WHS hires football coach

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

WASILLA - While living in Anchorage, Jim Shetter and his family would make the trek out to their cabin in Talkeetna nearly every weekend. Each time they drove through the Valley, Shetter thought Wasilla would be a nice place to be. He wanted to teach in the Wasilla area.

After a year in Kentucky, Shetter - a longtime assistant football coach in the Anchorage area - found a position at Wasilla High School.

And now he has another opportunity.

On Wednesday, Shetter was named the new head coach of the Warrior football program.

Shetter replaces Joe Gardner, who will not return after a two-year stint at the helm of the team.

&#8220The community I wanted to be in was Wasilla,” Shetter said on Thursday. &#8220I put my heart and soul into getting a teaching job in the Valley. And now this opportunity has come up.”

He teaches social studies and works in the Native Alaskan intervention program at WHS.

Wasilla High assistnat principal Dan Michael said experience helped separate Shetter from a quality pool of applicants.

&#8220It was a very competitive interview process,” Michael said. &#8220His experience is huge.”

Shetter has seen great success, winning a state championship as both a player and a coach. A 1986 graduate of East Anchorage High School, Shetter was part of one of the greatest runs for a prep football program in the history of the sport in Alaska. In 1985, Shetter - a two-time all-state outside linebacker - helped lead the Bruce Shearer-coached Thunderbirds to the 1985 state championship. It was the first of three-straight state titles for Shearer, and a 31-game winning streak for the T-Birds.

After a college career - two years as an outside linebacker at Sierra College and two more as a strong safety at NCAA Division II Sacramento State University - Shetter returned to Alaska to begin a coaching career.

In 1992, Shetter reunited with Shearer, his mentor, and began to coach the defensive backs at Chugiak High School. The following season Shetter was named the defensive coordinator. Shetter calls Shearer and Dan Bunz, one of his college coaches at both Sierra and Sacramento State and a former San Francisco 49ers player, as his two biggest influences in coaching.

Even after getting a teaching job at Dimond High School, Shetter continued to make the drive from South Anchorage to Eagle River every day to continue coaching side by side with his mentor.

Shearer and Shetter led the Mustangs to the playoffs in seven straight seasons, and the state title game in four consecutive years. They defeated Palmer 24-19 to win the 1996 state title.

After Shearer retired in 2000, Shetter was offered the opportunity to succeed his mentor. Rather than taking the position, Shetter opted to take a year off to spend time with his youngest son who was born the same year Shearer retired.

After his tenure at Chugiak, Shetter spent a season on Duncan Shackleford's staff at Dimond, and served as the defensive coordinator at Service High School for two

seasons.

Last season, Shetter joined the Wasilla staff as an assistant. He is also an assistant wrestling coach at WHS.

A committee that included varsity players returning to the squad, parents and members of the WHS administration sorted through applicants in search of the next head coach of the Warriors football program. Michael said there was a big pool of candidates, mostly from the Valley, and Shetter stood out to the committee. Shetter's experience was key in the decision. But Michael also cited his organizational skills, knowledge of the sport and hunger to build a winning tradition at Wasilla as reasons Shetter is the choice.

&#8220We have a great community here. A great staff at Wasilla. Great teachers, great administration. Great kids,” Shetter said. &#8220We just need to funnel all of our energy together, and we'll be competitive. Winning will come. But they way I look at it, as long as we are competitive and doing the right thing, good things will come.”

A life-long defensive coordinator, Shetter is certainly a defensive-minded coach.

&#8220I've always had the philosophy that offense wins game and defense wins championships,” Shetter said.

Shetter also has the task of putting together his coaching staff. He said he already has people in mind, who he would like to see beside him on the Wasilla sidelines. There are coaches with ties to Wasilla and candidates outside of the program that he is considering. Shetter said he has already talked to a handful of people at WHS. Among them is former Wasilla head coach Nathan Ford.

Ford served as head coach of the Warriors for nine seasons, and proceeded Gardner. Shetter said he understands why Ford stepped down, partly due to family reasons, but would like to see him back on the sideline.

&#8220I'd like to see guys like (Nathan) come back and help,” Shetter said. &#8220Even if it's just on the C-team.”

Shetter said he has also contacted another former Wasilla head coach, Bill Sterns.

&#8220I'm going to evaluate things over the next week, and have a meeting with the varsity kids,” Shetter said. &#8220I want to find out their concerns.”

Shetter said his main needs in an assistant are coaches who can teach correct technique and positively motivate Wasilla's student-athletes.