NEW MIAMI — Chris Fogle no longer has to preach New Miami’s expectations.
Now in his fourth season leading the Vikings, he can focus on raising them.
After spending last year establishing a culture and introducing daily standards, Fogle enters 2026 with a veteran roster that understands what he wants before practice even begins.
Players move into drills without being told, senior leadership has emerged and the program has started to take ownership of its identity.
“It’s a huge step in the program,” said Fogle, whose Vikings finished 3-7 and 1-2 in the Miami Valley Conference White Division a season ago. “Our culture is solidified. I don’t have to reteach everything every year. They know what to expect. I don’t have to come out and blow the whistle. They’re already there. The leadership is there, and the expectations are there.”
That foundation gives the Vikings hope they can take another step forward despite graduating a senior-heavy class.
New Miami’s greatest strength begins in the trenches.
Four starters return on the offensive line, including four-year starting tackles Isaiah Johnson and Bryton McNamee. For the first time in several seasons, the Vikings expect to field an offensive front made up entirely of juniors and seniors.
“You always want to win the trenches,” Fogle said. “The last few years we’ve been so young. We’ve never had an offensive line with juniors and seniors across the board like this. We need it.”
The experience up front should allow New Miami’s offense to become more balanced.
Sophomore quarterback Karter Johnson returns after making the transition from running back. With another offseason devoted to learning the position, Fogle said his quarterback can help open an offense that was heavily dependent on the running game in 2025.
Johnson’s development, combined with improved speed at wide receiver, gives New Miami confidence it can force defenses to defend the entire field.
“We’re not as run-heavy,” Fogle said. “Karter is committed to being a quarterback now, and he’s become a strong quarterback. We can be 50-50 run and pass, which opens our playbook tremendously. Teams can’t put eight in the box anymore because we’ve got legitimate threats on the outside.”
The added experience extends to the defensive side as well.
Keep an eye out for seniors Brian Holzberger (TE/LB), Kingston Royalty (RB/DE), Noah Adams (WR/DB) Braxton O’Neal (OL/DL) and Logan Zelada (K).
Johnson returns after earning Ohio honorable mention recognition as a defensive back, while linebacker Noah Henry is back after receiving third-team All-Ohio honors. Their presence anchors a defensive front that, like the offensive line, is built almost entirely with upperclassmen.
Fogle said veteran linemen occupying blockers will allow his linebackers to play faster, while an active offseason featuring multiple seven-on-seven competitions has accelerated the development of the Vikings’ secondary.
“We’ve never done that here before,” Fogle said of the summer passing scrimmages. “The kids looked at me the first time and asked, ‘What’s a 7-on-7?’ They had fun, and our DBs really understand our coverages now.”
Johnson has witnessed the program’s transformation firsthand.
A four-year starter, Johnson said replacing last year’s graduating class remains the biggest challenge, but he believes the younger players have embraced the responsibility of continuing to build the program.
“The goal is to rebuild our team off the seniors that we lost and push the program forward for the younger kids,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to keep it alive and keep it going.”
Johnson said New Miami’s players understand they may not have the largest roster, but effort has never been negotiable.
“No matter if we have 30 kids or if we have 12, you’re getting the full team,” Johnson said. “We’re going to give 100 percent effort until the last whistle.”
That attitude has helped reconnect the program with ‘The Village,’ according to Johnson, while giving players pride in representing one of the smallest schools in the area that still plays home games on natural grass — historice Mara Field.
The Vikings open things up at Dixie on Aug. 21.
“You’re going to see a strong, athletic team that’s going to fly around,” Fogle said. “We’re going to make the village proud. We’re going to get it done on the field, not by running our mouths. We’ll let the scoreboard talk for us.”
