The third time proved to be the charm for James Hogue.

After applying for the Newton Falls head football coaching job on two previous occasions, Hogue again threw his name in the mix when the position opened in January.

This time, it appears that Hogue will achieve his goal of “coaching where my heart is and has always been.”

On Wednesday Newton Falls school officials announced that pending board approval, Hogue will take over the Tigers’ program. The 1996 Newton Falls graduate will replace Greg Lazzari, who stepped down following a three-year stint.

Hogue met with the team on Wednesday. He is expected to be officially hired on March 22 when the Newton Falls Board of Education holds its next meeting.

“My dad and uncles, my cousins and my brother, we all played for Newton Falls,” Hogue said. “Even when I was in the military, I would go online on Friday nights and keep up with the Tigers.

“Now my son is an eighth grader in the district. This is a dream job for me in that I’ve always been very close to this program and to this community.”

Hogue began his coaching career in 2004 when he returned from the military. He served as an assistant at Newton Falls under several head coaches. In 2017 he was the offensive coordinator for a Liberty squad that went 8-3 and won a league title.

Hogue returned to Newton Falls to run the defense in 2020. Last year he worked under Steve Arnold at Warren G. Harding.

“I’ve been extremely fortunate in that I’ve had the privilege to work under a number of great head coaches,” Hogue said. “We’ve had some really great guys here at Newton Falls, and working for Chet Allen (Liberty) and Steve (Arnold) really prepared me for this moment.

“These guys were great mentors. And once they knew I was pursuing this position they also went out of their way to help prepare me for the interview process and such. I’ve been lucky to be associated with a great group of men who are in this for the right reasons.”

Hogue takes over a program that has struggled in recent years. Since 2004 Newton Falls owns just one winning season. During the 19-year span, the Tigers own a 42-144 record.

Still, Hogue says he firmly believes he has the resources within the district to develop a winning program.

“You look at what an outstanding job Roy (Sembach) has done with the basketball program over the years, and you see that we have the kids who are talented and are willing to put in the time to achieve success.

“Roy has done a really good job of getting kids interested at an early age. Kids grow up wanting to play basketball for Newton Falls. We have to develop the same mindset for football. I want to hit the pavement and get everyone interested in our program.”

Meanwhile, Allen is confident Newton Falls is in good hands with Hogue.

“Jimmy has a tremendous football mind, and he has worked his tail off to get to this point,” Allen said. “He is very well-versed and he is extremely well-respected within the coaching community.

“He has an extensive list of solid contacts because everyone he’s worked for has a great deal of respect for him and for what he brings to the table.”

Allen believes that Hogue’s lifelong ties to Newton Falls will pay dividends.

“Newton Falls is in Jimmy’s blood,” Allen said. “He’ll have no trouble connecting with the community because that’s who he is. He’s going to grow the program with a grass-roots mentality.

“He’s the first branch off of my coaching tree, and I couldn’t be happier and more proud.”

Newton Falls is coming off a 3-7 season. The Tigers opened the 2022 campaign with a 41-0 win over Ashtabula St. John. They also logged wins over LaBrae and Campbell.

sports@vindy.com