MADISON TWP. — Ethan Ketchum remembers being the kid who watched Madison High School’s senior football players and imagined what it would feel like to stand in their place.
That waiting is over.
Ketchum is part of a large senior class tasked with helping the Mohawks restore a program that has endured several difficult seasons since its memorable run to the Division V regional championship game in 2018.
“You wait your whole life for this,” Ketchum said. “As a kid, you’re looking up to those dudes, and now you’re one of them. It just feels great.”
There is a similar sense of anticipation surrounding second-year Madison coach Evan Crim, a 2019 graduate who grew up in the district, played for the Mohawks during their last deep postseason run and eventually returned to coach at his alma mater.
His first season as head coach ended with a 1-9 record. Madison was outscored 366-122 and went winless in Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division play — with five of its final six opponents finishing with winning records and four reaching double figures in victories.
The results were painful, but Crim said the foundation beneath them was beginning to take shape.
Madison played last season with approximately 35 players and relied heavily on young athletes who were forced into demanding roles. The Mohawks expect to dress between 45 and 55 players this fall, with 18 seniors providing leadership and experience.
“I have high hopes for this team,” Crim said. “I’m super happy for those guys and excited for them. They’ve done a great job pushing leadership and being in leadership roles that they haven’t been in before. They’ve taken that to new heights.”
The larger roster provides depth Madison lacked a year ago. It also gives the Mohawks more competition during practice and a better chance to avoid asking the same players to remain on the field for nearly every offensive, defensive and special teams snap.
“It’s just been different,” Ketchum said. “We’re trying to change something around here, and we’re working hard for it.”
Crim’s second season at the helm has brought stability in more ways than one.
He previously taught at Middletown but has now completed a full school year teaching at Madison. That daily contact has allowed him to build stronger relationships with players and reinforce the program’s expectations throughout the entire year instead of only during practices and workouts.
“I think that’s huge because you’re building a relationship with those kids every day at school, and then it translates right out here to the field,” Crim said. “They’re understanding the standard. They understand that to be a Mohawk football player here, the standard has to get raised because we want to get back to our winning ways.”
Crim understands that restoring those winning ways will not happen through motivational speeches alone.
He said the Mohawks must become more disciplined, eliminate simple mistakes and consistently execute the details of an offense that depends on timing, deception and physicality.
Madison’s wing-T system is entering its fourth season since Crim returned to the coaching staff. Instead of learning the basic language of the offense, experienced players can focus on reading defenses, refining footwork and executing assignments at a higher speed.
“Once you get the wing-T going — year one, year two, year three, year four — now they get it,” Crim said. “I’m super happy with where we are offensively.”
The system fits Madison’s history.
Crim played on Madison’s 2018 team that finished 12-1 and reached the Division V regional final before losing to Wheelersburg. He has described himself as a “wing-T, wing-gun guy at heart,” preferring gap schemes, misdirection and heavy formations while incorporating motion, formation changes and tempo to keep defenses off balance.
Nearly everyone from last season’s offense is back, according to Crim, but the most significant departure belongs to running back Kody Clark.
Clark, Madison’s leading rusher in 2025, transferred to Preble Shawnee. The schedule immediately turned that move into one of the area’s most intriguing opening-week storylines.
Madison begins the season Aug. 21 on the road against Preble Shawnee. The Arrows went 10-2 last season and defeated the Mohawks 35-18 in the 2025 opener at Madison.
Crim is not dwelling on the circumstances surrounding the matchup. His focus remains on the players who stayed, the players who returned to the district and the seniors who have committed themselves to changing the program’s trajectory.
“Everybody else is back,” Crim said. “We’ve gotten some kids who were previously in our district, went to a different district and came back to us. Numbers-wise, I love where we’re at offensively.”
The Mohawks will also look different defensively.
Madison operated primarily from a 3-4 alignment last season but struggled to match the size and physicality of several opponents along the line of scrimmage. Increased participation has given the coaching staff more options up front, allowing the Mohawks to return to a traditional 4-2-5 defense.
Crim expects the additional defensive lineman to help Madison control gaps, protect its linebackers and place more speed on the field in the secondary.
“Our numbers have helped,” Crim said. “We didn’t have that much size up front last year. Now we’re going to be running the 4-2-5, getting back to our traditional roots.”
Madison’s defense will need significant improvement after allowing at least 28 points in nine games last season. The Mohawks surrendered 46 or more points four times and were shut out offensively in consecutive league losses to Eaton and Valley View.
“You’ve got to stop the simple mistakes and focus on details and just grind,” Ketchum said. “There’s only one way to win, and that’s doing the right thing. That’s what we’re trying to build here.”
The schedule provides few opportunities for Madison to ease into the season.
After visiting Preble Shawnee, the Mohawks host Madeira and Blanchester before traveling to Dayton Christian. Madison then begins Buckeye Division competition at Brookville.
“We’re in a tough league,” Crim said. “The SWBL is a tough league. The Buckeye is a tough league. Not that that’s any excuse, but we were young last year, only having 35 guys. That’s tough for us.
“Moving into now, we’ll be rostering 45, 50, 55 dudes. That alone helps us.”
The program’s recent struggles contrast sharply with the standard Crim experienced as a player.
Madison’s 2018 team won 12 consecutive games before its season ended in the regional final. Crim took over the program last year following the resignation of Steve Poff, who had coached that team and remained on staff to assist with the offensive line.
Crim entered the job with an understanding of Madison’s history and its expectations. His first year showed how much work remained.
Year two begins with more players, more experience and a senior class that has heard enough about what the Mohawks used to be.
Crim has placed the direction of the season largely in their hands.
“It’s their season,” Crim said. “It’s the seniors, man. This is going to go how they want it to go. If they want to be average, they’ll continue to do the same things that have been done in years past — or we elevate the standard.
“They say winning isn’t everything, but I’ve never seen somebody lose and be happy. Winning is important. I also think doing things the right way is important.”
