“I get thrills and chills just talking about (winning the regional title),” Shawn Jarzab said. “It’s one of the highlights of my coaching career for sure and I’m so glad I got to experience it with the McGills and of course with my sons. I don’t want to say it’s like a Hallmark movie, but it’s a really neat thing.”
In their fourth trip to the regional finals since 2013, the Tigers broke through to the state semifinals last Friday night. The win over Indian Lake marked the first regional championship in program history.
For the West Liberty-Salem coaching staff, it was the culmination of decades of hard work for the McGill and Jarzab families.
“Last week was just extra rewarding knowing the history with (the assistant coaches) and what we’ve put into it and finally getting over that hurdle is rewarding,” said West Liberty-Salem head coach Dan McGill. “It was certainly a goal we’ve always had and we were all hoping we’d coach long enough to get it done.”
The football program is led by two trios of family members — the McGills and the Jarzabs.
Dan McGill is joined by his brother, offensive/defensive line coach Andy McGill and his cousin, defensive coordinator Jon McGill. The coaching staff also includes three Springfield residents — Shawn Jarzab (wide receivers/safeties) and his sons, Shawnee graduates Brad Jarzab (quarterbacks/safeties) and Matt Jarzab (wide receivers/safeties).
“Shawn will say they’re the McJarzabs,” Dan McGill said. “It’s been really good. They’re really great guys. They do a great job and they care about the kids. They do things the right way.”
The Tigers (13-1) will play Ironton (13-1) in a D-V state semifinal game at 7 p.m. Friday at Chillicothe High School’s Herrnstein Field. The winner will play either Liberty Center (14-0) or Canfield South Range (14-0) in the D-V state championship game at 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
The families’ football journey began decades ago. All three McGills played together at West Liberty-Salem in 1993 — Dan and Jon McGill, both 1994 grads, were seniors when Andy McGill, a 1997 grad, was a freshman.
“All three of us started next to each other on the offensive line,” Dan McGill said.
A few years later, they stepped back on the field together at Campbellsville (Ky.) University.
“We were teammates down there and roommates,” Dan McGill said. “We’ve been around each other our whole lives.”
When Dan McGill was hired as the Tigers head coach in 2013, he brought on his cousin Jon McGill to serve as defensive coordinator. A few years later, Dan’s brother Andy McGill joined the staff as offensive and defensive line coach.
The three McGills also coached their sons along the way. Dan’s youngest son, Luke McGill, is a senior captain on this year’s squad.
“(Football) is just a part of our family culture,” Dan McGill said.
After stints at South and Northwestern, Shawn Jarzab joined the Shawnee High School coaching staff in 2010 when his son, Brad, was a junior quarterback for the Braves. A year later, Brad Jarzab, an All-Ohio quarterback who went on to play at the University of St. Francis (Ind.), led the Braves to the D-III state championship game where they fell to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney.
Jarzab stayed on Shawnee’s staff through the 2017 season, coaching his son, Matt.
The following season, Brad Jarzab, a deputy with the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, became the School Resource Officer at West Liberty-Salem and was later asked by Dan McGill to join the coaching staff — and he wanted him to bring his Dad with him.
“I jumped at the chance,” Shawn Jarzab said. “It was a very surreal moment for myself to think that I could go coach with my son. I was able to be blessed to coach my son and be on the staff when he was there. I jumped at the chance.”
Shawn and Brad were both members of the coaching staff in 2019 when the Tigers lost to West Jefferson in a regional final game — their third regional final loss in seven seasons. The Tigers also lost in the regional final in 2013 and 2014.
A few years later, after graduating from college, Matt Jarzab began volunteering and eventually joined the staff.
“It’s just a great family atmosphere,” Dan McGill said. “As good of coaches as they are, they’re better men. I’m just thankful to have them on my staff.”
The team will practice on Thanksgiving for the first time ever. They have a lot to be thankful for, Shawn Jarzab said.
“It’s an incredible, surreal moment, but the people I’m happiest for — and I know and speak for Brad and Matt — are Dan, Andy and Jon because they had been in (the regional final) so many times before and for whatever reason, they couldn’t get over the hump,” Shawn Jarzab said. “For all of us together, it felt like the puzzle pieces fit together. We’re blessed to be together.”
Who: West Liberty-Salem (13-1) vs. Ironton (13-1)
What: Division V state semifinal
When: 7 p.m., Friday
Where: Chillicothe High School’s Herrnstein Field
Tickets: To purchase tickets, log on to OHSAA.org/tickets.
TV: Streaming on the Spectrum News App and OHSAA.tv (subscription required).
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