Staff writer
The thought of coaching football at Hillsboro High School had passed through Principal Max Heinrichs’ mind before.
Now he has the reins. USD 410 Board of Education approved him as head football coach Monday.
The HHS graduate is excited for the season.
“These kids are working hard,” he said. “I am blessed with good coaches.”
Assistant coaches Dennis Boldt, Darrel Knoll, and Scott O’Hare return. Also returning is Heinrichs’ predecessor, Len Coryea, who will coach the offensive line.
Heinrichs has two decades of coaching experience. He was head coach at Minneapolis and an assistant at HHS and Tabor College.
As a principal, a football team is a good barometer for a high school, he said. It isn’t a matter of wins and losses, but of effort and teamwork.
“I don’t know if we’ll win a game,” Heinrichs said.
He said coaching will not take time away from administrative responsibilities, and he wouldn’t have taken the position if he thought it would.
Assistants will be able to guide warm-ups, stretching, and conditioning drills while he finishes daily school business.
Heinrichs said it has been fun to get back into the coaching mindset. His last season as a head coach was in 1995 at Minneapolis.
He plans to implement a varied offense, borrowing elements from Kansas, K-State, Oklahoma, and even nearby high schools. The combination of formations and plays will be virtually limitless, he said.
“I’m going to go where our strengths are,” Heinrichs said.
It is too early to tell what the team’s strengths are yet. The team had a skills camp Thursday and Friday.
The addition of a fourth assistant coach will not cost the district any extra money, Heinrichs said. He and Coryea will split the head coaching supplemental salary. Heinrichs will receive $1,537; Coryea, $2,690.
He expects coaching to take a lot of hard work, but he is enthusiastic for the opportunity.
“I appreciate the shot,” Heinrichs said