# Iowa High School Team Enters Playoffs Without Coaching Staff

> Iowa high school football team enters playoffs without full coaching staff.
- Title: Iowa High School Team Enters Playoffs Without Coaching Staff
- Summary: Iowa high school football team enters playoffs without full coaching staff. Tri-Center High School enters playoffs with interim coach Chad Harder after…
- Keywords: iowa, tri-center, chad harder, jake gentile, high school football, playoffs, coaching staff, interim coach, missouri valley, class 1a, sports, High
- Source: High School On SI — https://si.com/high-school/iowa/iowa-high-school-football-team-enters-playoffs-without-entire-coaching-staff-01m5k6wvpacq
- Published: 2026-10-23T01:53:58+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: iowa, tri-center, chad harder, jake gentile, high school football, playoffs, coaching staff, interim coach, missouri valley, class 1a, sports
## Tri-Center Coaching Staff Suspended
Tri-Center High School suspended its entire football coaching staff before Week 7 contest with Missouri Valley.
## Head Coach Jake Gentile on Administrative Leave
The Tri-Center football coaching staff has been put on administrative leave with no student athlete safety concerns.
## District Refuses Further Comment
The district will not comment further about this personnel issue and aims to give kids the best experience finishing the season.
## Chad Harder Takes Over as Interim Coach
Chad Harder, a principal and head boys basketball coach, has taken over as interim head football coach for the remainder of the season.
## No Coaching Staff Listed on Official Site
On Bound, the official Iowa high school sports website, no names appear under coaching staff for Tri-Center.
## Gentile Replaced Steve Peterson
Gentile replaced Steve Peterson, who was head coach during the 2025 season.
## Tri-Center's Season Record
Tri-Center opened with four consecutive losses before scoring a 51-7 victory over Red Oak and went 1-2 down the stretch.
## Playoff Matchup Against West Lyon
The Trojans will travel to take on West Lyon, the defending Class 1A state champion, in the first round on Friday night.
## Two Years Since 12-Win Season
Two years ago, Tri-Center went 12-1 in Class A and won the state championship before moving up to Class 1A last year.
## AJ Harder's Stats
AJ Harder, in his third season as starting quarterback, has thrown for 1,502 yards and 16 touchdowns completing 63 percent of passes.
## Key takeaway

Tri-Center High School enters playoffs with interim coach Chad Harder after suspending entire football coaching staff.