Week 9
WHOA! Last game of the regular season. One final game to put the final exclamation point on the season. one final game to get right, fix the challenges, to stay healthy, and to successfully set the team up in the districts. Lots of big games that have implications for the districts across southwest Missouri. It will be an exciting weekend of football! From all of us at The Endzone Echo, we are wishing all the teams across southwest Missouri good luck!
As I have reached out to coaches over the last 8 weeks, I have always been impressed with the outcome of our conversations. This past week did not disappoint when I linked up with Coach Derek Helfin of the Rolla Bulldogs. Enlightened, is the word that comes to mind. From the unknown to facing adversity to leaning on a legend, Rolla Football has a ton to be proud of.
Rolla Football
Nothing is more challenging for football coaches than the unknown, and the unknown is exactly what Rolla Football and Coach Helfin had to face when the Central Ozarks Conference (COC) disbanded last school year. The athletics at Rolla worked to secure the best outcome for their school, but in this case, it worked out that they would not have a conference to play in for the 2024-2025 season. Many would probably have comments, justifications, reasons, and writing about the why behind that, however, that is not what this blog is about. The fact is that Rolla Football did not have a conference this fall and they were going to have to figure out what they were going to do for the upcoming season. This is where great leadership steps in. You find games where you can and fit them into the schedule any way that fits. I found it interesting that Rolla was willing to play anyone, this is that dawg mentality that coaches talk about. It was late spring before their upcoming game schedule was finalized and it was all work for the bulldogs leading up to week 1.
No conference, no problem. Rolla Football was not afraid to mix it up and do it differently than it had in the past. Coach Helfin mentioned that they could not remember the last time or even if Rolla made the trip down to Arkansas to play a football game. This season they did it, went to Mt. Home in week three, came up short of winning the game, but played a really competitive game. They went on to play in a close game against North County and now they are riding a three-game winning streak as they get ready to play a familiar foe in Parkview for their final regular season game. Of the nine regular season games that Rolla will have played this season only two teams they will be familiar with (Hillcrest and Parkview), having played them in the COC. From an outside perspective, I am impressed with the way that the Rolla Bulldogs have handled the season and overcoming the challenges that they knew they were going to have as they transitioned into the new football schedule.
It is clear that the three foundations that Coach Helfin and staff have built the team upon have taken root. The hard work, toughness, and responding the right way mentality is evident in what they are accomplishing this season and for handling the on field adversity that they have faced. Coach Helfin stated that the players have bought in on this and even though there have been ups and downs this season the players have responded to the adversity. Coach Helfin hit on a key point about football, and it being an educational tool for the players about how to deal with life. It is so spot on!
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the legendary Coach Drew Bahr. Coach Bahr is a graduate of Rolla High School (’98) and has been part of the management staff since ’93. That’s right, he is in his 31st season. Much like the Bulldogs facing adversity this season, Coach Bahr has faced adversity and turned it into a career of greatness. Coach Bahr has Downs Syndrome, but it does not stop him from achieving greatness. Coach Helfin told me that Coach Bahr only calls touchdowns, and the bad plays are the ones that he calls. In his 31st year, Coach Bahr keeps the greatness alive by calling touchdowns even if the opponents are different than the years past. Thanks for setting the example of what it means to be great even through adversity, Coach Bahr!
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