Larry Herges is leaving Taylor High School after 12 years as the athletic director for the Three Rivers Local School District.
He will leave to take the same position with the Bloom-Carroll Local School District in Carroll, Ohio, which is about 25 miles southeast of downtown Columbus.
Before coming to Taylor, Herges had been the AD for four years at Amanda-Clearcreek High School, which is near Bloom-Carroll and in the same league. He spent six years as AD at Alexander High School as well.
He will stay at Taylor through the end of his contract on July 31.
According to Herges, he had the longest tenure of any AD in Taylor High School history.
In his letter of resignation, he said “I was hired to jump-start an athletic department that was laughed at, looked down upon and ridiculed by the Cincinnati Hills League and Southwest District. I accepted the challenge to bring the Yellow Jackets to respectability. It was never easy, but I refused to quit on these kids, our community and our school district.”
He is currently the vice president of the Southwest Ohio Athletic Directors Association and was named district AD of the year in 2022.
Under Herges’ leadership, Taylor added several new sports including bowling, lacrosse and girls wrestling. Several programs have had success they haven’t seen in a while. Among them:
- The football program made its first-ever playoff appearance.
- The girls soccer team won its first league championship in over 20 years.
- The boys basketball team had its first winning season in over 20 years including a league title.
- The swimming program produced a state champion.
- The baseball team won its first district title in over 20 years as well as several CHL titles.
- The softball team has won the last six CHL championships.
- The boys bowling team has advanced to the state tournament.
Reaction was swift throughout the CHL community and beyond.
"A leader, great man of character, and a friend to all," the Taylor football team posted on Twitter. "Bloom-Carroll is gaining one of the BEST ADs in all of Ohio. The Taylor football program is beyond appreciative for all that he has done for our student-athletes and coaches. You will be missed here Mr. Herges. THANK YOU!"
Tom Nerl, AD of CHL foe Mariemont, tweeted "Good luck in your next adventure and thank you for your work in the CHL, and especially for your work for your kids at Taylor. Adding sports, hosting countless league and OHSAA tournaments, helped raise the bar."
Taylor's head athletic trainer, Lauren White, tweeted: "No amount of characters in a tweet can do this man justice. As an athletic trainer, it is paramount to have a good relationship with your athletic director. It can make or break your days. It has been an absolute HONOR and PRIVILEGE to work with this great man for (almost) 10 years."
Taylor junior Paige Steinbeck, a player on the girls soccer team, tweeted, "Thank you for everything you have done for us! You will truly be missed!"
In addition, he has helped upgrade facilities at the school and has helped the school be at the forefront of having lifesaving automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools. He works closely with the Matthew Mangine Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for having AEDs in schools.
In a recent interview with the Enquirer on the topic of AEDs, Herges said the high school has 14 and plans to add two more despite being one of the smaller school districts in Southwest Ohio.
“It’s not been an issue with us because it’s a priority,” he said. “We have a bunch of new batteries for the fall. We got some ordered and got them in while others are struggling to get them. Batteries and pads expire, so we get them changed before that happens.”
Herges was a sports broadcaster in Nelsonville, Ohio, serving as sports director for WSEO/WAIS Radio for four years and sports director for WXTQ/WATH for seven years broadcasting high school sporting events. He broadcasted play-by-play for over 1,000 games, earning the 2000-2001 OHSAA Media Service Award for the Southeast District. He served eight years as a juvenile probation officer for Athens County Juvenile Court, one year as director of communications for Athens County Children Services and one year as director of victim assistance for Athens County Prosecutor C. David Warren before taking over at Alexander.
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