An Iowa high school football team will enter the playoffs without its entire coaching staff.
According to a report by Western Iowa Today, Tri-Center High School had its entire football coaching staff - including head coach Jake Gentile - suspended before a Week 7 contest with Missouri Valley.
“The (Tri-Center) football coaching staff has been put on administrative leave,” a statement from the Tri-Center Community School District read. “At no point was the safety of any student athlete a concern.
“The district will not comment further about this personnel issue. We are trying to move forward and give the kids the best experience in finishing the season.”
Chad Harder Has Taken Over As Interim Head Football Coach At Tri-Center
Chad Harder, a principal who also serves as the head boys basketball coach for the Trojans, has taken over as the head coach of the football team for the remainder of the season. He previously coached at the junior high level for football.
On Bound, the official website for Iowa high school sports, there are no names listed under coaching staff. Gentile replaced Steve Peterson, who was the head coach during the 2025 season.
Tri-Center opened the season with four consecutive losses before scoring a 51-7 victory over Red Oak. From there, they went 1-2 down the stretch, besting Missouri Valley around losses to Treynor and Shenandoah.
The Trojans will travel to take on West Lyon, the defending Class 1A state champion, in the first round on Friday night.
Tri-Center Two Years Removed From 12-Win Season On The Gridiron
Two years ago, Tri-Center went 12-1 in Class A and won the state championship before moving up to Class 1A last year. They were 4-5, followed by the current 2-6 year this season.
AJ Harder, in his third season as the starting quarterback, has thrown for 1,502 yards and 16 touchdowns, completing 63 percent of his passes. He is also the top rusher with 621 yards, scoring eight times.
Cameron Wallar, Rylan Ring and Kane Daughenbaugh have taken over as the leading receivers. Ring has 327 yards, Wallar 263 and Daughenbaugh 220.
Gentile was a standout at Council Bluffs St. Albert, going on to play for South Dakota State University.
Jake Gentile Was Standout For Council Bluffs St. Albert, Played College Football
Gentile previously had a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Tri-Center. He also coached at Council Bluffs St. Albert for five years and at Bellevue West in Nebraska for three.
Tri-Center has had four different head coaches over the past three seasons, including Harder as the interim head coach this year.
The 2011 Council Bluffs St. Albert grad helped the Falcons win two state championships. He ran for 961 yards and scored 14 touchdowns as a junior before running for 1,320 and 22 touchdowns his senior season.
As a senior, Gentile caught 20 passes for 259 yards with two touchdowns, picked off four passes and returned a punt for a score.
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