As coaching search begins, Winamac football moves up to Class 2A

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

On the same day that coach John Hendryx announced his retirement, the IHSAA announced that Winamac will be moving up to Class 2A for football for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.

Winamac won a Class 2A sectional in 2016 in coach Tim Roth’s final season before his retirement. Winamac moved down to Class 1A and spent the last five seasons participating in the Class 1A state tournament.

Winamac won a Class 1A sectional in 2020 under Hendryx. Winamac had an undefeated regular season in 2021, but the season ended with a 40-13 loss to North Judson in the sectional semifinals.

Winamac also won sectional and regional titles in Class 2A under Roth in 2000. Winamac’s other five sectional titles, including the 2020 sectional, came in Class 1A.

Other football schools moving up from Class 1A to Class 2A include Churubusco and Lake Station. Other schools already in Class 2A include Hoosier North rivals Pioneer and LaVille. Rochester is also a Class 2A football school.

Benton Central moves down from Class 3A.

Hendryx won 232 games in 29 seasons as a high school football coach at Carroll (Flora), Northwestern, Knox and Winamac. He won sectional titles at all four schools.

He coached Carroll to the 1995 Class 1A state title, and he guided Knox to their lone sectional title in 2019. Winamac hired him in May 2020, and he won a sectional title six months later.

Mark Hendryx, John’s brother, was an assistant coach on his staff.

The late Jack Hendryx, John and Mark’s father, was a long-time Winamac assistant coach.

Winamac will stay in Class 2A for volleyball, girls basketball and boys basketball and will stay in Class 1A for boys soccer. (Winamac has a coed team but competes in the boys soccer sectional.)

Pioneer and North Miami are among those moving up to Class 2A in volleyball, girls basketball and boys basketball.

Rensselaer, who eliminated Winamac from the boys basketball sectional semifinals and then went on to win the sectional on Winamac’s home court, will move up to Class 3A. Boone Grove will also move up to Class 3A.

In addition to football, Winamac also has girls and boys basketball coaching vacancies.