Blues-stem

Imagine the story. An investigative reporter leaves behind Washington, D.C., and New York City to come to Kansas because of a longing to coach high school football. Never having coached the sport before, he lands in a small town and announces that a downtrodden program will be turned into a winner right away. Sound improbable? Maybe in most places, but apparently not at Bluestem High, where a man determined to be a head coach and a school desperate to break a 58-game losing streak crossed paths late last spring. Scott Wheeler is 44, but with his shaved head and bulging biceps, he looks as if he could still suit up at middle linebacker for any number of high school teams and maybe a few college squads, too. His appearance is not that of a stereotypical journalist, but it suited his undercover assignments. Wheeler worked in radio, television and print for over a decade. Before moving into government contract work in New York, Wheeler was a contributing writer for Insight, a biweekly newsmagazine published by the Washington Times. He has worked on 17 documentaries over the course of his career, mostly investigating political scandals and terrorism. In 2006, Wheeler was working on a project in New York. Meanwhile, his wife, Angie, and their five children went to Kansas to live with her parents in Eureka. She read an article in The Wichita Eagle about Bluestem, a team trapped in the grasp of a long losing streak. She emailed the story to her husband, who himself had played on a high school team that traditionally struggled, winning just one game in Wheeler's senior season. "I knew how these guys are feeling, and I wished there was something I could do," Wheeler said. "I sort of felt this urge; like I could help them." His family's blessing was all he needed to pick up and move to Kansas and pursue the head coaching job. They rented a house in Leon, and Wheeler worked as a substitute teacher during the past spring and helped coach track. When the football position came open late in the spring, Wheeler lobbied hard to be the head coach. Bluestem athletic director David Kohls decided to take a chance. "We weren't going to get someone with a lot of experience anyway," Kohls said. "We weren't going to get a guy with a pedigree, and Scott was persistent. Fired up isn't strong enough to describe him. He was very persistent." With the job in hand, Wheeler went to work. He sent letters to every boy enrolled at Bluestem. Those who indicated interest were personally visited in their home. He set up a summer weightlifting program that attracted 18-20 players three days a week throughout the summer. "I've had guys beating on my door at 7 in the morning wanting to lift weights," Wheeler says. "They are restless. They have so much energy and enthusiasm." There were 25 kids at the three-day summer camp, a high number for the past several years. Wheeler expects 40-some players to report on the first day of practice, a number that's low for a Class 3A school but high compared to the 20 or so that usually trudge through a Bluestem season. "He's done everything you can do to this point," Kohls said. That's all a part of changing the mentality of Bluestem football, Wheeler says. "Why does Garden Plain have big, strong, fast guys?" Wheeler asks. "Why do Conway Springs, Cheney and Medicine Lodge? Did God wave a magic wand over those places and skip over Beaumont, Latham and Leon? I don't think so. It's a lot of hard work. "Most people don't understand how important details are in football and in life. We've got to get rid of the 0-9 attitude. We've been talking about 9-0; this is how 9-0 players practice, this is a 9-0 mentality." The players appear to be buying in. "After the first day I went to mini-camp, I recognized we'd learn a whole lot more with this coach," said Bluestem senior Kris Woodward. "Now we have a good spirit in the team. Everybody knows we can make it. We can win. We can do it." Wheeler says he learned how to win as a player at Iowa Central Community College. He then transferred to Emporia State and finished a non-descript playing career - between injuries. Wheeler jokes: his best games were the annual spring scrimmages. But while Wheeler didn't get much playing time, he did get an education in football from ESU coach Larry Kramer, who would later be a member of Bill Snyder's staff at Kansas State. "I learned about football and about life. I learned mental toughness and discipline," Wheeler said. "Those lessons molded my thinking. "I believe we can win every game," Wheeler said. "If you print that, people will think I'm insane, but I can't help that. I don't want to talk about losing." That's good, because the Bluestem community is ready to win. "We have to get a win," Kohls said. "We've got to get that monkey off our back and get people to quit talking about the streak. For us to have success, we have to get a win." "This is K-State football before Bill Snyder," he continued. "That's the challenge in front of him. Scott's been heading this way for a long time, so maybe it's fate. Maybe he's the right guy at the right time."