Nothing seems to faze Brendon Ireton.
Well, almost nothing.
He's the proud son of a high school football coach who preached sportsmanship at the dining room table. His dad, Sean Ireton from The John Carroll School, held him to a higher standard and taught him how to respect others. So, when the younger Ireton (age 41) sees an opponent running up the score on his squad in a recent game, that fazes him.
"We were overmatched. The game was over at halftime, but they kept their starters in the second half and scored a touchdown with a minute left instead of taking a knee. To me, I always feel like you should be rotating guys in and out and not running the score up. I try to do the same things that my dad would do," Ireton said.
Ireton, in his fourth year as head coach at The Tatnall School in Wilmington, Delaware, pauses for a minute, then quickly moves on from last week's loss to Howard. This season hasn't gone the way anyone wanted it to go, but that hasn't stopped Ireton from keeping his guys focused on the positives.
"Coach Ireton is someone who practices what he preaches," said Paul Smith, Athletic Director at Tatnall. "There are ups and downs throughout any season athletically, but he preaches about showing up and moving the needle forward each day, regardless of outcome."
The Tatnall School went 24-2 during Ireton's first two seasons, making back-to-back appearances in the DIAA Class IA state championship, including winning the whole thing in 2023.
One thing he's instituted is team-meal periods, or lunch meetings where he sits down with his players and talks about whatever comes up, from a miscommunication on a football play to how to fill out a college application, it's the little things that matter — on and off the field.
"Sometimes, you wonder if they are listening, but you always see a common theme," said Ireton, who is the Philadelphia Eagles Tackle Coach of the Week, presented by Visa. "You want them to learn how to deal with adverse situations and things like that. We actually went to a team camp this summer to learn how to deal with adversity."
Coachspeak: From 'Finish the Grind' to 'Stay Ready'
Hope springs eternal in the Hornets' nest.
Brett Greene, a Saint Mark's transfer who spent his K-8 years at Tatnall, is back after sitting out the first five games for eligibility reasons. Last week, Greene started at quarterback and went 22-of-40 for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
"He couldn't play, but he came to practice every single day," Ireton said. "He could have easily given up on the season. Nope. He was on the sideline, trying to push his teammates and hold them accountable."
When Ireton sees that kind of buy-in from a senior leader, it brings a commodious smile to his face. He knows his system is working. He sees progress from year to year, drawing on his 20 years of coaching experience, bouncing around Maryland and Delaware.
"Last year was such a challenge. We had so many new kids and we were trying to figure out what works and what doesn't," Ireton said. "This year, it's more focusing on the individual days and not trying to focus on the results. Like, you always want to be competitive, but you gotta learn how this is going to affect your everyday life when you're done here."
The Hornets went a disappointing 2-8 last season after losing a slew of seniors to graduation. That, and the school was promoted from DIAA Class 1A to DIAA Class 2A, which presented a whole new challenge. The Tatnall School has roughly 200 kids total, with maybe 50 high school seniors. That's it.
"We just played a school and I think they had more kids in their band than we have in our entire upper school," Ireton said. "So, yeah, you want to win, but you gotta have a standard and a process. If you're just focused on wins and losses, then you're not seeing the bigger picture."
This seismic classification shift forced Ireton to change his philosophy. For starters, he updated the motto in the locker room — from "Finish the Grind" to "Stay Ready." Now, it's always next man up.
"I struggled last year as a coach, but it taught me a lot of lessons," Ireton said. "If the kids are doing really well in the classroom, giving back, being community leaders, getting into good colleges ... that is more important than winning eight games and a state championship."
For example, Ireton loves keeping tabs on his former players that have gone on to future success. He has sent 75 guys off to college (and counting!), none more rewarding than Rahshan LaMons, who now plays running back for the University of Albany. LaMons' four total touchdowns helped Tatnall secure a 26-7 victory over Charter School of Wilmington, earning the Delaware school its first-ever football state championship. It was the turning point for everything Ireton had been trying to build.
"I got hired here to rework the culture of the team and change the dynamics of it," said Ireton, who was a two-sport athlete (football, lacrosse) at Division III King's College. "First year? That was the result. We lost the first game of the year and then won 22 straight, including the state title."
Eagles Everywhere: Even in Delaware
The Tatnall School should ring a bell to Eagles fans.
Eagles Hall of Fame linebacker Bill Bergey served as football coach there for a number of years after his NFL retirement. There are tributes to him all over campus, but there's another name Ireton brings up when asked about his favorite Eagles memory.
You see, Ireton isn't from Philadelphia. He grew up in Harford County, Maryland, and spent his first 16 years coaching at several schools down there, including Kent County High School where he helped make a player's dream come true in 2016.
"Marcquan Greene was one of my players and he was a huge Eagles fan, so we wrote to the team and explained how he had never been to Lincoln Financial Field," Ireton said. "Actually, he had never been to an NFL game. Period.
"Anyway, the Eagles invited us to a game and brought us on the sideline for pre-game stuff, then put us up in sweet seats for the game. It was an awesome experience."
