Posted: 5/6/05
Cleary excited to coach FL football
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Joe Drennan
Sports Editor
Months of waiting are over and the Forest Lake High School football team now has a new head coach to lead the team after former head coach Jim Herman stepped down after 15 years of leading the team. Matt- hew Cleary, a 1993 graduate of White Bear Lake high school, was approved by the school board Thursday night as the new FLHS football coach.
A total of 30 people applied for the coaching position and the school interviewed eight of the applicants.
ìRight from the start Matt had the interview team excited about the future of Forest Lake football,î FLHS Activities Director Joel Olson said. ìWe have the athletes and the means necessary to be a championship team.î
Cleary first started coaching as an assistant at Spring Lake Park where he worked as a defensive backs coach and freshman team coach.
ìI learned the coaching ropes there,î Cleary said.
In 2000 Cleary took the head coaching position at Shell Lake High School in Wisconsin.
ìIt was always my goal to be a head coach,î Cleary said, ìI made that decision when I was 18.î
Taking over a sub .500 team, Clearly led the 2000 Shell Lake team to a 4-5 record that improved each year, culminating in a perfect 14-0 record last season that was capped off with a win in the Wisconsin Division 7 state championship game.
ìI came to Shell Lake and implemented a weight room program and changed a few things,î Clear said. ìThat kind of stuff helped, but we had some pretty talented kids come through the program too.î
With an emphasis on defense, Cleary feels the team will be competitive because he is inheriting a quality core of players, but theyíre going to have to work hard.
ìI want to be competitive and Iíll do all that I can as a coach to be competitive,î Cleary said. ìI expect the kids to do all that they can too by lifting weights and attending the summer practices. You canít just show up in August and expect to win, there are a lot of things involved to make a program successful.î
What to expect
The FLHS football team may have a new head coach, but the assistant coaching core is going to stay relatively the same this season. Cleary says he plans to meet with the assistant coaches and make sure everybody is on the same page.
ìI have heard good things about them so I am excited to work with them,î Cleary said. ìHopefully their desire is to make these kids good people and to field competitive teams.î
Anytime there is a change in coaching, there will certainly be a transition for the returning players as they have to get used to a new coaching personality. Cleary says heís not sure what kind of coaching style the players are used to, but theyíll probably have to get used to his excitement for the game.
ìIíll bring a little different angle to the table than the kids are probably used to,î Cleary said. ìI love football and I get excited about the little things ‚ó hopefully that excitement will be contagious.î
To help get the Rangers back on the winning track Cleary says his team will be well prepared for every game. Cleary says he is a fan of preparation, and in the Suburban East Conference, with the many quality coaches, he says the team will have to be well prepared every week.
One thing Olson said to the interview team was that Cleary said he is not just committed to the varsity football team, but Forest Lake football from the varsity team right on down through the youth levels.
ìI want to get the community excited about Forest Lake football again and thatís how you do it,î Cleary said.
Why Forest Lake
After completing a perfect season, Cleary could have applied to almost any head coaching opening, but he chose the Forest Lake one.
ìI thought there was a unique opportunity here,î Cleary said. ìThe job is close to my wifeís and my family and that is important to us. We like the area and I like that FLHS is a big school. As far as my goals were concerned this was the perfect scenario.î
Forest Lake Times
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Forest Lake, MN 55025
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