Coach Jesse Owen is the new football coach leading the Blazers through this season after Ryan Cornelson took a job at Republic High School in Missouri. 

This will be Owen’s seventh year as a football coach. Previously, he worked as head coach of Olathe East for five years, finishing with a record of 22-26. Before that, he was at Eudora High School for a year.

“Change sometimes can be difficult, but it really depends on your mindset and how you approach it,” Coach Owen said “They’ve done great in that regard.” 

Last season, the Blazers had a 5-3 overall game record. There are eleven senior varsity players returning. This new season will bring lots of opportunities for improvement and change for the team. Owen will push them to keep getting better and better. 

“It just takes that experience of kind of doing it so that you can have the confidence to go do it better next time, so no doubt they’re gonna get better.” Owen said. 

Coming off a hot season last year, the team is optimistic about their new coach, according to team captain and senior Jake McClure. 

“I’m glad Coach Owen is here with us… He really cares and knows what he’s doing,” McClure said. “He’s a lot more intense than Cornelson, but it just shows that he cares. He’s more emotional, and more into it.” 

 The Blazers opened their season with a loss of 14-35 at home against Mill Valley on Sept. 3. Their next home games include Olathe South on Sept. 17, Olathe Northwest on Oct. 1 (homecoming), and Shawnee Mission Northwest on Oct. 15. 

“We hope that the student section keeps coming out and keeps supporting our guys,” Coach Owen said.