'Truly an honor': Fieldcrest varsity football coach steps down after five seasons

Fieldcrest is looking for new head football coach.

Nick Meyer announced his resignation on Friday, Oct. 9, ending his five-year tenure at the Minonk-based school. In Meyer's time on the sidelines with the Knights, he went 7-29 in in four varsity seasons.

Due to low roster numbers heading into the 2026 high school campaign, Fieldcrest was one of 13 programs in the IHSA that forfeited their varsity season. Fieldcrest operated a JV team and played eight games with its season ending on Sept. 28.

"I have decided to step down as the head football coach at Fieldcrest," Meyer said in a statement. "It was truly an honor and I am grateful for the opportunity I had to lead this program for the last five years."

The 2011 Fieldcrest grad took over at his alma mater prior to the 2022 season. He had spent the previous four years as a full-time assistant for Illinois State football, serving as the team's recruiting coordinator in 2021.

Meyer was also an assistant at Fieldcrest in 2017.

"I am thankful for the support from the schools/communities that make up Fieldcrest — there's nothing like football in a small town and it takes a ton of people to make it special," Meyer continued in a statement. "I am thankful to the parents for pushing their kids to play a tough sport like football and understanding the lessons they learn from playing.

"I am thankful to the coaches I coached with who set aside countless hours a week to share their passion for football with our players. And most importantly, I am thankful to the players for showing up every day and fighting together as one family, no matter how tough things got."

The next Fieldcrest head coach will be the seventh in the program's 34-year varsity history. Fieldcrest has a 162-160 (.503) overall record with 14 playoff appearances. In 2014 and 2019, the Knights made the Class 2A state semifinals and went 12-1 in each of those two seasons under Derek Schneeman.

"I will still be cheering on the Knights for many years to come and wish them nothing but the best of luck in the future!" Meyer said in a statement.

More: 13 varsity teams have forfeited Illinois high school football season

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: 'Truly an honor': Fieldcrest varsity football coach steps down after five seasons