Republic has hired Wes Beachler to be its new head football coach. Beachler comes to Republic from Nevada, where he’s been head coach for two years. Before that, he presided over the resurrection of Springfield Parkview football, delivering a playoff appearance to a school that had been in the midst of a multi-season losing streak when he took over.
“I think Republic is a great location in a very good conference,” says Beachler. “And I have a great deal of respect for (Republic superintendent) Chance Wistrom. With the opportunity to work for (him) again, the combination of those things made it pretty appealing.”
Wistrom and Beachler worked together at Parkview, where Wistrom was principal while Beachler was the football coach.
“I want to be class from the top down,” says Beachler. “The coaches, the players, the fans. When people come to a Republic game, we’re going to work hard, we’re going to be physical from the snap to the whistle, and nothing after and nothing before. We’re going to be a team, and we’re going to be a class program.”
Athletic Director Greg Garton says Beachler will set high expectations both on and off the field.
“One reason we’re really excited about Coach Beachler is that he has a can-do attitude, and I think that attitude is going to carry over to our kids and give us confidence,” says Garton. “We need a coach that’s going to build our kids up, and make them believe, and I truly believe Wes is that kind of coach.”
Turnaround Artist
Beachler has a history of turning around programs, going back to a girls basketball coaching job in Kansas 20 years ago, when he ended an 80+ game losing streak as a new coach. At Houston, Mo., in 2003 he took over a team that had gone 3-7 in two straight years, and led them to back-to-back state semifinal appearances.
At Parkview, the Vikings had lost 38 straight when Beachler took the reins.
“The first two years were very tough, and the mindset was, ‘Show up on Friday night, get it over with and move on,'” says Beachler. “My first and second year there, I put on our T-shirts, ‘If you want what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done.’ Trying to convince kids to do things 100% with no regrets is a challenge.'”
After two difficult (and winless) seasons, Beachler helped the Vikings break their losing streak, then led Parkview to the playoffs in 2010.
In Nevada, Beachler’s teams went a combined 14-7 in 2011 and 2012, after winning 12 games combined in the six seasons before that.
“Sometimes it’s a case of ‘I like the challenge of that,'” Beachler says of his ability to change the trajectory of a losing program. “I really think it goes back to weight room and fundamentals. The kids are going to have to get after it in the weight room, and I’ll be there beside them.
“I think the formula that I generally use is there are no shortcuts,” he says. “It’s going to be hard work. It’s going to be an encouraging atmosphere, but they’re going to have to work.
“We have to learn to play hard every single game from snap to whistle, and then we’re done. And if we make mistakes, that’s okay. What’s the worst thing you can do when you make a mistake? Dwell on it.”
“We’re Not Going to Count on Tricking People”
Offensively, Beachler has run a double-wing since 2000. And he says he won’t have a lot of trick plays in his play book.
“We’re going to know the fundamentals. We’re not going to count on tricking people,” he says. “If you can run the ball five yards at a time, that’s pretty hard to stop.”
Nevada averaged more than 400 rushing yards per game in 2012, and Beachler says his preference is to run first, but he’s not opposed to passing the ball if he has the personnel for it.
“Defensively, I’m really committed and a fan of the 4-3 defense. I’ve run a 4-3 or a 4-2 my entire career. I think that’s how you have success stopping the run,” Beachler says. “Even with all these pass-happy teams nowadays, if you can stop the run, it helps your defense get a lot of 3-and-outs.”
No Quick Fix
One of Beachler’s biggest challenges may be changing the mindset of players and fans who haven’t done a lot of recent winning in the COC. He says there’s “no quick fix” to building that confidence.
“I’m sure with the recent coaches they’ve had, work ethic is not a problem,” says Beachler. “When they can be physically challenged in the weight room and conditioning, and they can get through those things, they start to believe a little more.
“With today’s young people, you’ve got to be able to encourage them, too. They need to do things right in school and around town, and that’s going to make them a better young man, and when they have better character, they’re going to play better on Friday nights.
“We’re going to prepare every game the same way. We obviously have our hands full. That’s going to take some time. I think the Republic kids are more than capable of being competitive in the Central Ozark Conference.”
Garton says Beachler’s emphasis on the weight room will pay off for every athlete at Republic, not just the football players.
“He has a great background in weight training,” Garton says. “I think all of our athletic programs are going to benefit from his knowledge.”
Building a Program
Beachler applied for the Republic job last time it was open, but didn’t get it, and ended up at Parkview instead. Now that he has a second chance to coach at Republic, he says he wants to stick around.
“I’m hoping Republic is the place where I stay for a long time. I try to build a program. I don’t want a good season every now and then. I want to be consistently good,” he says.
One reason Beachler left Parkview for Nevada was to get into a town with one high school, because of the opportunities it offers to build long-term success. He says he sees those same opportunities at Republic.
“I like the atmosphere of a one high school town on Friday nights,” he says. Beachler says he hopes to emulate the success of programs like Lamar, Cassville, Webb City and Nixa, where players are initiated into the high school system early and it pays off with consistency at the high school level.
“It’s a little easier to have your hand in the feeder systems (in a one-school town). There’s something special about knowing that 95% of the kids who come through Republic Middle School are going to be playing for me someday,” Beachler says.
“I end up loving my kids. We’re gonna work hard, we’re going to have fun working hard, and we’re going to be fundamentally sound.”