Tom Ingles isn’t coming to town.
With head football coaching vacancies at Kent-Meridian and Kentlake, rumors had been swirling for a while that Ingles, who led Kentwood to state titles in 2001 and 2002, would be returning to Kent. Ingles left Kentwood for Puyallup High in 2003 after using the Kent School District’s retire-rehire process in consecutive years. Teachers in the district are only allowed to use the retire-rehire process twice, which helps explain why Ingles exited for good in 2003 despite the fact that he openly stated on many occasions his preference to remain at Kentwood.
Sure, there are openings in the district, but …
“They’d have to change the board policy before I came back,” said Ingles, who stepped down from his post at Puyallup High in January after six seasons. “I’ve been approached. When I left Kentwood, it was because of the retire-rehire policy and that hasn’t changed. It’s not that I am not interested in either (the Kent-Meridian or Kentlake) job, but things would have to change.”
Which still leaves us with openings. However, word was spreading late last week and early this week that the position at Kentlake had been filled, though athletic director Bruce Rick couldn’t confirm (nor deny) the hire.
Where does that put us?
With at least one definite opening.
I have to admit, I was taken back when Trevor Roberts announced late last month that he was stepping down at K-M after three years. During the past decade, I’ve watched the revolving door spin head-coaching circles around the program … Mike Clancy, Russ Vincent, Tim Schultz, John Jarman and finally Roberts. To put that list in better perspective, Kentridge has had exactly one coach (Marty Osborn) during that span while Kentwood (Ingles and Rex Norris) and Kentlake (Mark Torgerson and Mike Shepard) each have had two.
So many football coaches have come and gone at K-M that I’ve nearly lost track of it all. In fact, I don’t recall a whole lot from the five-year span from 2002-2006, which might be a good thing. I do, however, remember Clancy (1999-2001) quite well because he changed the look of K-M’s football helmets, but wasn’t able to change the outcome on French Field (4-22 record).
The rest, however, is a blur of changing names.
That is, except for the Roberts Era. Roberts is leaving K-M to become the offensive coordinator at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland and the Youth and Recreational Sales Representative for Riddell in the state of Washington. Riddell is a leading manufacturer of football equipment. In three years, he didn’t win as much as he — or Royal Nation — would have liked, going 7-23. Of course, it has to be noted that Roberts’ seven wins is more than the Jarman-Schultz-Vincent trifecta (6). What Roberts did do, however, was change the direction of an entire program. He breathed life into a program that previously was on life support. He brought an even-handed approach and remained positive, even upbeat, through a litany of injuries to key players.
In a nutshell, Roberts got the Royals believing in themselves for the first time in a long time.
“The program is in really good shape, especially financially. It’s a ton better than when I found it,” Roberts said. “Somebody who is coming in will have a higher advantage than I did. Especially with this junior class, which has one of the best quarterbacks (David Jones) in the state. (UW coach Steve) Sarkisian has been in the house to look at him and so has (WSU coach Paul) Wolfe.”
No doubt, Roberts will be missed.
“The morale, the leadership and the life skills he has taught those kids is second to none,” said K-M principal Wade Barringer. “I couldn’t have asked for a better foundation. Trevor has done everything I’ve asked him to do and then some.”
So where does Kent-Meridian go from here?
Who’s going to be the program’s sixth coach since 1999?
Shepard, one of the classiest coaches one can ever have the opportunity to meet, was let go at Kentlake in December, but I don’t envision him sporting Royal blue in the fall.
“Right now, I’m just looking at my options,” he said. “Trevor really had them going in the right direction.”
What about Clancy? Clancy stepped down from Auburn Mountainview in the fall.
“I really don’t have any interest (in K-M) at this time,” Clancy recently said. “I will definitely be coaching somewhere, but I haven’t made any decisions.”
Mark Torgerson, who was at Kentlake before Shepard, doesn’t appear to be a fit, either. Torgerson is now the athletic director at Spanaway Lake and is loving life.
“Even when I was coaching, I wanted to become an AD,” said Torgerson, who lives roughly five minutes down the street from where he works.
Barringer noted that K-M will be going through a screening process for a new coach from March 26-April 2 and hold interviews between April 7-9. Something tells me, however, that we won’t be hearing a name from the past to fill the vacancy.
“We’re going to throw it out nation wide and see what we can get,” Barringer said. “There’s a lot of buzz out there already. It should be a great pool to choose from.”
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