Clarion Athletics

Jay Kerle was announced as the fourth head coach of the Golden Eagle women's golf program in June 2024, and he will enter his second year at the helm in 2025-26. A long-time high school golf coach in the area and a Clarion native, Kerle stepped into the position previously held by Gregg Fritz, who retired earlier in 2024.

In his first year as head coach, Kerle led the Golden Eagles to a fifth-place finish at the PSAC Championship, and helped mentor Clarion to a number of high points in program history. In taking sixth at the Vulcan Invitational in the fall, the Golden Eagles shot a round of 331, the fifth-best round in school history and the best since a school record 326 in 2009. McKayla Kerle tied the second-best single round in school history in the first round at that event, shooting a team-best 76 over 18 holes at Cedarbrook Golf Club. The Golden Eagles won their first tournament since the 2014-15 season in the fall, taking home the trophy at the Thiel Fall Invitational.

Kerle has been the head varsity golf coach at Clarion Area High School since 2009. The team has competed with some of the best in the region in his time as head coach. Kam Kerle (Jay’s son) and Devon Lauer took the top two spots at the 2023  District 9 Class 2A Boys’ Golf Championship, with the younger Kerle winning the second of back-to-back individual District 9 championships. Lauer, meanwhile, took 25^th at the PIAA Class 2A State Championship with a two-round score of 154 (77+77).
 
With Kerle at the helm, the Bobcats have won five straight KSAC championships and three straight District 9 titles. In 2023 the team finished fourth in the state.

Another highlight of Kerle’s recent high school coaching career is the performance of his daughter McKayla Kerle, who is also a member of the Golden Eagle women’s golf team. McKayla Kerle was a four-year starter on the Bobcat boys’ team, earning four all-conference honors and winning back-to-back District 9 Class 2A Girls’ championships in her junior and senior years.
 
Kerle has worked in the criminal justice field for nearly 20 years. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitative Sciences from Clarion.