Best Coaches

[Hinsa]

I will take Mike Schatz any day over any of these Johnny come lately guys.  Vigen has been at it a long time but how many titles does he have (1)?

Coach Vigen consistently gets the most out of the talent that he has and remains a gentleman as he does so. He wins big when he's got the horses, and when he only has ponies he still gets the most out of them that they have to give. He is the kind of coach you want mentoring your kids.

Not to say that other coaches aren't good mentors, but Coach Vigen is definitlely one of the best football minds and true role models in the state.

[ifoughtpiranhas]

I will start by saying that Randy Vigen is a great coach.

I have been reading all of these posts regarding Garrett Magner from Dakota Prairie.
The way people are riping on him is very unfair.

From what I can see - in the few games I have seen him coach - he is ery emotional. That is exactly what I want in a coach. He cares - more than he probably should. I bet he has no regular life during football season - or during the summer for that matter. I have talked to parents from DP - and he has those kids working hard all year round. The fact that these kids work so hard show how great of a coach he is.

Some people have been criticizing him for yelling at refs.... That is the most rediculous thing I have ever heard. Every single coach that coaches anything yells at the refs. Whoever has said that obviously doesn't like the man and is grasping at straws for negative things to say.

Bottom line - he is a young - firey - emotional coach who is still trying to gain respect. He has had 5 great years. People talk about the kids he has "inherited" - that is how it is for all coaches in all sports. These kids grow up in their towns - and once they get old enough they play sports. That's how it is everywhere. How can you criticize a coach for that?

A good coach wants to win. Everyone always says: "Playing sports is about having fun."
That is very true - - - - but who has ever had a good time while losing.

Emotion and desire to win is what everyone should want in a coach. That's what I would want.

[jtdc492]

Tim Pfifer (Spelling?) from Rolette-Now North Prarie Cougars.

[KennyG]

Tim Pfifer (Spelling?) from Rolette-Now North Prarie Cougars.

They are Class A there buddy

[jtdc492]

You're rigth of course, but he was Rolette head coach since '85, and class A for this year only.

[Flying Wallenda]

Randy Vigen at Central Valley is excellent. He gets a great number of kids to go out, and he teaches the game the right way. He leaves no stone unturned when it comes to his program.

[shooter]

I knew Magner in college and I didn't care for his attitude then, and he is not much more than a big whiner now. I am not saying he maybe isn't a descent football coach, but what he displays shows the kids that by crying, whining, and throwing his pretty little visor, you can maybe get your way. You should show emotion, and you should fight for every call you can get, but don't do it EVERY SINGLE PLAY that doesn't go your way. Couldn't see myself wanting my son to play for a guy like that. I want my kid to bust, and if the play doesn't go your way, shut up and do your best to make it go your way next time, not throw a tantrum. Maybe that's just me.

[pakkyzoo]

I knew Magner in college and I didn't care for his attitude then, and he is not much more than a big whiner now. I am not saying he maybe isn't a descent football coach, but what he displays shows the kids that by crying, whining, and throwing his pretty little visor, you can maybe get your way. You should show emotion, and you should fight for every call you can get, but don't do it EVERY SINGLE PLAY that doesn't go your way. Couldn't see myself wanting my son to play for a guy like that. I want my kid to bust his a$$, and if the play doesn't go your way, shut up and do your best to make it go your way next time, not throw a tantrum. Maybe that's just me.

Put it this way, if it wasn't for him, DP's success in the last 5 years wouldn't have happened. He brought in the weight programs, getting the kids to camp, and has a very good football mind. Yes he can get out of control some, but if you watched him over the last 4 games in the playoffs, I'd say he matured as the season went on. OVERALL, he has brought a winning mentality to a school that couldn't win a game when they were 11 man. Now they are one of the most successful teams around year in and year out. He has been a big reason for it. I played for him, my brother plays for him, he has treated us well. I can't complain.

[shooter]

I do completely agree with you that he has very much turned around the DP program. I just have a problem with the way that he demonstrates himself and the message that portrays. I was a pretty good all around athlete in my day and kinda live by the "only the strong survive" mentality that you need to, in my opinion, survive and thrive in this world, but I believed in working hard to get myself there, not whining.

[old lineman]

Randy Vigen is a class guy. Shatz taught skills and technique better than I have ever seen a high school team have in the postions that handled the ball. I warm ups in a playoff game the kids were catching post patterns with one hand, not just the studs, but the short fat kids too. Mike produced some great recievers and running backs wiuth QB's that did OK too. My point when someone touched the ball they knew what to do. They had one heck of a run.

[busch3434]

One name that doesn't come up anymore in 9-man and i think it's a shame is Dave Hodgson. He guided his team to two state titles in i think a 3 or 4 year span. The second game against the defending champion and a very good TGU team. Also, that year they had to go through a tough region that had a VERY good hankinson team.

[booyah]

Garret Magner from Dakota Prairie has done a fine job, I believe he has made the playoffs 3 out of four years, last year missing the playoffs but finishing 7-2.

He has had good talent and a good coaching staff but he seems to mould his offense around the different talent he has each year.

i agree that he's a good coach....but do you know where he got his spread offense? from coaching with another good coach in the 2005 shrine bowl with Richland coach Jeff Sheehan who created the offense.

[BB11]

He "created it?" Hasn't that offense been around for 20-30 years if not longer?
I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just curious as to what you mean by "created it."

[homer]

maybe he meant tweaked it alittle as far as the 9-man use of it

[GRIDIRON GURU]

Few coaches are true innovators, most coahces, especially the good ones, copy things that work from other good coaches, and those coaches don't mind because they copied their scheme from another coach, it's simply a circle of life in the football coaching world.

Richland, was probably the first to make a splash running the spread in 9-man. I am sure that Sheehan saw the spread watching Utah or something like that and said dang, that would really work well in 9-man, he had gobs of speed and talent and really did a nice job of running it, It was a contrarian approach and it was different and new and somthing that other teams were not used to defending. They won a state championship with it.

Magner being a forward thinking coach who knew his talent pool well, saw the spread offense and the success that Richland had, implemented it to his team, did a nice job of getting his kids to execute the offense, and they made a run at another championship with gobs of speed and talent.

I would say however that Coach Sheehan should be given the title of... "the father of the 9-man spread offense."

[future star]

whoever tgu's coach he is a very good coach.

[imperials]

kelly mccleary from napoleon is doing a great job for his first job and not bringing alot of starters back from last year

[EHS1998]

kelly mccleary from napoleon is doing a great job for his first job and not bringing alot of starters back from last year

I agree that after the first 3-4 games he is doing well, but I think he has a long way to go to be mentioned with this group. I am sure that will come.

[bigpoppakdog]

Jim Spitzer from Hebron. I really doubt anybody on this will remember him, I only know of him from what I've been told. I believe he would have had more state titles than anyone, but they didn't have state titles then.

[appleman]

whoever tgu's coach he is a very good coach.

Scott Thorson

[pakkyzoo]

Garret Magner from Dakota Prairie has done a fine job, I believe he has made the playoffs 3 out of four years, last year missing the playoffs but finishing 7-2.

He has had good talent and a good coaching staff but he seems to mould his offense around the different talent he has each year.

i agree that he's a good coach....but do you know where he got his spread offense? from coaching with another good coach in the 2005 shrine bowl with Richland coach Jeff Sheehan who created the offense.

Basically the passing, option, and draws out of "Sheehans" spread are the same basic principles as an 11 man spread offense.

The thing that made Sheehan the father of the 9 man spread offense is how he designed his running offense. Instead of the quarterback handing off, they direct snapped it to the runningback, and then the qaurterback would either kick out the end or lead block for the RB. So basically on every run play they were playing blocking equal numbers of people instead of one less. Smart.

After the Shrine Bowl in 06, Magner and Sheehan were the offensive coaches, so it was a good chance for Dakota Prairie to put in the spread offense to their playbook. They have ran the offense ever since. In fact they ran it against Sheehan and Richland last year in the first round of playoffs.

[jtdc492]

kelly mccleary from napoleon is doing a great job for his first job and not bringing alot of starters back from last year

I agree that after the first 3-4 games he is doing well, but I think he has a long way to go to be mentioned with this group. I am sure that will come.

The guy is a genius, give it to Gross 35+ times a game.

[GRIDIRON GURU]

The guy is a genius, give it to Gross 35+ times a game.

He is a genius, if you have a stallion ride him.

[imperials]

kelly mccleary from napoleon is doing a great job for his first job and not bringing alot of starters back from last year

I agree that after the first 3-4 games he is doing well, but I think he has a long way to go to be mentioned with this group. I am sure that will come.

The guy is a genius, give it to Gross 35+ times a game.

the only game that gross has carried the ball 30 times this year is the oakes game, have you been to any of napoleon's games, mccleary has really opened up the offense and is doing a really good job with the talent he has.