Holt Football Hires Warrenton's Moore to Lead 2011 Program

recently announced that Ken Moore will be the head coach of its football program in 2011. 

“The first thing I want to do is get to know the kids,” Moore said. “Get them in to see us, get to know who they are. It kind of stinks, though. The first time I really get to see them, I’ll be throwing them right onto the field for camp.”

Holt faculty will call it a year on June 3--just in time for Moore to arrive and “meet” his new squad. His athletes will begin workouts that weekend, not wasting any time before heading down to Missouri State University for a team camp the following week.

Fast starts aside, the reality is, Moore’s reputation provides all the introduction he needs. His name couldn’t get hotter after taking Warrenton, where he wraps up his third year as head coach, to the Class 4 State championship as runner-up this past fall. Warrenton had gone 0-10 in 2005, the season before Moore arrived as an assistant.

The Warriors’ turnaround under Moore’s tenure had not gone unnoticed by Holt Activities Director Frank Gentile, who spent eight years as Warrenton’s Activities Director and still keeps an eye on the school.

“I still have a lot of friends back there who spoke real highly of Ken Moore’s accomplishments,” Gentile said. “It wasn’t just wins and losses, either. The way he runs a program and organization, Ken is a good character guy. I think he’ll treat our kids well and fairly, and I think we’ll probably win some ball games along the way.”

High on Gentile’s discussion list during interviews was Moore’s transition amongst program sizes. During his time at Warrenton, Moore increased the program size by 50 percent, improving from 50 athletes when he arrived to 75 this past season--including 39 freshmen. Holt’s football program regularly draws 110-130 athletes each fall, a number Gentile hopes will boom due to excitement about the new coach.

Moore is already salivating with possibilities.

“For me, one of the biggest things is having the ability to play kids on just one side of the ball,” Moore said. “It allows us to pull someone off the O-line and figure things out. What are they doing to do you? What kind of front are you seeing? Then we make adjustments going forward. Coaching at Warrenton, I’ve never been able to do that; we’d have to march them right back out there on defense.”

Moore should find an easy transition into the Holt family--his wife, April, is the Indians’ softball coach and works in the physical education department. Ken is certified in PE as well as the weight room and will join the department in the fall.

“People are giving us a hard time saying ‘I can’t believe you’re going to be working with your wife!’ But I’m kind of excited about it,” Moore said. “She’s a softball coach, and I’m a football coach, and in the fall things get pretty hectic. Now we might be able to see each other more than we have in the past. I think it might be a good time.”

Moore replaces former Holt football coach Chris Shields, who took a position at Joplin High to be closer to family.

“I’m not sure there were many jobs I would have left (Warrenton) for, but one of the few jobs I always listed was Holt. I’m not sure if it was through attrition or whatever you want to call it, but it just happened to come open. It did, and I applied for it, and maybe I was a little more marketable than I would have been at another time. It always helps to have a little bit of success.”