28 programs around Minnesota will have new leaders this fall

Adam Rossow

May 25, 2018 @ 04:00 AM

The school year is coming to a close and before you know it, summer will be winding down with high school football teams around Minnesota returning to the gridiron. Nearly 30 of those teams from Class AAAAAA to Class A will have new head coaches, including seven in both Class AAAA and Class AA. Here is the most updated list of the coaching carousel as we enter Memorial Day weekend. Class AAAAAA Champlin Park – Nick Keenan Keenan takes over at Champlin Park after five seasons with Big Lake. He won 19 games in five seasons with the Hornets, leading them to consecutive Section 6AAAA championships the past two seasons. He takes the reigns from Mike Korton, who won 98 games in his 15-year tenure with the Rebels. Keenan has previous coaching experience at Champlin Park. He was a varsity assistant under both Korton and Tim Hermann for nine seasons. Forest Lake – Sam Ferraro AAAAA North St. Paul – Gene Teigland Park Center – Jordan Sallis Spring Lake Park – John Stewart Stewart will have to replace legendary coach Jeff Schlieff, who resigned after a quarter-century of leading Spring Lake Park. Schlieff amassed a 184-79 record with the Panthers, which included five state tournament appearances and a runner-up finish in Class AAAAA in 2016. Stewart should provide continuity with the program. He's been an assistant coach the past 15 seasons, mostly recently serving as the offensive coordinator of the Panthers veer-option attack. St. Cloud Tech – OPEN AS OF 05/25/18 AAAA Academy Force – Noah Dombrovski Big Lake – Steve Girard Hibbing – OPEN AS OF 05/25/18 North Branch – Justin Sawyer Rocori (Cold Spring) – James Herberg St. Paul Harding – Otto Kraus St. Thomas Academy – Dan O’Brien O'Brien was the offseason hire with the most name recognition. He was an assistant at St. Agnes last season, but is well-known for his time at the University of Minnesota. O'Brien was also a head coach at Bemidji High School in the mid-1990s before transitioning to college coaching. After time as an assistant, he worked as head coach and athletic director at Concordia-St. Paul in 1999 and 2000. The University of St. Thomas alum takes over the program from Jason Sedlak who made a career change, leaving the school after last season. Former Minnesota assistant Dan O'Brien was hired at St. Thomas Academy this spring. (Twitter: @CoachDanOB) AAA Holy Family Catholic – Tim Triplett Park Rapids Area – Jeremy Nordick Pequot Lakes – Bill Magnuson It didn't take long for the former Sauk-Rapids Rice coach to return a head coaching position. After 16 seasons with the Storm, Magnuson was an assistant for the Patriots under Chip Lohmiller the past two seasons. He'll now assume the main role after Lohmiller's retirement from coaching following 14 seasons with the Patriots. Magnuson, who had a record slightly under the .500 mark with the Storm, also recently plucked St. Cloud Tech coach Gregg Martig to join him at Pequot Lakes. The two coaches have a relationship that dates back decades, which includes coaching against each other in the old Central Lakes Conference. Providence Academy – Colin Rooney Stewartville – Garrett Mueller Watertown-Mayer – Andrew Phillips AA Frazee – Russ Hackel The Hornets forfeited last season's varsity schedule, opting for their players to compete at a junior varsity level. There was some question to the viability of a varsity program this season, but Hackel's recent hire signifies that Frazee is expecting to play a varsity slate again in 2018. Hackel, who played college football at North Dakota State, was an assistant at Detroit Lakes before coming to Frazee in 2015 when Jim Jacobson was hired. He'll take over a team that lost only one senior to graduation, but one that will have to get accustomed to again playing competition under the Friday night lights. New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva – OPEN AS OF 05/25/18 Staples-Motley – Chris Kappler Triton – Mike Ellingson United North Central – Cody Stevenson Waterville-Elysian-Morristown – Mike Richards Like the Spring Lake Park coaching change, Richards will be tasked with taking over for a legend. Jon Bakken won 271 games and directed the Buccaneers to three state championships in over three decades as head coach. Richards was a varsity assistant to Bakken the past few years, so he should be familiar with the players and coaches in the program. He's also the varsity track coach at WEM, as well as a wrestling assistant. Windom Area – Travis Martin A Hayfield – John Howe Springfield – Bob Fink