Football coach's job on line

Boundary County School District trustees on Tuesday, Jan. 27, are expected to decide whether or not the Bonners Ferry High School Football Coach will keep his job.

The board met for more than three hours behind closed doors on Tuesday after hearing pleas to keep Ed DePriest from some of the 80 players, parents and fans at-tending his hearing.

School board chairwoman Melanie Staples said Wednesday the closed-door session will reconvene at 3 p.m. Jan. 27 at the middle school. The board will then open the meeting to the public and make a decision.

After learning his job was at stake, DePriest requested the hearing before trustees. The board agreed to allow the public to participate in the process.

After everyone spoke, the board along with DePriest, high school principal Curt Randall-Bayer and vice-principal and athletic director Ted Reynolds then went behind closed doors to discuss the matter. The procedure is allowed by law.

Among those speaking in support of keeping DePriest was Boundary County Commissioner Chairman Ron Smith. Smith told the board that removing the coach would be mistreating the players.

“I walk a lot on the track and every morning I see the coach at the field. Not for himself, but for the kids,” Smith said. “The kids have always been number one with him.”

Parent Shawn Watt noted that DePriest has the support of all players and most of the parents.

“We’ve stayed here as a split family for seven years to keep our kids in Boundary County School District,” said Watt, whose husband works away from home. “We’ve looked at schools in Washington and Utah where my husband works. This is the best school district. I would ask that something so petty not make a bad decision for us.”

Watt’s son, Colton, referred to DePriest as a coach, mentor and friend.

“When you look at coach, you see dedication and compassion,” said the junior receiver and kicker. “He’s dedicated to the kids.”

The situation with last fall’s Priest River junior varsity game came up. DePriest allowed some of his varsity players to join the game for one quarter against the wishes of administrators, who suspended DePriest from the following week’s games.

DePriest apparently played the varsity athletes to create a more level playing field.

Player Taylor Tompke told the board DePriest did the right thing that day. A junior varsity player, Tompke noted that is some junior varsity games, Bonners Ferry pits its freshmen against sophomores and juniors.

“It isn’t fun,” Tompke said. “Competition turns to survival.”

“Our varsity team was closer matched to Priest River’s JV team,” he continued.

DePriest was hired in December 2006 to teach physical education and weightlifting at the high school. He took over as head football coach for the fall 2007 season.

Since DePriest took over the helm two years ago, the Badgers have gone 2-7 in the Intermountain League and 4-12 overall.