McHenry Community High School District 156 board of education members on Tuesday approved the appointment of Colt Nero as head varsity football coach.
Nero, a former football player at Crystal Lake South and head coach at Stagg High School in Palos Hills, takes over for Jeffrey Schroeder, who stepped down after the fall 2024 season. In 2023, Nero earned Coach of the Week honors from the Chicago Bears for his work to improve Stagg’s program.
After coming back to McHenry this school year to teach special education, he served as assistant football coach in the fall. Nero teaches at McHenry’s Freshman Campus. Beginning his new role immediately, Coach Nero will be holding a team meeting at 3:15 a.m. Thursday in the Warrior Room at the Upper Campus.
Athletic Director Chris Madson said in addition to Nero’s four years of experience as Stagg’s head football coach, Nero worked in McHenry before that in several assistant coaching positions within the athletic department, including football and basketball while teaching special education.
“Colt exemplifies the qualities we value in our athletic leaders—commitment, vision, and a deep understanding of what it means to represent McHenry,” said Chris Madson, MCHS athletic director. “Throughout the interview process, Colt demonstrated a clear vision for building and developing our football program, paired with a sincere and genuine passion for empowering our student-athletes far beyond the football field.”
A Crystal Lake native, Nero played football at Crystal Lake South before going to Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he played football for five years. He earned his bachelor of science degree in teaching. Nero also has a master’s degree in educational technology.
After college, Nero worked at McHenry for three years before taking the head coaching job at Stagg in 2020. “My passion has always been for football,” Nero said.
Nero said he’s proud of the work he did at Stagg, where he was able to end a 25-game losing streak and see several players go on to play football in college. But he’s excited to bring all he’s learned back to McHenry.
“McHenry is a special place and I’m humbled to lead this program. My goal is to instill a winning mindset, build character in our athletes, and make a lasting impact on the school and community,” Nero said.