Finding a level: Snider brings experience from different ranks of football to Hayfield

Published 8:42 pm Friday, August 16, 2019

HAYFIELD —  Jeff Snider has seen football played in many different places at many different levels. He’s going to feed off that experience this fall as he takes over as head coach of the Hayfield football team.

Snider is an Ohio native who coached high school football at Cedar Rapids Prairie in Iowa and Division III football at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He has been a math teacher and assistant football coach with the Vikings for the previous four years.

“Football is ingrained in your blood in Ohio. I love it and I’m happy to be around the game and to be able to teach the kids,” Snider said. “I’m able to take things from every aspect that I’ve been a part of and tie them in together. Hopefully that’s a good thing. I’ve seen a lot of things and we’ll be able to bring in a lot of things.”

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The Vikings had a resurgence in players out for football last year and went 3-6 overall. This season the team is big on numbers and high on upperclassmen and Hayfield is looking to put together a solid campaign.

Hayfield head football coach Jeff Snider speaks to his team in practice Wednesday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

Hayfield senior Kolby Tapp said the team is well accustomed to Snider and the early practices have gone great.

“We’ve had really, really good days in practice,” Tapp said. “We’ve been going through a lot of stuff really fast and we’re picking it up. We all know (Snider), we all get along with him and he’s got a lot of football knowledge.”

Snider isn’t making too many big changes to what Hayfield runs, but he has taken the time to give his players a chance to catch up in early practices this week. Senior quarterback Brady Nelson has been one of those players and he’s excited about the season ahead of the Vikings.

“He’s made it really easy on us,” Nelson said. “We got all of the plays, everything early in the season so we could transition into his system.”

Snider, who replaces former head coach John Howe, has had no trouble with the team as he has been around them in school and on the practice fields for the past four years.

“The adjustment has been pretty smooth,” Snider said. “I’ve worked with these guys for their whole high school careers. I’ve seen a lot of these guys in the classroom and they know what to expect from me.”