HOLMES TOWNSHIP — Wynford football coach Gabe Helbert announced his resignation on Tuesday after 10 years as head coach and 18 years with the program.
Helbert continued an amazing run of success on the gridiron begun by his predecessor, Travis Moyer. Helbert was a member of Moyer’s staff for eight years prior to becoming the head man. Both are Crestline natives.
Since taking the helm in 2012, Helbert has amassed a record of 76-33. In that time, Wynford won five Northern 10 Athletic Conference championships, with 2014-17 being undefeated in the league. He was named N10 Coach of the Year five times.
The Royals went 83-12 during his eight years as an assistant to Moyer. They won seven consecutive North Central Conference titles in that time. The team’s 83-12 record during Helbert’s time as an assistant means that he was part of 159 victories (with just 45 defeats), 12 league titles, 13 playoff wins, three regional runners-up and one regional championship.
In his 18 years at Wynford, Helbert only experienced one losing season — that being 2021 at 4-7. Even then, the Royals made the playoffs when the OHSAA expanded the field to 16 teams per region.
Wynford will be seeking a new head football coach for only the third time in the past two decades.