Ryan Smith resigns football coaching position at Penncrest

Ryan Smith has resigned as the head football coach at Penncrest High School.

Athletic director Chip Olinger confirmed the resignation to the Daily Times Friday afternoon in a text message, referencing a statement from the Rose Tree-Media School District.

“Effective today (Thursday), for personal reasons, Ryan Smith has resigned his position as head football coach of the Penncrest Lions Football Program,” the statement read. “Paul Graham will serve as head coach of the football program.”

Olinger offered no additional explanation or comment regarding the resignation. Smith did not return a voice mail message.

Smith was in his third season as head coach of the Lions after spending nine seasons as the head coach at Chichester. The Lions are 0-5 overall after losing in Graham’s debut Friday night, 49-20 to visiting Lower Merion at Louis Scott Field.

Penncrest went 3-8 overall and 2-7 in the league in Smith’s first season in 2019 and 2-4 in last year’s coronavirus shortened campaign.

At Chichester, Smith went 29-73 overall and 10-39 in the Del Val League, according to MaxPreps.com, and split the annual Thanksgiving Day series with Sun Valley, 4-4.

This is Graham’s second stint as the head coach at Penncrest. He served in that capacity for four seasons from 2007-10, and guided the Lions to a 23-20 record and two appearances in the District 1 Class 4A playoffs. The Lions fell to Academy Park, 31-20, in the first round in 2008 and dropped a 49-48 decision to Downingtown East in the opening round in 2009.

Graham resigned followed the 2010 season to spend more time with his family.

“I have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old who aren’t awake when I leave the house and I may see them only 30 minutes before they go to bed at night,” Graham told the Daily Times following his resignation. “It’s a time thing. That’s why I stepped down.

“There are days when I’ll be at school until 7 o’clock. Game days, it’s until the end of the game Saturdays, you’re there at 9 a.m. game-planning. The demands of the job got to be too much.”

The Lions have had just one winning season since Graham left, going 6-4 in 2013 under Rick Stroup, according to MaxPreps.com.