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One of the most accomplished high school football coaches in north central Ohio is joining the Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets.
Mount Vernon High School has announced that longtime coach Ed Honabarger has joined the Yellow Jackets football coaching staff ahead of the 2026 season. Honabarger most recently retired as assistant principal and head football coach at Loudonville High School and brings more than two decades of coaching experience to the Mount Vernon program.
Honabarger is best known for his success at Danville High School, where he served as head football coach for 16 seasons over two tenures from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2010 to 2019. During that time, he compiled a 132-60 record, led the Blue Devils to four regional championships, and guided the program to 12 playoff appearances. His leadership helped establish Danville as one of Ohio’s premier small-school football programs.
Following his retirement from Danville, Honabarger spent four years as an assistant coach at West Holmes before returning to the sidelines as Loudonville’s head coach for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He retired from that position earlier this year.
Mount Vernon officials say Honabarger’s extensive coaching background, leadership, and reputation for developing student-athletes will be valuable additions as the Yellow Jackets prepare for the upcoming football season.
Beyond his accomplishments on the field, Honabarger has been recognized throughout the region for his commitment to education and mentorship. In 2020, Danville Schools named its football fieldhouse in his honor, recognizing both his coaching success and his efforts to improve the school’s athletic facilities.
The Yellow Jackets will begin summer workouts in preparation for the 2026 high school football season, with expectations high as the program adds one of the area’s most respected veteran coaches to its staff.
