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By Alex Kuhn
Sports Editor 

Warriors find new football coach

 

May 26, 2017

WORLAND - After the resignation of Todd Weber on April 24, the Worland High School football coach from 2015-16, the Warrior football program was set to looking for another head coach.

A month into the search, WHS activities director Mark Mortimer found his coach from within the program, promoting Ryan Utterback to the head coaching position.

Utterback, the health and strength and conditioning P.E. teacher at WHS, was on Weber's coaching staff the past two seasons as the offensive and defensive lineman coach.


"Looking back the last five years, continuity is something Worland football needs and that's one of our bigger goals to keep that continuity. We'll probably change a few things here and there, but again Mr. Weber had such a great program that we want to keep a lot of the same things," said Weber.

Keeping with the continuity, Utterback will keep to the same offseason training program and have a majority of last season's coaching staff of Josh Garcia, Ben Hofmann and Cody Smith returning to help him along in his first season at the helm of Worland football.


"We'll have coach Mr. Garcia, Mr. Hofmann and Mr. Smith back and even though it will be a little bit new for the kids, we'll be teaching a lot of the same stuff," said Utterback, "Our offseason programs will mirror what we were doing last year. We'll use the same lifting program. Last year we had guys starting out weighing 145, 150 then by the time the season rolled around they were 165, 170. Monday's through Thursday's we'll have throwing days, I'll work with the other coaches and work around their offseason programs."


The last time Utterback was the head coach of a football team was for an 8-man football team in.

The 2017 season will be Utterback's first time as a head coach of an 11-man team and while he knows the first season will have its challenges. He's more than willing to use the vast wealth of experience surrounding him, which includes WHS principal Wade Sanford who coached the Warriors from 2000-2011 and won three-consecutive state championships.


"It's going to be different and there will be a learning curve, but I have a lot of great resources around me that I'm going to be using. Mr. Garcia has been around for a while, AD Mortimer then Mr. Sanford who is coming in as principal has 12 years coaching," said Utterback.

Taking over the program Utterback is excited to keep the positive momentum building as the Warriors try to snap their playoff cold-spell.

"A lot of time goes into the program with planning and administration stuff, so it will be an adjustment for my family and myself, but I'm looking forward to the challenge of jumping in. I look forward to continuing things from last year. I really appreciate what Mr. Weber did by turning things around and creating the expectation of winning. He laid a great foundation for us and we want to keep that train headed in the right direction," said Utterback.

Winning games is always the goal but more importantly Utterback wants his players to be upstanding and positive influences off the field as well on the field.

"Points of emphasis will be teaching about character. We want our players to be good people who treat everyone with respect on and off the field. We want the kids to take care of their studies because that will take them far in life," said Utterback.

As for on the field, grit, determination and attention detail is what Utterback wants the program to be known for.

"Down to the football part of it we want hard work, hustle, focus and discipline. We just had our first meeting and I'm really excited about the eagerness and intensity I saw. One of the things we told them is how well we perform this fall is going to be dependent on the work we put in this summer."

 
 

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