Iowa state champion coach: How we persevered during pandemic
By Dan Guttenplan, FNF Coaches Editor Rick Nelson had encountered several near misses in his quest for a state championship during his first five seasons as the Ankeny High (Iowa)…
California Coach: A Playbook for Dealing with No Season
By Jeremy Plaa, Head Coach at Thomas Downey High (Calif.) Keeping our kids motivated during this off-season, or non-season for some states, is an on-going and evolving process. At Thomas…
The Blueprint for a Winter Football Season
By Dan Guttenplan, FNF Coaches Editor As of press time, only California and Hawaii state athletic associations had committed to moving the football season to a January start date. While…
Masaki Matsumoto: ‘It’s important our kids have coaches involved in their lives’
By Dan Guttenplan, FNF Coaches Editor Masaki Matsumoto earned national acclaim as a coach for an inner-city team in Los Angeles in 2014 when the squad -- Hollywood Bernstein --…
How Louisiana state champion coach creates pipeline to LSU, NFL
By Dan Guttenplan, FNF Coaches Editor If Catholic High (La.) coach Gabe Fertitta wants to check in with his former players, all he has to do is turn on the…
2019 National Coach of the Year: COVID ‘threat is still out there’
By Dan Guttenplan, FNF Coaches Editor Dutch Fork High (S.C.) football coach Tom Knotts couldn't have had a better 2019. He led Dutch Fork to its fifth state championship --…
Q&A with Georgia state champion coach Tim McFarlin, whose team is in quarantine period
By Dan Guttenplan, FNF Coaches Editor Three-time defending Georgia 4A state champion coach Tim McFarlin was preparing his team to open its season against Forsyth Central last Friday when everything…
California coach explains how he coached Alaska team remotely
By Dan Guttenplan, FNF Coaches Editor We've all heard of remote learning. How about remote coaching? It may be the latest trend emerging from the pandemic, and Brad Dal Bon…
7 Things to Consider If the Season Is Postponed Until 2021
By Dan Guttenplan, FNF Coaches One of the unprecedented outcomes of the pandemic is that some states decided to postpone football season until the winter or spring sports calendar. For…
Highland Park (Texas) coach Randy Allen on the impact of COVID on HS football
Highland Park coach Randy Allen is one of just three coaches in Texas history with 400 career wins. Allen is starting his 47th year of coaching, 40 as a head…