MASON CITY – This weekend, it was announced that Mason City High School – set to compete against downgraded competition this season – is returning John Lee as head coach of its beleaguered football team.
“I am proud and so enthused to announce and to accept the opportunity to join the Mohawk football family once again,” John Lee proclaimed. “I’ll be back on the sideline this fall with a great group of athletes and coaches. Let’s go Mohawks!”
John Lee was the 2001 CIML Football Coach of the Year for Mason City High School, where he was head coach for 10 years.
Lee replaces Brandon Krusey (head coach just one year at MCHS) in leading a football program that rarely wins a game and struggles to compete many Friday nights, even though local teens love to attend games. Other coaches in recent years who have tried in vain to turn the lost ship that is Mason City Mohawk football include Justin Penner and Matt Berkley and Dan Kamm, among others. MCHS has produced a few notable participants over the years, such as Mark McManigal, Miguel Recinos, Barry Alvarez, Jeff Horner, Scott Raridon and others.
The competition is being downgraded just in time for Lee to try to save the program. No more Waukee, West Des Moines Valley, Dowling, Ankeny this year to make Lee’s long flowing locks of hair fall out as those games would spiral out of control as he clutches his clipboard. Mercifully, Mason City was downgraded from class 4A to 3A just for football (how does that happen?), it was announced earlier this year. Bring in the Gilberts, Grinnells and tiny Humboldts of the world to better match up with our beloved Mohawks. Expect closer scores, possibly, and maybe some more victories for the 1978 state champs. John Lee, a long-time city councilman, will try not to screw this up, as he has other things. A ray of hope is that some other Mohawk teams that used to compete against top competition in class 4A for decades and decades but could barely reach or compete at the state tournament level also downgraded to easier competition and began winning state titles and beat some very tiny schools, so perhaps John Lee can rebuild the program against weaker teams. If we have a football season, we will all be paying attention.
I am proud and so enthused to announce and to accept the opportunity to join the Mohawk football family once again. I’ll be back on the sideline this fall with a great group of athletes and coaches. Let’s go Mohawks! pic.twitter.com/UTdm0EF9LM
— John Lee (@jleeinMC) April 25, 2020
42 thoughts on “Mason City High School hires John Lee as head football coach”
Its good to know MCHS will be state champs this year. The logic is sound, we could not compete in 4A because we were one of the smallest schools. Well, now in 3A we are the biggest. With out a doubt, CHAMPS
How many of you people commenting on
this actually suited up and played football? I bet less than 30%,
Many of them didn’t get to high school.
Many grumblings to end this sport, too expensive, no local interest, no coach, no wins. Maybe MC and Newman should combine, but bring Newman’s entire coaching staff.
It just seems a bit curious, that a former losing effort is awarded yet another chance. Many feel the choosers had a preference and others got the “thank you for applying”…Mr. Lee had 10 seasons tto prove his coaching worth, it did not happen, look at the entire tenure record. I do not know him, if he’s a great teacher awesome, a great councilman awesome, but I do know his 10 year coaching record and it DID NOT warrant yet another tenure. This was not a application and selection, this was an appointment by MCHS officials for their favorite son. The schedule is weak,so they better win 6.
Perhaps the reason for going in house was that there were not any teaching positions open that those applying could fit into. Or do you think they should create a position for a coach?
Favorite son? No. Just a teacher who took initiative and used that to get elected to council. Default to trustworthy and good judgement by virtue of teaching and selected by Chamber. That’s all the few voting sheep in MC need; Lee lucked into the formula.
When I was in high school talent was not the main reason a person got to play. Please tell me this has changed. So many athletic students were left to sit on the bench.
with 21 out, everyone must play, even the cheerleaders.
If you have talent, you will play. Just because you sucked at sports and want blame someone else because you were a shitty athlete.
They lowered the goal posts to the fence posts. Sad the state of this program. It’s like a zombie, doesn’t know when it’s dead. Someone from 1978 team needs to step forward and recruit real asst coaches and place them in the right positions. This job requires a motivator and marketer just like Alvarez had to be. This selection has too many hats to do it right. oh-well.
Is anyone concerned he now is head FB coach PLUS councilperson PLUS teacher. How does he do all of these hats the right way? Does Mason City suffer as our council person is concentrating on coaching?
I was thinking the same thing. Too many hats.
It is wrong but this is how MC works. Popular gets selected.
Kinda like a 10 year old: Lee cry’s and gets his way.
2020 schedule:
Mothers of the Poor
Korean War Amputees
Kensett
Rockwell
Bode
Whittemore
Floyd
Thompson
and Stacyville…
Clear Lake drops them do to no competition.
Put 20 to 1 on the Korean wat amputees
Newman , Clear lake, Algona even Garrigan would beat them.
Lee couldn’t not do it in the previous ten year stint, but now he can? Had one barely winning season, the rest were a joke. Until MC decides they actually want a FB team, this ‘nice guy’ selected coach will have to do.
can you say the ‘fix’ was in..just look who selected him, the favorite son was in before the ad ran.
The state cannot drop a school to a lower class because they are not competitive. I hope the person who said that doesn’t actually believe that as fact. In football the biggest 40 schools are 4A. In boys basketball, baseball, boys/girls XC, and boys and girls track and field the biggest 48 schools are 4A, which means Mason City still competes in 4A in those sports. In girls basketball, volleyball, and softball the state expanded to 5 classes with the biggest 40 being 5A…. Mason City is the biggest school in those girls sports as they are in 4A and is the biggest in football as they are 41st, (biggest in 3A) but in those other sports where MC is 4A where there are only 4 classes they are one of the smallest.
STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!! NO ONE HERE IS INTERESTED IN FACTS!
Facts: nice guy/terrible 10 year coach
said abby lee
Lee got the job the first time due to his future mother -in-law.
Clear Lake goes and gets Jared De Vries, MC runs an ad with the selection already made. JOKE
Clear Lake didn’t go anywhere and get Coach DeVries. He was on the staff before he was named head coach and he moved to Clear Lake because he wanted to not because he was hired as a football coach.
They still got him….who is hiding in the weeds in MC that is available or wants it?
Apparently, John Lee. I don’t know the guy but I am sure as a coach and a teacher, in addition to being a councilperson, Lee knows that the job isn’t going to be one that allows him anonymity. Every decision he makes will be scrutinized by the Monday morning qbs in town and criticism will be loud and cruel. If any of you can do a better job, get your coaching certification, and go for it.
…..others HAD their coaching certificate, did not matter, choice was made before ad was published. Again, like the person above said, LOOK who choose the coach, that says it all.
knowing the air apparent dude.
What? What?
How dare you display that racist logo that way they changed it
There goes the season!
season, games where parents attend and are complacent, while the rest of the state laughs.
With the discovery that playing football causes CTE, I can’t believe that high schools still have football as a sport.
If you call what mason city does is a sport that is. The cheerleaders out number the players on the sidelines lololololol.
How does a team go from 4A to 3A? It is pretty simple as the IHSAA uses the enrollment figures from the state Education Department to determine what class each school plays in. Mason City moved down to the 41st largest school in Iowa last year and 4A takes the top 40 enrollments as 4A schools. The girls basketball team had dropped a class a couple of years ago as declining enrollments moved it out of the top class into the second class. Mason City should fare better in 3A and it will give a boost to the program. Keep in mind that the school could move back into 4A if its enrollment numbers increase or other schools ahead of them decrease. From the IHSAA:
4A
Teams: 40
Groups: 7
Teams Per Group: 6 / 5
Playoff Qualifiers: 16
At-Large Berths: 16
Regular Season Games (Per Team): 9
Group Games (Per Team): 3 / 2
Assigned Games (Per Team): 2 / 3
Non-Group Games (Per Team): 4
Class 3A
Teams: 54
Districts: 9
Teams Per District: 6
Playoff Qualifiers: 16
Automatic Qualifiers: 9
At-Large Berths: 7
Regular Season Games (Per Team): 9
District Games (Per Team): 5
Non-District Games (Per Team): 4
BEDS document (school enrollment)
https://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-2021-BEDs-Totals-3.18.20.pdf
Interesting. Why not the other sports besides ladies bb and football, though. Something just seems fishy.
It goes by the number of schools that have teams in that particular sport. Not all schools have all the sports promoted by the ISHAA or the IGHSAU.
enrollment would still have them at 4A. The program has been so poor, the state allowed them to drop to 3A. There are smaller schools still in 4A
You have comprehension problems.
just will not matter. The schedule will create more wins, the coaching staff are just advisors.