While Bridgeport will likely officially gain a head coach Tuesday, the Indians will also be looking to replace one as well. Long-time assistant coach Jason Nicewarner confirmed, as did Principal Mark DeFazio, that Nicewarner will not be back in 2018.

 

Make no mistake, he’ll be tough to replace. He had the background. He had the smarts. He had the ability to adjust.

 

Jason Nicewarner also enjoyed the game and the kids he coached. About the only thing Nicewarner didn’t particularly enjoy on the football field was the media.

 

Not that he was ever bad to myself or anyone else, but he preferred to be out of the spotlight and focus on his job. When I talked to him last week to let him know I was going to be writing about him stepping down and told him “I already know the answer to this question – Do you want to be interviewed?” He just smiled and told me he would pass.

 

Jason Nicewarner was fine being out of the spotlight while coaching on the sidelines. And he’s been on the sidelines for more than a decade; starting his career as a coach during the 2007 season with former Coach Bruce Carey all the way through last year’s season with John Cole.

 

Cole said the long-time assistant was as critical to the team’s success during that time frame, which included three state championships, as anyone on the staff. Cole should know as he was on the staff long before Nicewarner’s arrival.

 

“He’ll be tough to replace,” said Cole. “Jason was demanding and expected a lot out of the kids and, at this level, that’s the way you have to be. It worked for Jason because they saw how hard he worked as a coach and he earned their respect. When he talked, they listened.”

 

Eventually, the job will be posted. Eventually, DeFazio and Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Matt DeMotto will have to interview candidates to replace him. DeFazio, like Cole, had words of praise.

“Without a doubt he was very instrumental to the success we’ve had the past several years. He had the background in college football and you could tell he knew the game and kids could tell as well,” said DeFazio. “He just did an exceptional job for us, but what really made him exceptional was that he understood Bridgeport football.”

 

Nicewarner was a key component to some of Coach Wayne Jamison’s strong teams in the mid-1990s. Nicewarner – at 6’3 and roughly 185 pounds during his prep days – was a big quarterback and equally big defensive back for the Indians.

 

In 1995, Nicewarner’s two-way play led the Tribe to a 9-2 start to the season in the eight-team playoff field with a first round win over Ieager. The Indians then came within a touchdown of advancing to the ‘AA’ state title game by falling 14-7 to Bluefield and finishing at 9-3.

 

Nicewarner was a big reason they got that far. He earned first team Class AA All State honors on defense and also managed to land recognition on several other postseason honor squads. He was a first team member on the All-Harrison County, All-Big 10, All-Monon Valley and the All-Shinnston squad.

 

The best part of all of this? His ability landed him a spot on the West Virginia Wesleyan football roster. The even better part? Jason Nicewarner went on to play receiver for three years of football at West Virginia Wesleyan, including being ranked nationally in pass receptions during one of those campaigns. He started the majority of his final two years with the Bobcats before a torn meniscus derailed his final year of play. Nicewarner also managed to play a year of collegiate baseball.

 

“I don’t know how many people know that he played at Wesleyan,” said Cole. “What’s crazy is that he was a receiver. Think about a receiver from Bridgeport doing big things college. That’s what Jason did and I think that’s why he was so versatile when it came to coaching.”

 

Cole’s statement isn’t hyperbole. Cole said he believes he came in under Carey coaching defensive backs, but eventually became the defensive coordinator. Last year, when Cole took over in the interim position, Jason Nicewarner switched from defensive coordinator to the offensive coordinator.

 

“He had defensive back and quarterback experience here and when you’re a receiver, you not only have to learn your plays, but you have to learn what the quarterback is doing and how to block,” said Cole. “I think all of those things figured in to him being able to excel on both sides of the ball as a coach.”

 

With several people in new positions last year, Cole said he was thrilled to see his offensive coordinator pick right up. In fact, he said the one area where he might have had a concern was quickly shown to be no concern.

 

“He had more of an understanding of the linemen than I thought he would, and that’s not an insult. That’s usually a different area for most, but he got it,” said Cole. “That allowed for an easy transition and we worked closely together and he would come up with schemes all the time that proved extremely beneficial working out of the pistol.”

 

Cole was around long enough to see Jason Nicewarner go from rookie coach to veteran coach. He said he grew in one key area that many coaches that are as gifted athletically as Nicewarner was sometimes have a hard time adjusting to.

 

“The learning curve early on that he had to deal with was seeing that not everyone got things as easy as he did when he played or weren’t as good athletically. Things came easy to him, but he quickly developed the teaching skills to teach all of them at every skill level,” said Cole. “That’s important because you have to be patient. In high school, just about everyone is at a different level and you have to learn to adapt to that because you have who you have. I saw Jason make that adjustment pretty quickly and it really paid off for the program.”

 

It should also be noted that Jason Nicewarner did his coaching while starting a family. He did his coaching full-time at Bridgeport High School while working full-time away from the education system.

 

“Jason made sacrifices,” said Cole. “I wish him well.”

 

Now the question is going to be who is next? DeFazio said the paid position will hopefully go to someone with the same level of ability as Nicewarner, but he knows that’s not going to be easy to do.

 

“You want to find the best available person for the job with knowledge and a good background. I hate to use the phrase over and over, but we want someone that understands Bridgeport football because that’s important to the ongoing success and Jason understood it as much as anyone,” said DeFazio. “If you can find that and someone that understands how to handle kids, someone like Jason, then you can still be in good shape.”

 

Editor's Note: Top two photos show Jason Nicewarner during his final game as a coach at Bridgeport High School during the 'AA' semifinal against Bluefield, while bottom photo is from an early season home game. (Photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com). Third photo, courtesy of Ryan Nicewarner, shows Jason Nicewarner working out at West Virginia Wesleyan, while the fourth photo is of Nicewarner during his time at BHS. Photo is courtesy of Mrs. Alice Rowe and the BHS journalism department.