In early May, Michael Kelly took the job as the new Seymour High School football head coach. He left his previous coaching job at Fishers and drove just over an hour south to the smaller community of Seymour. The size of our city was one of the reasons coach Kelly accepted the job. He grew up in Portland, Indiana, and he “enjoys the community size, and everyone supporting their football team.”

Coach Kelly is challenging the Owls to beat last season’s 8-4 record. Coach Kelly said, “It might not be all about the wins or losses, but more about if the plays are playing with passion, and developing.”According to the Athletic Director at Seymour, Kirk Manns, Coach Kelly’s character is what made him stand out above all the other candidates. This combined with the fact that he cares about making the athletes better.

Junior football player Conner Klakamp said,“Coach Kelly is a very energetic coach, very disciplined, and focuses on fundamentals.”

Junior Branson Self added, “We have really improved on our technique as a team.”

When coach Kelly took the job, he also became the weights class instructor. Manns said he is very excited to have him as the instructor because he “is very interested in making all Seymour athletes better.” Klakamp added, “As a weights instructor, Coach Kelly worries a lot about form. He says safety and form come before big weight and getting hurt with bad form.”

Week one Coach Kelly and the Owls came out strong. The Owls finished the game with a score of 40-20 beating Evansville Harrison. The Owls’ first season opening win since 2001.