Lancaster football looks to reclaim winning tradition under hometown coach
By: Luke Schmitt
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LANCASTER, Ohio (WOUB) — After seven consecutive seasons without a winning record, Lancaster football is looking to turn the page in 2026.
The Golden Gales finished 3-7 a season ago, prompting a coaching change that brought Lancaster native McKinney back home after a successful five-year stint at Bloom-Carroll, where he compiled a 41-12 record.
For McKinney, the opportunity is about more than simply taking over a new program. It’s about restoring one of Ohio’s most historic football traditions.
“It’s really just trying to build upon the tradition here in Lancaster,” McKinney said. “People may or may not realize the program has 615 all-time wins, and this is one of the top programs in the state in terms of all-time wins.”
The job also brings McKinney back to his roots. A Lancaster native and Fisher Catholic graduate, he’s returning to the community that’s always been home.
“It feels like coming home, really,” McKinney said. “I went to school at Fisher Catholic. We lived in Lancaster. My wife teaches at the high school. Obviously, I grew up here, so it’s really kind of like a homecoming.”
McKinney inherits an experienced group with 31 seniors returning, including veteran running back Jahmeir Gordon and first-year starting quarterback Brody Broeckel.
Broeckel enters the season fresh off an All-OCC Buckeye Division baseball campaign, where he earned all-conference honors as a pitcher. He believes the mental approach that made him successful on the mound translates directly to leading an offense.
“I think the big thing with why I had so much success during baseball was because I stuck to my mentality,” Broeckel said. “I just did my job. As a pitcher, it’s kind of similar to quarterback because you’re always in control, so you’ve got to stay cool, calm, and collected no matter what happens.”
Broeckel also believes the strength of Lancaster’s senior class extends beyond experience. He says the relationships built within the group can leave a lasting impact on the program.
“Our senior class is probably one of the most connected classes I’ve ever been part of,” Broeckel said. “If you start doing that with the junior class, then the sophomore class, and it trickles down all the way to the youth league, that’s how you build your legacy.”
Gordon has been a key contributor in Lancaster’s backfield throughout his career despite battling injuries. Now entering his senior season healthy, he’s focused on making the most of his final year while helping those who come after him.
“I really want to uplift the younger kids and let them know that anything is possible,” Gordon said. “When I came off the injury, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to play anymore, but I put in the work, did the rehab, and came back.”
Lancaster won’t have long to settle into the new era; they play steady competition at the Division I level. The Golden Gales open the season with three nonconference matchups against fellow Ohio Capital Conference schools, Hilliard Darby, Delaware Hayes, and Marysville, before beginning Ohio Capital Conference Buckeye Division play against rivals, including Newark, Pickerington Central, and Reynoldsburg.
With a hometown head coach, a veteran senior class, and renewed optimism throughout the program, Lancaster hopes 2026 is the season it begins adding to its rich football tradition once again.