Texas coach takes over Newcomb football program

NEWCOMB, N.M.

First-year coach Jeremy Wooten is looking to bring his brand of smash-mouth football to the Newcomb Skyhawks.

Wooten, who hails from Texas, said he’s excited to be back in New Mexico after being stationed in Albuquerque in the late 2000s.

“I actually started my coaching career with YAFL back in 2010 with one of my kids,” he said of the Youth American Football League. “I fell in love with coaching, so when I got out of the military, I wanted to get into coaching and teaching.”

After earning his degree in 2014, Wooten said he moved back to Texas and served a dual role as athletic director and coach at a couple of schools in Texas.

“I love New Mexico, and I always said that if I get a chance to come back, I’m gonna do it,” he said.

Coaching philosophy

Incidentally, he applied for the Newcomb gig and other job postings to coach in New Mexico last year, but he didn’t get any offers.

“I’m just blessed to be able to get on here with Newcomb,” he said. “Like I said, I wanted to come back here since New Mexico basically gave me the passion for pursuing coaching. I’m kind of paying back for the joy that they’ve given me for the six, seven years that I was here.”

When asked about his coaching philosophy, Wooten didn’t hesitate in wanting to wear teams down.

“I’m a smash-mouth football guy,” he said. “We’re gonna run a shotgun wing and a double shotgun wing. I like running the ball and beating down the defense, even if it’s four or five yards a carry.

“If you do that for a whole drive, you’re gonna eventually wear teams down,” he added. “They’re gonna get frustrated, and then, boom, you can pop up the big plays.”

Wooten believes he has the personnel to do that.

“I think we’ve got the athletes to implement that,” he said. “They’ve bought into my philosophy, and they seem to really like it, that physical type of play.”

Rebuilding backfield

Wooten said his squad will feature four guys in the backfield, including junior Lane Wilson and seniors Goldtooth Begay, Javarius John, and Matt Barber, with the latter being pegged as the starting quarterback.

“He’s gonna lead us,” Wooten said of Barber. “He comes from a line of quarterbacks. From what I’ve heard, his brothers played quarterback here.

“And then we got a plethora of kids in the backfield, and it’s a good thing for the offense we’re gonna run,” he said. “I’ve got a fullback, two running backs, and my quarterback who can carry the ball at any time.”

The first-year coach is also excited about the guys in the trenches.

“I think our line is going to be one of our strengths,” he said. “We got some good-sized kids. They’ve been in the weight room for most of the summer, getting stronger, and they’re willing to do what it takes.”

And although they attended only one 7-on-7 tournament, Wooten said he’s been working with a handful of players for summer workouts.

“They did some strength and conditioning, and they got started in implementing the offense,” he said. “The defense did the same thing, and one of the keys to having a successful football team is building relationships.”

As of Monday, Wooten said he has about 30 kids on his squad, and he’s anticipating getting a few more players in the coming weeks when the school district will provide an activity bus.

“Since there is no activity bus, some of the kids couldn’t stay because they couldn’t get rides,” he said. “Some of them have to travel 45 minutes one way, so it’s strenuous.

“Once everything is all said and done, and once we get the transportation figured out, I should have between 38 to 40 kids.”

Wooten said he’s blown away with those numbers.

“I did not expect to have 35 to 40 kids out for football,” he said. “I expected maybe 20 kids, so it’s exciting to for me even though some of them have not played varsity. It’s a chance to mold them and build them into young men.”

With those numbers, Wooten is looking to field a JV squad to give some younger players some time on the field.

Besides the transportation issue, Wooten said they have a shortage of certified football helmets. As of Monday, the team had only 21 helmets for 30 players.

According to Wooten, the helmets were sent to a company to get refurbished, but during the summer, they were sent back. The school had to find another company to get those helmets recertified.

“I’ve got Shiprock and Zuni that is going loan me some,” he said.

Season opener

The Skyhawks start the season with a home game against Laguna-Acoma on Aug. 26. The following week they’ll travel to Moriarty to play the Class 4A Pintos.

“That’s going to be a good experience for us,” he said. “We may not win, but if we can hang with them, it will give them confidence. I’m using that as a confidence booster.”

Newcomb also has Cuba (Sept. 8), Crownpoint (Sept. 16), Shiprock (Sept. 23), Wingate (Sept 29), and Thoreau (Oct. 7) on its non-district schedule.

They open District 1-3A play with Tohatchi on Oct. 14, followed by Zuni (Oct. 21) and Navajo Prep (Oct. 27).

“I know Newcomb has struggled the last few years, but I want the public to know that these guys have been working hard,” he said. “They started out with me during the summer, and I have not heard one complaint. They’ve bought in, and they’re willing to do what us coaches have asked them to do.

“That’s a coach’s dream,” he added. “Will we be the best? Probably not, but we’re gonna work hard, and we’re gonna go out there and give it 110 percent all the time.”

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