After four years, head football coach Clint Bowen is moving on.
Bowen, an LHS alumni with NCAA coaching experience, coached both of his sons during his time at LHS. He did not want to share his plans until it was the right time for him.
“I wanted to do it after the season was over, after the banquet was over, after everything was finalized,” Bowen said.
Both of Bowen’s sons played under him at LHS. Baylor Bowen, the oldest, during his senior season had 788 receiving yards according to MaxPrep. Banks Bowen, his youngest, is a senior at LHS and has signed to play football at the University of Tulsa. The Bowen family’s lives revolved around football.
At LHS, Bowen’s teams went 26-15 within the last four seasons. He said he valued working with high school athletes.
“I really enjoyed the way that they still have a purity about approaching the game,” Bowen said. “It’s still a fun experience for them. They’re friends. They get along with each other.”
Bowen has made a lot of memories coaching at LHS and said it was a difficult decision to step down.
“It was tough,” Bowen said. “You know, I really enjoyed being around high school athletes.”
Bowen also did work to improve not only the athletics, but also other extracurriculars at LHS. He fought for better facilities, more coaches and overall better and more resources for students and athletes.
“Me and some other people fought a lot of battles to try and get better things for our students and our athletes in this building,” Bowen said. “I wish that we can gain the support for a lot of extracurriculars.”
Many of his athletes will miss him and his coaching. Junior Pietro Noroha said he was ready for the challenge of having a new coach based on what he learned from Bowen.
“Bowen was a great coach,” Noroha said. “It’s sad that Bowen is leaving.”
Senior John Clark also believed the underclassmen will be ready for the new adventure.
“If they take the lessons Coach Bowen taught, I think they will be alright,” Clark said.
Bowen is excited for his next adventure. He is still weighing his options. Before coming to LHS, he was an assistant coach at the University of Kansas, University of North Texas and Western Kentucky University.
“There’s the option to stay in football,” Bowen said. “We’re looking at everything from a few opportunities in the NFL to a few opportunities back in the college game, to possibly stepping completely away from football.”
