Rob Stoll returns to restore Turpin Spartans football standard

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Rob Stoll returns to restore Turpin Spartans football standard

Rob Stoll, the all-time winningest coach in Turpin history, is back as the Spartans' head football coach.

Rob Stoll returns to restore Turpin Spartans football standard

Rob Stoll, the all-time winningest coach in Turpin history, is back as the Spartans' head football coach.

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The play still lives clearly in Andy Cruse's mind when he recalls his playing days at Turpin under head coach Rob Stoll.

Cruse was a senior in 2007, when top-seeded Turpin led No. 8 Winton Woods, 17-14, late in the fourth quarter. It was fourth down from the Winton Woods' 15-yard line. A short field goal would've extended Turpin's lead to six. Instead, Stoll turned to his seniors.

It was Turpin's bread-and-butter play, "91 Sprint Option." Quarterback Ryan Martin lofted a ball toward Cruse, who hauled it in over a defender for a game-sealing touchdown.

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"That play doesn't happen if he doesn't ask us what we're thinking and what we wanted to do," Cruse said. "There was a level of trust."

That trust, Stoll's demand of excellence and Turpin's commitment to uphold a certain standard, helped carry the program to its only regional title and state Final Four appearance in 2006.

Two decades later, and 10 years since stepping down, Stoll is back as Turpin's head football coach.

Stoll is the winningest coach in school history and a Turpin Hall of Famer. From 2002 to 2016, he built Turpin into one of the area's most consistent winners. He led the Spartans to a 122-48 overall record, nine conference championships and four undefeated regular seasons.

"The honest answer is opportunity," Stoll said. "With coach (Bryan) Walker stepping down, the opportunity was there. It just seemed to be the right time to get back into it."

When he stepped down in 2016, Stoll didn't know what his football future looked like.

"I definitely didn't think I was finished coaching. I didn't know what the next chapter looked like. In some cases, I felt like I had to reinvent who I was because football was such a huge part of my life," Stoll said. "I don't think you ever close doors."

That chapter included significant personal challenges. Stoll's father battled dementia before his passing. Stoll later faced his own fight when he was diagnosed with throat cancer. After recovering, his opportunity to return to the sidelines came at Thomas More University, where he spent two-plus seasons as an assistant.

"It was just the perfect place for me to get back to a sport that I truly love and cherish," he said. "It was exactly what I needed."

The time away and return at the collegiate level helped shaped a different version of the same coach.

"I've been through life challenges that have made me a little wiser," Stoll said. "I they're getting a wiser, more patient coach Stoll than they had when I left."

Cruse, who was head coach at Loveland and now coaches the Miami RedHawks receivers, remembers Stoll as intense and demanding.

"He was fiery. He wanted things done a certain way," Cruse said. "He demanded excellence."

At the same time, Stoll was able to balance the discipline he instilled with great relationships up and down the roster.

"From the third-string tight end to the starting quarterback, he's the same way with everybody," Cruse said. "We all knew what the standard was, and we chased it every single day."

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