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| Rich Shepas on the sidelines during a Week 5 game against Southern. (Photo: Nocturne Media) |
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Rick Shepas brings extensive experience to the coaching profession, having dedicated more than 37 years to the field.
He is back on the high school sidelines.
Shepas took over the East Palestine football program in March of this year after Michael Dempster was not retained after an 8-4 campaign that included a playoff win. He went 17-25 during his tenure.
Shepas started his coaching career in the Stark County area at Alliance High School, serving as their secondary and receivers coach in 1989. His second stint was at Poland Seminary, serving as defensive coordinator and ultimately becoming the head coach and winning three conference titles.
He relocated to the Pennsylvania region to assume coaching and teaching responsibilities at Seneca Valley High School in Harmony, Pennsylvania, serving in the capacity of head coach. Under his leadership, the team advanced to the WPIAL semifinals and secured a Quad A North Conference championship.
After that, Shepas spent seven seasons at Massillon as head coach and athletic director from 1998 to 2004. Under his leadership, the Tigers compiled a 53-28 record and finished as the state runner-up in 2001. During that season, they only lost two games, and both were to Cleveland St. Ignatius, playing in Division I with only six divisions at that time.
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| East Palestine athlete RJ May looks for running room against Malvern in Week 3 of the season. (Photo: Nocturne Media) |
College was his next step, where he spent 12 seasons at Waynesburg University from 2005-2016 and retired from the program with a 69-55 record and as the program's all-time winningest head coach.
He returned to high school, but this time as Athletic Director for Warren City Schools, being hired in July of 2024 and serving until January of 2026. In this role, he developed a girls' flag football team and implemented a strength and conditioning program, among other notable achievements.
During his two-year tenure at Warren City Schools, he experienced some heartbreak, losing his wife, Christine, for more than 37 years, according to the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home obituary.
Shepas came back to coaching high school sports in a small town of roughly 5,000 people located in Columbiana County. This town became famous across the country after a train accident in 2023 that released dangerous chemicals into the area.
Right now, his team has a record of 4-2, and the players on the team are breaking records as they go along, as his role of head coach and workforce development coordinator.
The Bulldogs have a big test on Friday as they host the 4-1 United Golden Eagles at Reid Memorial Stadium.
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