The 2023-24 MCPS school year started 8/28/2023 and with it, some Montgomery County varsity football programs are getting a clean slate at the top.
Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD is getting a new varsity football coach, Nick Coates. Per the website rmtide.com this past April, the team and school community sounds hopeful for the fresh start:
Around the hallways, the buzz around finding a head coach for the football team was exciting yet people had their eyes set on one man in particular, Coates. There must be something so special about him. “Coates is a great coach who understands the game very well,” sophomore receiver Khalil Wilson said. “I think it is a step forward for the football program at RM.”
Per MaxPreps.com, Richard Montgomery went 3-8 last season (2022) and 3-5 in their region. Senior Center / Defensive Tackle Tre Webster listed at 6-3, 240 pounds (image below per Twitter.com) figures to anchor things up front for RM. In a spring post (screen cap below) also on Twitter.com / X, head coach Nick Coates noted junior running back / safety Demarean Frazier as a three-sport athlete who is hitting some records in track and field.
John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, MD has a new head varsity football coach in Jacquis McCray Jr., who is a graduate of the school and alum of the KDY football program. Last year per MaxPreps.com the Kennedy Cavaliers went 5-6 in Montgomery 3A but still made the state playoffs, losing to Springbrook High School. Kennedy competes against mainly 3A schools this season, based on the posted schedule, but does have to play 4A power Blake High School. Recent posts on Twitter.com / X, show support is back for the team/program:
Springbrook High School, also in Silver Spring, MD is in year one of new head coach Akiel Russell’s program (image / screen cap is from Twitter.com / X and Coach Russell below). Coach Russell is coming from Howard University in Washington, DC where he was listed as a defensive quality control coach. The Howard Bison won a share of the MEAC conference championship in football in 2022 for the first time in 30 years. The Springbrook Blue Devils went 4-7 in 2022.
Walter Johnson High School in “North Bethesda” (sorry, it’ll always be Rockville to me), Maryland welcomes a new head varsity football coach in Aaron Fiddler (screen capture is courtesy of wjathletics.org). The wildcats were very successful in 2022 winning seven games (7-3 overall) in the competitive MoCo 4A West and going to the state playoffs. They lost to Gaithersburg High School, ending their season.
Coach Fiddler figures to rely heavily on listed 6-2, 210 pound linebacker / running back Dylan Minnick, who was named the team’s 2022 most valuable player last season (see below), and also first-team all-county. Per the young man’s own Hudl page / highlights, he had 59 Tackles, 14 TFLS, 3 Sacks, 1 PBU, 3 Forced Fumbles, and an interception in 2022. (Image below is also courtesy of wjathletics.org)
Any more first-time, clean slate MoCo coaches to highlight this fall season? Let us know.
More to come.
