New Central football coach emphasizes being a good teammate

J.W. Downs is taking over as head coach of the Central high school football program. (Photo courtesy of Central Community School)
By Zoey Hyde, Times-Register
Practices for fall sports have been in full swing at Central, and you can see some big changes to Central football from previous years.
The Warriors are led by new head coach J.W. Downs, who has served as P.E teacher and junior high football coach. After Ben Heitland left his role as high school football coach, Downs saw an opportunity to pursue a dream of his.
“What led me to this is I’ve always wanted to be a head football coach, because I love the sport and I love the kids here at Central,” Downs said.
In recent years, the Central football team has struggled to get numbers, which has led to adversity. Downs did not indicate any worries about this, as there are currently 20 boys on the team.
There is also a healthy split between grade levels. With five seniors and eight juniors, a majority of the team is upperclassmen. Central hopes to use the experience of upperclassman to improve the team as a whole.
The Warriors are not only focusing on skills on the field or as individuals. That has actually been Downs’ least priority so far this season. What has been a priority is working on team unity.
As Downs explained, “We want to bring everyone together. We’re all one. We take pride in what we do. Everything we do has a purpose.”
Downs also communicated some goals for the season, stating, “The number one goal as a program is to be the best teammate that we can be and continue to get better at that every day.”
He explained this entails many different things, but at the end of the day, that’s his—and the team’s—biggest goal.
As a new coach, there are always changes to make within a team, and you have to take time to transition. Downs knew what his goals for this season were, so then it was time to get his players on the same page.
Explaining how he motivates his players to work toward the team goals, he said, “We reiterate it in practice every single day. We say ‘What's our number one goal?’ And they always say back, ‘Be the best teammate.’ The kids are doing a really good job of really buying into it as well and helping each other. We focus on calling each other up, not calling each other out.”
Having people within to help lead is important to the culture of a team. Downs said he has seen leadership qualities in everyone on the team this season, no matter grade or skill level. The team as a whole has shown out versus a few individuals.
Sometimes, a coaching transition can be hard for both players and staff. Downs expressed little worry in the process.
He explained, “It's an adjustment going from coaching junior high to high school, just because there’s a lot more details. But it hasn't been something that’s challenging, nothing that’s held us back.”
Downs has also seen little issue with the team transition and has chalked this up to his already established relationship with the kids at Central.
He said, “The fact that the kids know me from school, a lot of them have had me as a junior high coach, that just helps a lot.”
Downs boiled down his strategy to encourage participation by having established relationships with kids at Central, saying, “They trust me and they like my mentality. I’m always encouraging like, ‘Try even if you never tried it before. Maybe you haven’t played in a couple years. Come on out. We’re gonna build, we’re gonna have a good time, we’re gonna have a good season and build excitement around it.’”
Downs communicated that preparation for the season has been ongoing since he took over the position, with late nights putting his ideas on paper and finding ways to execute them. While there haven’t been significant challenges, it has still been significant work for the new head coach.
He also expressed how there has been adequate participation in off season workouts, practices and camps, which has helped prepare the Warriors for the season and grow team unity.
In his eyes, Downs said the team's success this season may not necessarily be on the field, but more so in being the best teammate a player can be.
He communicated, “As long as we’re being the best teammate we can be, we’re successful as a team.”
Downs left some of his final thoughts on the season, saying, “We always say trust the process, and that’s focusing on doing our job to the best of our ability. And that really just circles back to being a good teammate.”
Central's season gets underway this Friday, Aug. 30, versus Ed-Co.