East Central Football Coach Recognized at Bengals Game

Jake Meiners was the Cincinnati Bengals Coach of the Week during Week 5 of the high school season.

CINCINNATI - East Central football head coach Jake Meiners was recognized last Sunday by the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Coach Meiners was one of 10 area high school football head coaches that were honored during the Bengals home game versus the Ravens as High School Coaches of the Week winners for the 2025 season. 

Meiners won the award for Week 5 of the season when his Trojans took down the Batesville Bulldogs by a score of 45-0. 

He is a 2009 East Central High School graduate and took over as the Head Coach in 2019. In the past seven years, East Central has won back-to-back Indiana 4A State Championships (2022 and 2023), two Regional Championships, four Sectional Championships, and seven Conference Championships. Coach Meiners was named to the Indiana South All-Star coaching staff in 2023 where he served as the offensive coordinator in the IFCA North/South All-Star Game.

Coach Meiners served as an assistant coach for the Trojans from 2014-2018 where the Trojans won an Indiana 4A State Championship (2017), State Runner-up (2015), and 3 Regional Championships, and 4 Sectional Championships. In total as a Head Coach, his winning percentage is over 83 percent. Coach Meiners is married to his high school sweetheart, Alicia, and they have four children.

The Cincinnati Bengals Coach of the Week presented by Paycor awards outstanding high school football coaches for their hard work and dedication, as well as their success on the field and in the community. Currently in its 24th year, the Cincinnati Bengals High School Coach of the Week program has awarded over $270,000 to high school football programs throughout the Tri-State. This season's program will award $20,000 to aid in the development and promotion of high school football across the Tri-State, thanks to contributions from the Cincinnati Bengals, the NFL Foundation and Paycor.