Wayne in the second round of the post-season, 20-14. Good, but it could have been better, apparently. This on the heels of a 6-5 record in 2024 when Everhart lost three games by a margin of one score, or less.
But at the expense of opening some old wounds, some in Troy were not satisfied. Everhart’s ways were his ways – hard work and hard football – not to be confused with a changing culture of expectations…on and off the field.
He stepped down after the 2025 season, and the search went out to find something different – more workable.
In Versailles, just up the road, Ryan Jones was likewise struggling through a period of discontent, even while having led the storied Tigers to the OHSAA Division V title in 2021, and over Kirtland High School, no less, snapping the Hornets 55-game winning streak in the process. It proved to be a tease, for in subsequent seasons Jones and Versailles fell prey to the vagaries of football – competition in the sinister-tough MAC Conference, graduation, injuries, and, of course…expectations. Jones, like Everhart, resigned following a 5-5 season in 2025, and became a free agent in the swirling post-season of coaching rumors and the hiring merry-go-round.
Having previously coached at Troy Christian, where he amassed a winning record of 22-9 during four years of the state’s smallest division in football, Jones’ name quickly became the subject of…why not Troy again, only on a bigger scale?
Casey Anderson ran for 289 yards for Troy against Butler in the Trojans’ Friday win over Vandalia Butler.
The question gained momentum. Old attitudes about football legacy at Troy were considered. Can he beat Piqua? Can he rebuild an identity? Can he bring us that state title?
And in the spring of 2026 Ryan Jones was formally announced as the Trojans’ new head coach, based on his record of success, character, personality, and let’s be honest…likeability. His time at Troy Christian, and familiarity, for a time had put questions over identity and a state title on the back burner.
Who needs Barabbas? Give us Ryan Jones.
“It’s nice to be remembered,” he said during a First Person interview with Press Pros in June. “Any time that you have the respect of a great community and football program like Troy – that finds you interesting enough to interview and hire – it’s a great feeling. It’s a privilege to be the coach at Troy High School. I appreciate the opportunity to continue my career and have a positive impact on football and the lives of the players.”
And so far, so good. After a non-conference loss to Pickerington North (who’s presently running roughshod through the Ohio Capital Conference), Jones has righted the ship for six consecutive wins in the Miami Valley League, including Piqua, and has the Trojans on an ascending escalator of confidence headed towards a collision course with Tipp City on October 16th.
And questions about success against Piqua, a negative streak against Tipp (the Trojans haven’t won since 2019), and sustaining a path of football success at Troy have for now been quieted. Troy beat rival Piqua three weeks ago, 28-14, checking at least one of the boxes.
And subsequent shootout wins over Fairborn and Butler (last week) have Jones and the Trojans right on course with the expectations for something different. Expectations, in fact, that have been there since the days of Steve Nolan and his 223 wins at Troy.
So far, so good? And is there a man for every job?
The same question existed when Jones took the job in Versailles in 2019. His ways were not that of the legendary Al Hetrick and his six state titles, but he quickly found footing with his own title win over Kirtland two years later. And make no mistake, Jones has a way.
“I’ve always been interested in coach at Troy. When the job came open last spring it didn’t take me long to throw my hat in the ring.”
“It’s always good to see positive things,” Jones reminded during that June interview. “It gives you motivation, and that motivation is good when things aren’t going your way. I’ve always been interested in coaching in Troy, since I moved here in 2015. I enjoyed my time at Troy Christian and it was always in the back of my mind about coaching at Troy if the opportunity presented itself someday. When the job came open last spring it didn’t take me long to throw my hat in the ring.”
As if predestined.
But predestination comes with the same expectations and the issue of perception and reality. Beat Piqua and win titles and things seem to take care of themselves. Steve Nolan never won a state title, either, but his contribution to the Troy legacy is nonetheless matchless.
Through seven games, Ryan Jones and the Trojans are reopening old eyes, along with some new ones, about what could be possible. Too soon to concern yourself with legacy, just give the people what they want.
Wins, character, personality, and optimism.
In Miami County and Troy, no one’s more deserving of ‘Who’s Hot’ recognition this week…than Ryan Jones and the Troy Trojans.
Peace of mind is as easy as the relationship you have with your local bank, and the St. Henry bank is small enough to know you, and big enough to serve you. The St. Henry Bank joins Press Pros Magazine in recognizing this week’s “Who’s Hot” honorees…coach Ryan Jones and Troy High School football.