Lakeland College

Ohio native, Fries, joins football staff

Athletics - posted on 6/4/2012

Andrew Fries, an Ohio native with Division III playing and coaching experience, is the new offensive line coach and running game coordinator for Lakeland College's football program.

The Norwalk, Ohio, native comes to Lakeland after serving as a graduate assistant coach at Otterbein University the past two seasons. He helped the Cardinals to a 14-6 record, including an 8-2 mark in 2009.

"I'm excited to get started," said Fries. "I come from a tough conference where we faced some of the best defenses in the nation each week. This gives me a solid foundation and will allow me to direct our offensive line and give them the knowledge they need to be successful."

As a player, Fries was a four-year left tackle at Otterbein. He helped the Cardinals to a 25-16 record, including the school's first-ever playoff appearance in 2008. Fries were also named first team All-Ohio Athletic Conference in both 2007 and 2008. He was voted OAC Lineman of the Year in 2008, as well as being named NCAA Division III second team All-Region and third team All-American.

Fries takes over an offensive line that showed it can be one of the best in the conference, however, inconsistencies plagued the team all season. With another year to improve, this could be a group that will impress this season.

"We will look to improve each day and each week," said Fries. "The success of the offense is dependent on our run game. If we want to win conference, we need to be solid up front. Head coach Kevin Doherty and former offensive coordinator Peter Hahm have laid a solid foundation; we will build off of that and continue to improve each practice."

Fries graduated from Otterbein in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in communication. He earned a master's in teaching from Otterbein in 2012.

Share This Story