After a disheartening season filled with controversy, 10 losses and former head coach Scott Fischer stepping down, the future of Bison football was left uncertain. 

Through a long selection process including student and parent input as well as school administration, Jonathan Gonell has been selected to rebuild the program as the new head coach.

“Our program has been struggling for the last three years, so we were looking for somebody to rebuild the program from bottom to top,” said athletic director Ryan Peters. “Someone that was willing to work hard, someone that’s had experience with successful programs, someone that has done it before.” 

Gonell has played and coached on multiple levels in the sport. He began his career playing for one of the best high school football teams in Florida before committing to Mount Union where he played linebacker under renowned coaches Larry and Vince Kehres. 

Gonell won two national championships as a player at Mount Union, but after he graduated, he returned to his alma mater as a coach, and brought home a third national championship in 2017. He then transitioned to the high school level, coaching at Avon, another top football school in Ohio. 

One thing’s clear: Gonell knows how to win. 

“To get wins, it’s important to have purpose in everything you do. It’s not easy, but teams that have a mindset of intent in everything—whether it’s a workout, a classroom session, practice, or walkthrough—are the teams that succeed. Intent is one of the key things, besides talent, that needs to be developed,” said Gonell. 

Gonell’s philosophy of coaching is focused on helping students become the best version of themselves.

“We’re placing a strong emphasis on doing things right, just building better young high school kids into adults that are gonna be successful in a community, and I think to do that, you [have to] hold kids accountable and be fair but stern with what you expect,” he said. 

Another aspect Coach Gonellis focused on is team bonding, and making sure that the team remains connected, even during the offseason.

“The number one thing is giving [students] opportunities to be in the weight room. It’s not mandatory, but if [students] can get that, it’s just great, I mean, putting in the work together, those blood, sweat and tears moments where you’re doing something that’s hard, [students] tend to build a bond.”

Gonell and Athletic Director Ryan Peters are both optimistic about the future of the program, but know there’s a long road ahead. 

“It’s not gonna be an overnight success, you’re not gonna walk in there and be 10-0 and make the playoffs next year. That’s a team that has got to put the time in and the effort into it,” Peters said. “It takes five to eight years to build a program to where we want it to be.” 

“You look at our swimming success, you look at our track and field success, you look at soccer…Those coaches have been around for a while, and it took time,” he added. “So [football] is something that will just take time.” 

Peters is focused on building the program from the bottom up.

“Now I will tell you: I’m watching all these incoming freshmen,” he said. “They’re all showing up. Now our sophomores are starting to show. My concern is the juniors, the current juniors are not showing up.” 

Sophomore team captain Maverick Edwards explains that just because players are yet to come, doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t. 

“There’s still time, I mean, we have spring sports, winter sports that just ended…I think those who want to come out and are committed to winning will show up,” he said. 

“We’ve got Tristan Brown who’ll be a senior next year, Diez Williams, among others. We’ll get it together,” he added.

Gonell remains hopeful that he can get a whole team together.

“It’s tough because you get a culture where kids don’t wanna play on the football team anymore,” he said. “Football is a big time commitment, too, which I think is why some kids are hesitant, but football just teaches so many lessons… I mean, it’s that discipline, it’s doing the right thing in everything you do, it’s being in the weight room watching yourself get stronger.”

“There was a standard in the last three years that maybe causes some of the upperclassmen to not really wanna play, but I think it’ll just be an adjustment for those players,” Edwards said. “It’s not a walk in the park, it’s not a piece of cake, it’s a hard thing to do for sure. If you’re willing to put the work in, we’ve got some games we can win next year.”

Gonell and Peters both stress the weight room’s importance in a team’s overall success.

“I’ve watched [Gonell] work, he’s outstanding,” Peters said. “He’s teaching basic movements…knows what he’s doing in the weight room for sure. But this is a process that [requires] patience. Building football back up is a harder process than most sports, it’s not like soccer where you can just roll a ball out and go…  you gotta make sure [students] are strong and able to have contact.”

Both Gonell and Peters acknowledge that rebuilding is going to take patience and sustained effort from the community, but they remain confident that one day in the near future, the Bison will reclaim their place as a serious contender in football.