Whether on the gridiron, diamond or oval, Jay Steinhorst’s coaching contributions to Cazenovia High School and his impact on the community through nearly three decades is immense.
So it will leave quite a void when, at the end of the 2018-19 school year, Steinhorst steps away from all of these duties, which was made official on Tuesday when the school posted that the football head coaching position is now open.
Steinhorst said that, a few years ago, he and his family visited Colorado and, in his own words, “fell in love” with the place. In fact, his wife, DeAnn, moved out there to live close to their daughter, Summer, who attends the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Now Steinhorst will join them, and while Cazenovia will miss his contributions, the school has appreciated all he has brought to them.
“We congratulate coach Steinhorst on an exceptional career and wish him well on his new adventures,” said Cazenovia athletic director Mike Byrnes.
Steinhorst had made it known in August, before the 2018 football season, that this would be his last, as he is also retiring from his teaching position at Cazenovia.
He is best known, though, for his work with Lakers football.
For a quarter-century, Steinhorst was an assistant to Tom Neidl as Cazenovia built one of the strongest programs in Central New York. At every opportunity, Steinhorst gave credit to Neidl, former head coach Paul Stoecker and his long-time fellow assistant, Mark Evans, for whatever success he achieved.
In those years on Neidl’s staff, Cazenovia won 178 games and seven Section III titles. And when Neidl stepped down. Steinhorst was elevated to head coach.
That first season with Steinhorst at the helm, 2015, brought Cazenovia its long-awaited first state football championship. An overtime victory over Waverly in the regional final and a state semifinal rout of Cheektowaga led to the state title game at the Carrier Dome, where the Lakers beat Schuylerville 22-19 for the big prize.
Another sectional title followed in 2016, and though it lost sectional finals each of the last two years, Steinhorst still finished with a head coaching record of 39-5.
But the impact on the football program went far beyond wins and losses. Steinhorst’s efforts with the annual Bucky Bennett Golf Tournament led to upgrades in equipment and film study, and he helped persuade the school to host its first Friday night home games under portable lights at Buckley-Volo Field.
And he did all this while coaching boys indoor track and field in the winter and varsity baseball in the spring. Steinhorst’s big moment on the diamond came in 2012, when Cazenovia won its only sectional title.
Before stepping away, Steinhorst is busy coaching one more season of indoor track, with his Lakers recording strong efforts throughout the winter and likely to contend for a sectional title next month.
As to who might eventually replace Steinhorst, that remains uncertain, but he said that, as far as football is concerned, the program’s top-to-bottom strength will make it an ideal position.
“There are a lot of really qualified coaches here to take over,” said Steinhorst. “Having been around a successful program for years makes the transition for the ‘new’guy that much easier.
“Whoever it is. I don’t expect they will miss a beat in 2019. Our players and coaches all know the high expectations asked of them. It’s what drives the program.”
