BY SHERI TRUSTY

PORT CLINTON – After a successful 2025 season, the Port Clinton High School (PCHS) football team is heading into fall with a new head coach who hopes to take the team even further. Coach Kevin Huntley is a former NFL player with extensive experience performing on the field and coaching from the sidelines. Huntley was a St. Joseph Central Catholic football standout before graduating in 1994, and he played football and ran track for the University of Wisconsin.

Huntley played two seasons with the NFL before an injury ended his career. He played in the Arena Football League for a few years, and then turned his focus to other goals. He moved to Florida and spent 11 of his 22 years there coaching football. Huntley then returned to Northwest Ohio and served as a PCHS assistant football coach for the past two years and was offered the head coach position this year.

Kevin Huntley is Port Clinton’s new head football coach. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“I’ve always enjoyed the coaching aspect,” Huntley said. “I’ve been part of this team for two years and was asked to step into the role when Coach (Eric) Leuthold stepped down.”

In the past two years, Huntley has gained the respect of locals inside and outside the school, and accepting the head coach position offered an opportunity to better engrain himself into the city he has made his own.

“I have the support of the coaches, the kids, and the community,” he said. “This is an opportunity to help the program and establish myself into the community.”

Huntley was on staff last year when the Port Clinton team reached the second round of the playoffs. The success was a huge boost for the school’s football program, which Huntley said has struggled in the past.

“We had a good year last year,” he said. “Historically, this team has struggled, but we went deep into the playoffs.”

Last year’s team included only five seniors, so much of this year’s team, including quarterback Landon Leis, is entering the season with playoff experience and a thirst for more success.

Port Clinton’s new head football coach, Kevin Huntley, said he couldn’t ask for a greater group of coaches to work alongside of him. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“We don’t want that to be a one-off,” Huntley said.

In addition to experience, this year’s team is defined by balance.

“We like to fashion ourselves as being more balanced,” Huntley said. “We’re physical, but we’re also quick. We’re fast with the football. We’ve played that defensively, but we want to spread that across the team.”

The team is also buoyed by a strong coaching staff.

“The coaches are phenomenal. They know what to do, they care about the kids, and they support me,” Huntley said. “I couldn’t ask for a greater group of coaches.”

When the team steps onto True Lay Stadium for the first game of the season on Aug. 21, they will be fueled by last year’s success.

“We have a great group of kids. We’re excited for the opportunity to see what we can do,” Huntley said. “We’re creating the expectation of high expectations for the team.”