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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


High School Coaches You Should Know

by: Jamie DeMoney
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You don’t see them on the headsets on TV each week. With the exception of an occasional piece in American Football Monthly, you seldom read about them in the national press. Unlike their NFL and college football brethren, people in their hometowns usually call them by their first names.

They are high school football coaches, and they form the very backbone of the sport. They are the caretakers who plant the seed of football in a young player’s heart, watch it grow, and reap a harvest of young men who, at the very least, become better prepared for the game of life if not recipients of a college scholarship.

In this special high school edition of AFM, our editors thought the time had come to take a coast-to-coast glimpse at some of the talented and dedicated football coaches who have committed their lives and coaching souls to the band-blaring, banner-hanging, community-loving traditions of high school football. Note: This list looks beyond those coaches who have already been recognized as national or regional coaches of the year by AFM.

Who: John Barnes
Where: Los Alamitos High School (Los Alamitos, Calif.)
Why you should know him: Barnes won three section championships in the 1990s competing in California’s talent-laden Southern Section Division I classification. He owns over 200 victories in 23 years with the Griffins.
Who has played for him: Most recently Oregon senior WR Keenan Howry, Southern California senior DT Bernard Riley, former UCLA WR Brad Melsby, former Oregon WR Tony Hartley and QB’s Kevin Feterik (former BYU), Ryan Hanson (UNLV) and Sean Stein (New Mexico).

Who: Gene Wier
Where: Olathe North High School (Olathe, Kan.)
Why you should know him: Wier has led the Eagles to five of the last six state championships in Kansas’ largest class, 6A.
Who has played for him: Sophomore RB Darren Sproles and incoming DB Maurice Mack at Kansas State, Kansas senior DB Brandon Wier and Winnipeg Blue Bombers WR Arland Bruce.

Who: Duane Twait
Where: Emmetsburg High School (Emmetsburg, Iowa)
Why you should know him: Earned National Coach of the Year recognition in 2000 by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association after leading the E’Hawks to a fifth state championship in his 26 years at the school. Eclipsed the 300-win mark last season and has an overall mark of 306-55-2.
Who has played for him: Recent grads include Iowa senior OL Bruce Nelson, Iowa junior LB Grant Steen.

Who: Ed Buller
Where: Oak Grove High School (San Jose, Calif.)
Why you should know him: Buller has built Detroit Lions head coach Marty Mornhinweg’s alma mater (Mornhinweg played at Oak Grove pre-Buller) into one of the strongest programs in the Bay Area and won Central Coast Section titles in 1986, ‘97 and ‘99.
Who has played for him: The list includes San Francisco 49ers DE Andre Carter, former Chicago Bears DT Tim Ryan, St, Louis Rams FB James Hodgins and UCLA junior LB Marcus Reese.

Who: Mike Herrington
Where: William S. Hart High School (Newhall, Calif.)
Why you should know him: Has led the Indians to four consecutive CIF Southern Section Division III title and 11 straight league championships since taking the reins at the San Fernando Valley school.
Who has played for him: The list includes California junior QB Kyle Boller, UCLA junior WR Jerry Owens, UCLA sophomore fullback Pat Norton and incoming UCLA QB Matt Moore.

Who: Andy Lowry
Where: Columbine High School (Littleton, Colo.)
Why you should know him: Lowry couldn’t have handled the difficult season that followed the April 20, 1999, shootings at Columbine better. The Rebels improved throughout the ‘99 season and finished with the school’s first-ever 5A state championship, which they defended the next year to make it two in a row.
Who has played for him: Most recently incoming TE Brian Majcen and P Scott Parker, both at Wyoming.

Who:
Siuaki Livai
Where: Kahuku High School (Kahuku, Hawaii)
Why you should know him: He is the man who led a prep football revolution in the Aloha State by leading the Red Raiders to back-to-back state champions after St. Louis School (Honolulu) had won the previous 15 titles.
Who has played for him: San Diego Chargers and former Nebraska OG Toniu Fonoti was one of 22 Red Raiders who signed National Letters of Intent back in February 1999. Last year, standout DE Jonathan Mapu signed with Tennessee.

Who: Matt Senffner
Where: Providence Catholic High School (New Lenox, Ill.)
Why you should know him: Senffner is the only football coach the Celtics have ever had. Since the school’s first varsity season in 1968, he has been around for 259 victories. All but 50 of those have come during the last 20 seasons. In 2001, Providence earned its seventh state championship.
Who has played for him: Most recently Iowa senior OL Eric Steinbach, Ball State senior OL Colin Johnson and incoming Northern Illinois OL Matt Rogers.



Who: Dick Dullaghan
Where: Ben Davis High School (Indianapolis)
Why you should know him: Few coaches in the Midwest have been as successful at one school as Dullghan has been at Ben Davis. Now just 11 wins shy of career coaching victory No. 300, Dullaghan led the Giants to a National Prep Poll title in 1991 along with state championships in 1987, ‘88, ‘90, ‘99 and 2001. Last season’s 15-0 record and top-5 national ranking was particularly sweet for the 57-year-old Dullaghan, who recently recovered from prostate cancer.
Who has played for him: The recent list includes incoming Tennessee QB James Banks, Ball State DB’s Charles Avant and Jesse Avant, and Western Kentucky senior DB Kyle Moffatt.

Who: Armond Colombo
Where: Brockton High School (Brockton, Mass.)
Why you should know him: The 69-year-old Colombo has 308 coaching victories and became Massachusetts’ all-time leader in that category during the 2001 season. Has won nine Eastern Mass. Super Bowls and has six undefeated seasons since becoming the Boxers’ head coach in 1969.
Who has played for him: The list includes Boston College junior WR Jamal Burke, Northeastern junior RB Peter Harris, former Iowa WR Peter Marciano (nephew of boxing champ Rocky Marciano).

Who: Chuck Smith
Where: Boyle County High School (Danville, Ky.)
Why you should know him: Smith is building one of the nation’s most powerful small-school programs in Danville, Ky. (population 15,477). The Rebels have won three straight state champions and 45 consecutive games. Smith’s 10-year record at the school is 102-28.
Who has played for him: Last year’s squad boasted Louisville OT/DE Justin Nichols and 2001 Kentucky Mr. Football Jeff Duggins (Alfred State Junior College).

Who: J.T. Curtis
Where: John Curtis Christian School (River Ridge, La.)
Why you should know him: Seventeen state championships in 32 years at the school. That’s why. While West Monroe and Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport) have stolen most of the national headlines over the years, no Louisiana school has matched the on-field excellence of the Patriots. Coach Curtis owns a 379-42-6 record at the school, placing him third on the all-time national list for most wins at one school.
Who has played for him: Houston Texans and former Ohio State RB Jonathan Wells, N.Y. Giants and former LSU DB Clarence LeBlanc, former Michigan RB Chris Howard and former SMU and NFL RB Reggie Dupard.

Who:
Bill McGregor
Where: DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyattsville, Md.)
Why you should know him: Coaching in the shadow of prep basketball victory king Morgan Wootten has not hampered McGregor’s efforts in building the Stags’ football program one bit. In 20 years at the D.C.-area power, McGregor’s teams have won 11 league titles and 181 games.
Who has played for him: Where to begin? McGregor is one of the best in the East at developing college players, particularly quarterbacks. Since 1982, every starting DeMatha QB has moved on to play in college.

Who:
Kelly Donohoe
Where: Blue Springs High School (Blue Springs, Mo.)
Why you should know him: Just over a decade after playing quarterback at the University of Kansas, Donohoe has become one of the hottest young high school coaches in the Midwest. The 34-year-old led the Wildcats to a 2001 season that included a 14-0 record, 5A state championship and top-15 national ranking.
Who has played for him: Incoming Wyoming WR Josh Barge and incoming Northern Iowa DB Curtis Cooper.

Who:
Tony Bianchi
Where: Webster High School (Webster, N.Y.)
Why you should know him: The 38-year-old Bianchi has quickly established the Webster program among the top in the Empire State with two Class AA state championships and 57 victories in six seasons with the Warriors.
Who has played for him: University of Buffalo freshman OL Michael Schifano and Connecticut sophomore WR Matt Cutaia.

Who:
Steve Halpin
Where: Mesquite High School (Mesquite, Texas)
Why you should know him: Brought the city of Mesquite its first-ever state championship in football, finished 15-0 and was ranked in the National Prep Poll Top 25.
Who has played for him: Last year’s senior class included incoming Texas DL Hardee McCrary, Texas Tech recruits WR Brandon Douglas and DL Chris Hudler, and incoming West Virginia WR/DB Krys Williams.





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