Happy that Kevin Ronalds is a head coach again

FROM KEITH GROLLER

I was not surprised that former Allen coach Kevin Ronalds was named the head football coach at Palisades today.

Ronalds was expected to take over for Jim Brady.

I spoke at one of Kevin's classes at Palisades last month and he was optimistic about getting the position.

Kevin is a good man and a good coach.

People who only look at his record at Allen -- 34-69 in 10 seasons with two Eastern Conference playoff appearances -- miss the point.

This guy put his heart and soul into that job, and as all Allen coaches must do, Ronalds basically was avaialble to those kids 24/7 and was much more than just a football coach to them. He was a father, big brother, care taker, counselor -- you name it.

It was no wonder that in 2005 he was named the Lehigh Valley Football Ambassador of the Year for his extraordinary service to the game and the community.

"I'm just tired," was the quote Ronalds gave me when he resigned in November of 2006.

When George Clay was hired as Allen's new coach last week, he went out of his way to praise Ronalds and said he learned so much just from being on his staff.

If you think Ronalds' record was unimpressive at Allen, just consider what the Canaries have done since his departure. They have gone 3-47 with all three wins over cross-town rival Dieruff.

Ronalds will do well in the Colonial League.

Palisades made a good choice, especially now that Kevin's son will be graduating from Pen Argyl and he can turn his full attention to the Pirates.

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/