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The day began with Holy Redeemer football needing a new opponent for the season opener. A little later, the Royals needed another head coach.
Fortunately for the Royals, a familiar face had recently returned to help out.
A new full-time job has forced Dwayne Downing to hand over head coaching duties at Holy Redeemer, with assistant coach Tyson Kelley set to step in, according to athletic director JP Aquilina.
Aquilina said Downing plans to still be involved with the team during the transition to Kelley, who was previously an assistant under former Royals coach Scott Dennis and was already set to rejoin the staff for 2019.
“(Downing) is going to be a volunteer when he can,” Aquilina said. “He doesn’t know all what (his new job) will entail, but it’s going to take him out of the area, especially for training. But he’s going to help out when he can. So close to the start of the season, he didn’t want to leave us or Tyson or the boys hanging.
“It was a tough decision for him, and I think for everybody, with the timing, but he knew he had to do it. He knew he couldn’t put in the full time this season. … There’s no hard feelings with anybody. We’re all very supportive of him.”
Downing, a cornerback on Penn State’s 1986 national championship squad, coached the Royals for three seasons after previously leading program predecessor Bishop Hoban from 2002-06. He also helmed Meyers in 2010.
Kelley has spent plenty of time in the area, having played in high school at Berwick and in college at King’s. He worked on Dennis’ staff in 2014 and 2015, then coached at Old Forge and in the college ranks before returning to the area earlier this year.
Aquilina said it was a “very quick decision” to turn things over to Kelley and that Downing “spoke very highly of him.”
“You never want to have to make changes this close to the season, but we’re very comfortable with him,” Aquilina said. “… It’s Tyson’s program going forward.”
The preseason begins Monday with state-mandated heat acclimation periods before full practices open a week later.
And as it turns out, Kelley may have an extra week to get things in order before the Royals take the field.
District 2 member Holy Cross High School in Dunmore suspended its football program for the 2019 season Tuesday, leaving 10 opponents, including Holy Redeemer and Northwest, scrambling for an opponent to fill their schedules.
A lack of available players was cited as the reason. The Crusaders have often struggled with small rosters in recent seasons.
Holy Redeemer was scheduled to open its season at Holy Cross Aug. 24 with Northwest set to host the Crusaders on Sept. 14.
Aquilina said he spent Wednesday reaching out to people across the state looking for a new opponent but conceded that it’s going to be “almost impossible” given such short notice.
“We’re not going to play a game just to play a game,” Aquilina said. “If it’s a competitive game for us that works for us, we’re going to look into it.
“I don’t expect to find someone. If not, we’ll go nine games. And the way it worked out (with the late coaching switch), that might not be a bad thing for us. It might be a blessing.”