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
