Thank You Brian Moler……

When the final buzzer sounded Friday Night it marked the end to another Reeds Spring Football Season.  For me, its always a sad time to see it come to an end.   This year’s ending has a little extra sting to it.

That, tough to take, feeling isnt because of the great group of seniors that I will miss, although I will miss them without a doubt.  Its not because this group fell short of expectation, I thought they fought beyond what many thought they could do.  Its tough because the man that is primarily responsible for making Reeds Spring Football relevant is done.

Although its not 100% locked in stone and nothing is official, and something could always change, Brian Moler, is stepping away from coaching.    Being an assistant principal is a full-time task in itself.  But, Moler has been balancing that task with also being a coach.  It is really too much to ask anyone to do.  Yet, Moler has done an exceptional job at both.  Still, one can understand his needed to devote his time to that administrative role.

If you are new to the area, you may not know what the Reeds Spring Football Program was like before Moler.  There was  lack of direction and wins were far and few between.  They were 2-18 during Jeremy Hays’ two years as head coach.  And, they had not won more than three games  in a season since the millennium.

Coach Moler came in and went to work of building a culture.  The wins did not come right away.  In fact, they only won 7 games in his first 4 years.  But, in that time you could see the change start to take place.  Players were starting to buy into the program.  The off-season became more important to them.  By 2012, the turnaround was revealed on the field; seven wins for the first time in 15 years.  And it just took off from there.

But, to me its not just about the wins.  Its how he did it.  He surrounded himself with a great staff.  He did a great job of mentoring some young coaches and brought in some great experience to mix in with it.   You add the hiring of Lance Gosch to it and the the program was ready to reach heights it had never seen.  And, has improved even more with more additions.

When he moved into the assistant principal role, he gave up head coaching duties and became part of Coach Gosch’s staff.  For many that could be tough, but the two of them were great with the transition and the program has continue to thrive.

He has helped develop boys that came out for the sport of football into men that will go into the world and be great husbands and fathers.  To me, that is more important that anything that has been done of the field.  His players love him.

Years after he left Aurora to come here, I would still see former players and fans come up to him and talk to him  He left a lasting impression there, just like he did at Strafford, and Hillcrest before that.

He is not going away.  He will just not be a coach any longer.  I have told him that I will have a headset for him.  And while it might not be right away, I will eventually find a way to get him in the booth with me to call a game, if nothing else, for a guest appearance.

As I said, nothing is etched in stone.  I would be happy to sound like an idiot for writing this and see him out there again next year.  I would like nothing more…..

Coach, thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for the students of the Reeds Spring School District and Thank you for everything you have done for me.

Amy, I know you and the kids sacrificed a lot of time with him.  Thank you for sharing him with all of us.  Everyone of us is better for simply getting to be around him.