Providence Catholic lost its first high school football game without Tyler Plantz as head coach. It was an unfortunate result for one of the top-ranked programs in Illinois.
He refuses to give up on his players.
Although Plantz wants the focus to be on the players, this unfortunate high school football saga could impact the entire season. A state title contender must now find a new identity after its head coach was fired after the first four games.
Why did Providence Catholic fire Tyler Plantz?
Very few people mean as much to the Providence Catholic High School football program as Tyler Plantz. He was a beloved as a player from 2006-2010 who later returned as the head coach.
Perhaps more importantly, Tyler carried on the legacy of his brother, Zac, who died in a car accident on Thanksgiving in 2020. Zac’s name is on the weight room after a large donation from the Plantz family. Tyler left a college job in 2022 to become the head coach at his alma mater to honor him. The Celtics won a lot of games during his tenure and reached two state championships.
And then he was fired without warning. Providence Catholic did not explain its decision.
According to Plantz, the administration offered him the opportunity to resign. He refused to do so and was let go. The decision allegedly stemmed from executive decisions that were largely out of his control amid something of a mutiny. It sounds like disgruntled parents led the charge with support from a group of unidentified staffers.
There are a lot of outstanding questions surrounding the decision, to say the least. Nobody saw it coming.
The Celtics lost their first high school football game without their head coach.
Providence Catholic went 10-4 in 2025 and finished as the runners-up in Class 5A. It started the 2026 season undefeated at 4-0. The Celtics survived a scare in Week 1 to win 28-21. They won their next three games by a combined score of 97-31.
And then Tyler Plantz was fired.
It was a turbulent week in New Lenox, to say the least. The players were not quite sure what happened or why. Many of them rallied behind their former head coach. Others could only sit back and watch it all unfold around them.
Meanwhile, a petition that was started (and signed by more than 2,000+) members of the community became national news. There were a lot of distractions in the building. It was hard to keep focused on the task at hand.
All of the chaos culminated with a loss. Providence Catholic scored only seven points against a three-loss Nazareth Academy on Friday after it went down 17-0.
Interim head coach Adam Nissen said after the game that his players were prepared to play. However, senior running back Broden Mackert admitted that it was a “long week” and the result speaks for itself.
Parents with kids on the team spoke with Lila Hempel-Edgers during and after the game. They directed most of their frustrations toward the administration.
“The kids have nothing to do with this. Talk to them,” said one.
“If I talk s— is it going to change anything? Probably not,” quipped another
Per Hempel-Edgers, some Providence Catholic parents shook their heads as the clock wound down to zero. Others shouted expletives at school administrators. Also among them was Plantz. The fired head coach watched his now-former team from the stands and hugged several players after the game went final.
“No matter what, I’m always going to support these kids,” he said.
Nissen expects his team to bounce back from the loss. Providence Catholic will face No. 13-ranked Fenwick on Friday. There are four games left in the regular season. How the Celtics finish will be very telling.