IRONMEN FOOTBALL REVIVAL: Numbers up in spring football, players focus on tradition
Almost all high school football reboots have one thing in common — an increase of players.
Based on that supposition, the grid fortunes for Nowata High might be on a U-turn course.
“The big thing is we’ve got quite a few kids out,” new Ironmen football head coach Chance Judy said about the first week of spring workouts. “We’ve got a whole bunch of kids out. … Everybody is putting in the work.”
Perhaps few grid programs have ever ridden such a wild roller-coaster ride in a decade as has Nowata.
After the Ironmen stumbled to 0-10 — for the first time in school history — in 2011, they began an amazing climb in 2012, remarkable for both the suddenness of the turnaround and the height of success.
Nowata bolted to a a 9-3 record in 2012 — including an appearance in the second round of the playoffs.
In 2013, the Ironmen hammered out a 9-1 record season record and came in 10-2 overall.
Nowata ran the table (10-0) in the regular season in 2014 and then made fiery push to the state championship game. The Ironmen finished at 14-1 after falling to Davis, 20-13, in the state final.
Despite a massive graduation of talent, Nowata racked up a respectable 7-4 mark in 2015.
The Ironmen recorded their fifth-straight winning season (6-5) in 2016.
But, then the woes started — 0-10 in 2017, 1-9 in 2018, 5-6 in 2019, 0-9 in 2020 and 0-10 in 2021.
For those not keeping track, the Ironmen rip-snorted to a 46-11 record from 2012-16 and a 6-44 mark from 2017-21.
To add perspective to the dizzying descent, just three seasons after erupting to a 14-1 record and playing for the state title (2014), Nowata plummeted to an 0-10 mark (2017).
The coaching changes have been almost as discombobulating.
Between 2014 through 2021, seven different head/interim coaches led the team.
Juby becomes the Ironmen’s eighth head coach in nine seasons.
He is determined the reversal of fortunes begins now for a Nowata program traditionally one of the most consistently excellent in Class A-2A football.
The Ironmen ascended to the state final three times in 19 years (1995, 1999 and 2014);
From 1990 through 2016, Nowata advanced to the playoffs 20 times in 27 seasons — certainly a success rate few programs can boast.
Of those 20 playoff seasons, they made it to second round — or deeper — 11 times.
One the symptoms of Nowata’s slide from 2017 through 2021 was falling numbers of players on the roster.
That’s why Juby is encouraged by his turnout in this month’s spring practice.
Not only are there more bodies in uniform, but “the kids are working harder than in the past,” Juby said. “They’re determined and dedicated to get Ironmen football back to the tradition it’s been known for. … I’m super excited.”
Juby has tabbed sophomore Treaver Emberson as his new starting quarterback going into spring workouts.
“He’s a real smart kid,” Juby said. “He’s not scared. … He’s stepping up. He’s picking up everything. He’s learning what everybody is doing at all times on the plays. He’s an intelligent kid.”
Several veterans provide Juby a backbone of leadership and experience.
They include two-way standouts Eli Savala, Riley Ammerman, Benton Blasi, Gavin Fisher and Evin Schonherr.
A couple of other key battle-proven weapons are Payton Trotter and Bear Savala, Juby said.
Later this week, Nowata is slated to attend team camp in Vinita.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Focus on Nowata High football spring workouts
