Jobs in Valley attractive to coaches

J's World, by Jeremiah Bartz

Until Friday the head coaching position of the Wasilla High School football program was vacant. A talented group of local assistants applied for the job with one, Joe Gardner, coming out on top.

Gardner, an assistant with the Warriors last season and a teacher at Wasilla High, inherits a program that has seen great success in recent history.

Despite a hiccup last year that caused the Warriors to finish last in the Northern Railbelt Conference, Wasilla has built a reputation as one of Alaska's football elite.

That winning tradition built by former head coach Nathan Ford and assistant Dan Michael was based on integrity and sportsmanship. Those values combined with the growth of the community and the budding talent waiting to don a Warrior uniform, makes the Wasilla head coaching job incredibly attractive to any interested coach.

The philosophy of play, or the X's and O's, may change under the new regime, but after hearing that he was the newest Warrior mentor, Gardner pledged to maintain the values of integrity and sportsmanship that have helped the Warriors be successful in the past.

And if that is done, the foundation is there to build a state-championship caliber team in Wasilla. It is a common fact that Wasilla is a budding community. As the community grows, more students walk through the doors of Wasilla High School. These students are prospective athletes.

This is another reason why the Wasilla job is very attractive.

The Warrior coaching staff has done an excellent job in the past of taking those prospective athletes that walk through the doors of Wasilla High School and turning them into winning athletes. That can be seen with the success of the junior varsity program at Wasilla High School in recent years.

Wasilla did not have the only attractive coaching position in Valley prep football. In December, Houston High School filled its vacant position with longtime Hawk assistant and former athletic director Norm Bouchard.

This was a natural choice for the Hawks and current athletic director Jamie Smith. Bouchard is not only very familiar with Houston athletics and the school, but is very respected by the community.

The Houston football program is poised to grow like a wildfire. If Houston builds on the values utilized by the other Valley programs and as the community and interest for the prep sport grows, Houston could have a football team similar to its hockey team, one that dominates the small school stage.

One cannot mention possible prep football opportunities in the Valley without mentioning Colony. It is no secret Randy Magner agreed to his third tour of duty as the head coach of the Knight football program on strictly an interim basis. Magner is at the helm of the program until a long-term successor is found. With the wealth of talent returning next season, a potential coach could walk into a potential state championship.

With a rapidly growing community that has a great interest in football, the Valley has a promising future in the sport. Local athletes are getting an earlier start, gaining experience in the local youth programs, and are better prepared once they reach the high school level.

In the state of Alaska, the Anchorage-based schools have dominated the attention of the fans and state-wide media. But as our community continues to grow, it may not be long until we see the four Valley programs in the center of the Alaska football spotlight.