Coach Pollock brings youthful energy to Aplington-Parkersburg

Alex Pollock might split out a receiver or might put a new wrinkle into the special teams.

But any changes in the Aplington-Parkersburg football program will be minimal, maybe even invisible.

“We might put in some changes that I don't know if the crowd will even notice,” said Pollock, who was hired as the school's head football coach in April.

“We're going to be the same old A-P.”

Of course, A-P will never be the same as it was a year ago, when former player Mark Becker walked into the school's weight room and fatally shot Ed Thomas, the coach and athletics director.

Now, there's a new weight room - “a top-notch facility,” according to Pollock, in the school's basement - and there's a new man in charge of upholding the tradition that Thomas built.

The 26-year-old Pollock isn't shying away from the challenge.

“I have energy, whether it's on the practice field on in the weight room,” he said. “I've never been accused of not having energy.”

Pollock was a tight end, linebacker and placekicker on the 2001 A-P team that won a 1A state championship. He went on to start three years at Wartburg College, was a graduate assistant coach at Winona State University (2006-08), then was the defensive coordinator at Augsburg (Minn.) College last year.

Al Kerns and Jon Wiegmann served as co-coaches last season. Aplington-Parkersburg finished 6-4 and was eliminated from the postseason in the Class 1A substate round.

Neither of the co-coaches sought the head position. Pollock jumped at the opportunity.

“It's a deal where I was looking to get closer to home for a while,” said Pollock, who is single and will be going back to school this fall; he has one year left to earn his teaching degree.

“I found out they were looking to fill the position, and it was a no-brainer that I was going to apply.”

He immediately wowed Aaron Thomas, Ed's son and the new athletics director.

“To be a defensive coordinator at that age shows (Pollock's) football knowledge,” Thomas said. “He's full of energy and excitement, and that's exactly what we need at this point.

“He's a man of character. It wasn't the X's and O's that impressed me as much as his leadership and intangibles.”

Pollock was in Alaska, on a cruise with his family, at the time Ed Thomas was shot. Word spread almost immediately.

“I didn't have a lot of reception on my cell phone,” Pollock said. "Then all at once, I had something like 26 messages. The rest of the trip, it wasn't the same.

“We'll try to move forward, but we'll remember how we got where we are. We're always going to have Ed in our thoughts.”

It's the “same old A-P,” but with a new leader. The dream remains the same.

“The goal at A-P is to win a state championship,” Pollock said. “That's definitely a reason I came back. I like high expectations. If we continue to work hard, we have an excellent chance to be very good.”