Change can be tough, especially when it comes to coaching transitions. But when the new leader is someone who knows the community inside and out, it makes the shift a whole lot easier to embrace.

Meet Chase Kratzenberg, the fresh face at the helm of New Boston Glenwood's boys basketball program. Officially approved at a New Boston Local Schools Board Meeting on May 12, Kratzenberg brings a wealth of experience from his five-year stint as athletic director at South Point, plus head football coaching and assistant track and field roles there. He also served as an assistant boys basketball coach at Ironton. This marks his first head coaching opportunity in boys basketball—a milestone he doesn't take lightly.

"It means the world to me that the administration at New Boston Glenwood—the kids, the teachers, the community—have put their faith in me to lead their basketball program," Kratzenberg said. "I know basketball runs deep in this community, and I'm honored and humbled. I'm not taking this lightly. I'm looking forward to growing not just the kids in the program, but the program itself and the athletic department as a whole. I want to dive into the community and grow the brand of New Boston."

A 2009 South Point graduate, Kratzenberg earned his bachelor's in secondary education from Marshall in 2014 and a master's in athletic administration from Ohio in 2020. With eight years of teaching under his belt and over a decade of coaching across football, boys basketball, and track and field, he's no stranger to the grind.

While this is his first head coaching gig in basketball, Kratzenberg has led a program before. He took the reins as head football coach at South Point for the final five games of the 2016 season and the entire 2017 campaign. He also cut his teeth as an assistant boys basketball coach at Ironton under Mark LaFon and P.J. Fitch—the latter now serving as superintendent at New Boston Local Schools.

Beyond the school gyms, Kratzenberg has worked with the Ohio Force travel basketball program, based in Ironton and drawing kids from across Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. It's a personal connection, too—his sons, Tyus and Talen, are part of that program.

"It's been a joy coaching them and trying to grow the brand of basketball," Kratzenberg added.

For a program like New Boston Glenwood, where basketball is woven into the fabric of the community, this hire feels like a perfect fit. Kratzenberg isn't just stepping into a job—he's stepping into a legacy, ready to build something special from the ground up.