On Friday, Todd Mowrey, the current Cardinals wrestling coach who helped lead Amitria McNack to a state title just months ago, was announced as the newest Clinton High School Head Football Coach.
The administration and staff at Clinton High School are sure that he will work hard to get the football program turned around that has been struggling for many years.
Last year, the Clinton Cardinals football program took home one win on their homecoming night in Clinton before picking up another big district win later in the year over Buffalo.
Clinton High School Principal Jennifer Corson said, “We are thrilled to announce the hiring of Coach Todd Mowery as the next leader of our Clinton High School football program. After an extensive application review and interview process, the hiring committee knew Coach Mowery brought the highest priorities for success to our program and school district, including longevity, great for students on and off the field, and the talent needed to bring our football program to new levels of success. Coach Mowery brings with him the experience needed for the high school program through his high school, middle school, youth coaching and teaching accomplishments and the dedication he has put forth to the Clinton community for the past several years. He has a proven track record of developing student athletes not only on the field, but within the classroom and their academic success, as well as their personal lives. Coach Mowery has earned the respect of his athletes and their families, which has already provided a strong foundation toward next year’s football program. Please help us in wishing Coach Mowery the best as he begins this new coaching endeavor within the Clinton School District”!
She added, “Clinton has and will continue to have competitive boys in the program. All it is going to take is the right leader, mentor and coach to guide them through a successful season”.
Mowrey brings a load of experience and a strict but caring personality in his coaching history.
I made the opportunity to visit with Cardinals football’s newest leader.
OS-Tell me a little bit about yourself, tell me about your coaching history.
TM-In 2014, I started to transition out of my previous career and back into the coaching carousel by coaching skill sets at several different major recruiting combines such as Nike’s “The Opening”, Rivals 250 and, USA Football. From there, I finished the transition in Osceola as a defensive coordinator. After leaving Osceola, I spent two years at Eldorado Springs HS as a varsity co-defensive coordinator and Head JV football coach along with varsity assistant wrestling. After making a move to Clinton at the beginning of this school year, I was the Head Coach for Clinton Middle School football and Head Varsity wrestling coach. I’m extremely grateful and ready to lead the Cardinals this upcoming season. I want to bring stability to the program for many years to come.
OS-What aspects of football do you get most excited about?
TM-What excites me the most with the game is the development aspect. Watching young athletes get better every day to achieve their goals is extremely important and rewarding to see. Outside of that, just the overall atmosphere of Friday nights in the fall is pretty hard to beat.
OS-What, in your opinion, makes an excellent football player?
TM-First off, they have to be coachable. If you don’t have the most talent, but you work hard and strive to get better, that goes a long way. The next biggest thing is you have to be a competitor. Compete in every single thing you do. All I ask is that you strive to get 1% better every day.
OS-Can you describe how you would go about developing a game plan?
TM-Finding the opposing team’s weakness and putting a plan together to attack that to the best of our ability. Find a way to limit what the opposing team does well. We have to be able to adapt and overcome. Having a balanced attack will allow us to utilize our players. In a college program you can recruit to a specific system. As high school coaches we can’t do that so we can’t expect to run a system not built for our players, we have to adapt to our talent and skill set in order to be successful
OS-Think of the best football game you have played. How did you prepare for it?
TM-One of my best games was my senior year of high school. The opposing team had an all-state RB who had multiple D1 offers. My mindset was that he would not get past me. I played that scenario over and over in my head the entire week leading up to gameday. Focus, aggression, and being a competitor made that happen. Being mentally prepared for what is front of you is half the battle. Believe in what you can do!
OS-What made you want to apply for the head football coach position?
TM-My family and I love being a part of the Clinton community. When we first came to the area a few years ago, we were immediately welcomed by several people in the community. In the end, the opportunity to lead the Clinton High School program was the ultimate goal from day one.
OS-How are you going to build team morale?
TM-First thing is, we have a good amount of juniors and seniors coming in next season. They’ve had a tough road during their high school years. We have to give not only them, but the rest of the team as well, the best experience possible. We have to keep the season enjoyable and give them all a reason to want to be a part of the team. Winning cures a lot of things, but wins are not always guaranteed.
OS-What do you look forward to at the start of next season?
TM-I’m most excited to see how we’ve progressed in the off-season and what we can accomplish in a new system.
Friday nights in the fall are something that many in the Clinton community hope to be able to be excited about. Mowery is hoping that he can bring that to them. In a few short months, everyone will see.
