Jeff Schroeder resigns as McHenry football coach

Jeff Schroeder hoped to add stability to McHenry’s football program, which has lacked it in recent years, when he accepted the head-coaching position two years ago.

Now, McHenry finds itself seeking its fifth head coach since 2017 after Schroeder resigned this week. Schroeder agreed to step down after talking with athletic director Chris Madson.

“Chris came up to me and asked me to step aside, essentially citing that he just didn’t feel like we progressing fast enough in the two seasons that I had been there and also citing some philosophical differences relating to our flexbone option offense,” Schroeder said. “I’ve always told the kids that a program is bigger than one person. So if [the McHenry administration] sees me as the issue, then I’m happy to step aside. When the rubber meets the road, it’s about the kids.”

Schroeder has 13 winning seasons on his coaching resume as a head coach and an assistant. He started the program at Woodstock North in 2009, and the Thunder won a share of the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division title in 2011. He stepped down after the 2021 season and spent the next season on Chris Schrempf’s staff at Prairie Ridge, as the Wolves advanced to the Class 6A title game, before taking the McHenry job in 2023.

The Warriors went 0-9 in his first season and 2-7 this year. McHenry, which will return 15 starters next year, was one of the youngest teams in the FVC this season.

“When I first met the kids, I told them that I would not quit on them,” Schroeder said. “But in the same token, I respect the authority of the district and Chris.”

Prairie Ridge and Cary-Grove, which have been FVC powerhouses, run the flexbone (triple option). Schroeder ran the same offense at Woodstock North, which made the Class 5A playoffs in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Schroeder, a 1989 graduate of Crystal Lake South, coached at Jacobs and Westmont before coming to Woodstock North, where he was a dean. He accepted a dean position at McHenry when he got the football job. His five-year run as head coach at Westmont included the team making the Class 3A playoffs in 2006.

McHenry has not had a winning season since 2016, when it went 6-4 under Nat Zunkel. The Warriors have won only 18 games in the past eight seasons.

“We’d like to thank Coach Schroeder for his contributions to the football program and wish him the best with any of his future coaching endeavors,” Madson said. “As we look to the future, the process in identifying our next head football coach will begin immediately. We will be conducting a thorough and comprehensive search to ensure we identify the best candidate who will inspire our student-athletes, enhance their development and continue to build upon the proud tradition of our football program.”