Seeing it through

Shawn Amos has never coached a high school football team this deep into November.

Usually by this time, the Coeur d’Alene head coach is checking in and taking inventory of equipment.

Now Amos hopes to find out what it’s like to coach a team as late as the weekend before Thanksgiving. To do that, his Vikings (8-2) must knock off defending State 5A champion Centennial in a semifinal Friday at Viking Field.

“You want to be playing when you have to turn the lights on for practice,” Amos said of reaching the state playoffs for the second time in his eight years at CdA.

Amos, 37, has endured. He can’t praise his assistant coaches enough for staying the course with him through some difficult times.

Such as when he took over as CdA head coach in 1997, after two years as head coach at Kellogg.

“I wasn’t even 30 (years old) yet. We were all new,” Amos remembered of his young staff. “I went from a school of 400 to a school of 1,200. It was my second head coaching job.”

Amos admits he didn’t understand how difficult the challenge would be to turn around a program that had hit rock bottom. The Vikings had back-to-back 1-8 seasons in Amos’ first two years.

“It was probably worse where we started than where Van (Troxel) started at Lake City,” Amos said trying to draw a parallel between the programs. “He had a new school, new equipment and facilities and a coaching staff with a wealth of experience. Here, the facilities were bad and we had to change some ingrained (losing) attitudes. And there were a lot of coaching conflicts and leftover problems from the previous staff. It was a bigger challenge than I anticipated.”

Amos wouldn’t have backed away from the challenge had he known the complete gravity of the situation. But he would have walked in with his eyes more wide open.

“We were losing seniors left and right the first year,” said Amos, a 1986 Moscow High graduate. “We lost about half our seniors that year. Everything that could be wrong with the program was wrong with the program. That’s what makes it so rewarding when you get it turned around. The kids finally bought in. I have to give a lot of credit to Lake City and (Sandpoint) because they set the standard. When I got here Lake City and Sandpoint were already off and running. So that really put us further behind because they kept getting better.”

The pressure to keep up with the Joneses, especially the neighbors across town, intensified.

By 2000, Amos’ fourth season, CdA posted a winning record (8-2) and qualified for the state playoffs. Two seasons later, Amos was fighting for his job when the Viks finished 6-3 and lost out in a tightly contested three-way tiebreaker with LC and Sandpoint for two state playoff berths.

He said a group of parents tried to get him fired. There was a falling out with an assistant coach.

Compounding matters for Amos was the personal struggle of dealing with the death of his mother during the season.

“The season was disappointing because I invested so much time and energy into the team and to have some of those parents put that pressure on me …,” Amos said, stopping in mid-sentence. “It made me question what I’m doing here. I had wrapped myself up in wins and losses.”

So Amos changed his focus.

“It stems from the death of my mom,” he said. “I decided I wanted to make the kids better citizens. Winning no longer is what drives me. Since I changed, we’ve been winning more. I think God was sending me a message: Remember what’s important.”

Assistant coaches Chad Booth (offensive line), Ron Nelson (defensive coordinator), Matt House (offensive coordinator) and Rick Clute (linebackers) have been with Amos all eight years. Most of them are either his age or a year or two younger.

“It’s been faith and a lot of hard work,” Booth, a 1991 CdA grad, said of building the program. “The work Shawn’s put in is phenomenal. I respect him a ton. He has taught me and trusted in me.”

Unbeknownst to Amos, the Viks’ second win in back-to-back weeks over LC last Friday was his 50th as a head coach. Including his two years at Kellogg, his career record is 50-42-1.

CdA’s win at Sentinel last month finally got his overall mark at CdA to .500 after the 2-16 start. His Viks teams are a combined 32-15 since 2000.

Inland Empire League coaches predicted CdA’s success this year before the season kicked off.

“They’re going to be solid for the next three to four years,” Troxel said. “It used to be our biggest game each year was with Sandpoint. Not anymore. Our biggest game is with Coeur d’Alene, and that’s out of respect to what Shawn and his coaches have done. They’re ready to step to the next level.”

Even Amos expected this year’s feats.

“Last year we were 6-3 and that exceeded our expectations,” he said in late August. “If we go 6-3 this year, it won’t be as much fun.”

The Viks emptied the water bucket on their coach following their 50-34 win over LC that advanced them to the semifinals. Amos enjoyed every bone-chilling second of the shower.

Amos coached his son’s flag football team for a second season this fall. The team lost once, to a team coached by former NFL quarterback and CdA High grad John Friesz.

“Can I add those wins to my record?” Amos quipped.

Amos wants to coach and teach at CdA until retirement. By then, the first eight seasons will be a distant memory, of a time when endurance and perseverance ultimately paid off.