Jesse Snyder’s second-stay at Princeton High School was short and sweet.
Snyder, who returned to the PHS football and teaching staff for the 2020-21 school year, will be leaving after just one year to take over similar duties in his hometown Lena-Winslow.
A 2003 graduate of Lena-Winslow, Snyder will be an assistant coach under Panthers head coach Ric Arand, who he played for, and teach special education at the junior high.
Home is where the heart is for Snyder.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to coach under Coach A and teach at Le-Win. Deep down it has always been an opportunity that I have wanted to pursue,” he said. “I am extremely proud to have had the opportunity to graduate and participate in athletics at Le-Win. It is bittersweet though. I will always have a place in my heart for PHS.”
Princeton and Lena-Winslow met in Week 1 of the 2021 spring season with the Tigers winning 35-14. Princeton went on to finish 6-0, the first undefeated season in school history. It was the only loss for the Panthers in five games.
Arand, who’s coached at Lena-Winslow since 1997, has won four state titles in the past decade (2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019) with a 31-7 playoff record since 2009.
Snyder was head coach at Princeton from 2012-16, compiling a 19-29 record, highlighted by an 11-0 start and quarterfinal appearance in 2015. He was an assistant at PHS prior to becoming head coach.
After the 2016-17 school year, Snyder departed PHS to become head coach at Stockton, Lena-Winslow’s rival. He guided the Blackhawks to a 22-10 record in three years with playoff appearances each year.