NORTH ROBINSON — There are not many coaches in the area that have shown the longevity in coaching as Kyle Fenner. The now former Colonel Crawford head girls basketball coach spent 19 total seasons leading the Lady Eagles.
“It just felt like it was time,” Kyle Fenner said.
Fenner spent two separate stints as the head coach for Colonel Crawford. The first stint was from 1996 until 2006, during that time the Lady Eagles seen some impressive success. Colonel Crawford captured the North Central Conference title five separate times in those 10 years. Fenner also led the program to nine sectional titles in 10 years in her first stint. When you add in the three district championships and two regional final wins, the winning speaks for itself.
During both the 1999 and 2000 seasons, the Lady Eagles played in the state final four.
“I’m not sure you can pick a favorite moment. Obviously, the two regional final wins were great wins. The part that never gets old is watching the kids accomplish something they were not sure they could. It is always worth it,” Fenner said.
In 2013 Fenner returned to coach the Lady Eagles, though she really never left. Fenner remained a teacher in the Colonel Crawford district during the years she was not coaching. Fenner replaced former Colonel Crawford coach Amber Rall. Fenner coached the Eagles until announcing she would retire on April 7. With 106 wins during the second stint, Fenner was able to push her school record of wins to 277 total.
Overall, the second stint did not see as much winning, but Fenner had her team competitive each and every season. Last year the Lady Eagles knocked off a very good Hopewell-Loudon team — a game in which no one really gave Colonel Crawford a chance. Again this past season there was some post-season fun for the team. Colonel Crawford dropped Huron in the sectional final, which was another upset for the Lady Eagles. The last two seasons Colonel Crawford fell to Margaretta in.
“We had a really good run right there. We actually started playing our best basketball at the end of the year. They bought in to the game plan and there was a couple of good runs there,” Fenner explained.
Now that Fenner is leaving the hardwood, she is going to take things slow.
“I’m just taking it one day at a time. My husband is still going to work for a couple of years, so right now I am just going to lay low.”
