Anderson High School head football coach Evan Dreyer has received a one-game suspension for violating two Ohio High School Athletic Association general sports regulations related to off-season practices.
Dreyer will sit out the Raptors' opener on Friday, Aug. 21, against perennial Kentucky power Louisville Trinity.
Anderson High School strength coach Adam Szabo first reported the violations to the school. He identified seven incidents where the football team may have violated OHSAA regulations. Since the OHSAA asks every school to self-report any violations, the school conducted an investigation and ultimately substantiated that the team violated two regulations. They are 7.8 - Individual Skill Instruction Definition, and 7.10 - Individual Skill/
Coaching Instruction.
Those two instances stem from regulation 7.3, which states that a maximum of seven football players are permitted to receive instruction from a single coach during the offseason (Jan. 1 to May 14). Multiple groups and coaches are allowed to be in the same facility so long as they are not combining groups or engaging in "team play" (e.g. 7-on-7).
Szabo submitted videos showing that Anderson held multiple practices in that time period where the team either installed plays in an 11-on-0 scenario or participated in full contact team play.
Additionally, the coaching staff received a one-year probation and must attend ethics training. They must log all weight training and coaching sessions over the next two years and submit them to the school and the OHSAA to remain in compliance.
"The football program, school and district take matters like this very seriously, and we are committed to adhering to the consequences, enhanced monitoring and educational requirements set forth by the OHSAA in response to this investigation. Importantly, we want to emphasize that no students are directly impacted by or are subject to these consequences. FHSD appreciates the OHSAA's partnership throughout this process. We have already begun implementing these measures to reinforce compliance with all applicable regulations moving forward, and our focus remains on providing a positive and successful experience for our student-athletes," the Forest Hills School District said in a statement.
The case will be included in the infractions report at the OHSAA's Board of Directors meeting on Aug. 27.
"I accept full responsibility for how this situation was handled. I should have demonstrated greater awareness and better judgment, and I will learn from it. At the same time, as it has been for all 20 years of my career as an assistant and head coach, I remain fully committed to developing our players, helping them improve, and creating opportunities for them to continue their education and football careers at the next level. That commitment is a hallmark of our program and our culture, and we will continue pursuing it with greater care, awareness and accountability," Dreyer said.
Dreyer is entering his 11th season as Anderson's coach. Under his guidance, the Raptors have gone 101-29, won three Eastern Cincinnati Conference titles and advanced to the DII state championship game in 2024 and 2025. He has a 145-57 overall record, including one season at Oak Hills and six at Western Brown.
He received the 2025 Paul Brown Excellence in Coaching Award from the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the third Anderson coach to receive the award, joining Jeff Giesting in 2007 and Vince Suriano in 2002.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Anderson football coach to miss first game after OHSAA rule violation
