There was no large space of time, weeks lost, when two different images, sign posts of change, appeared at the same place and on the same day last month in Montgomery.
In the parking lot at Valley Central, torn balloon pieces and other celebratory litter were scattered about two days after the high school commencement ceremony.

But a reminder of the new school year was a work in progress as high school football squads were drilling at the annual Camp of Champions on the wide fields behind high school and middle school.

Andrew LaVallie, a former Army officer, is the new head coach for Valley Central, and the camp gave him a chance to see the workings of his team.
“I learned a lot this week. I got a good look at the players we have and what we need to work on as a team,” he said.

LaVallie teaches U.S. history at Valley Central High School, and last year he was a volunteer assistant for the JV boys’ basketball team.

At Ohio State as an Army officer, 2016-2018, he taught leadership and coached the ROTC women’s basketball team.

The Vikings return in about five weeks for the preseason, and LaVallie said no starters have been named as conditioning continues toward the first practices for the 2019 season. Among the departures from the 2018 team were Chandler Toth, the starting quarterback, and other parts of the offense.

“Our priorities are focused on strength and conditioning throughout the next month in a half,” he said. “Football is a long season, and the team needs to be physically and mentally prepared for it. July and August is where we will make major strides as a team as a whole.”
On a field nearby, Jim Wright, Pine Bush’s coach, was working out with his team. He, too, has to replace a starting quarterback after Haakon Meland graduated this summer.

“We learned some things about what we need and do not need in certain positions. We also found out what does and does not work well within our scheme with this year’s team,” said Wright. “Losing a talent like Haakon is hard to replace, but we feel like we have a good replacement for him. We still have quite a bit of work ahead of us, however the work ethic and attitude of the team is terrific.”