Coaching changes in the CIC

Though none have head coaching experience at the high school level, all are plenty familiar with the CIC, having previously served as assistants.

Here's a look at the three fresh faces football fans can expect to see this season:

Tim Davis, West

A scruffy-bearded snowboarding and Star Trek enthusiast, Davis, 26, doesn't look much like your typical high school football coach.

But with Davis, looks are definitely deceiving.

"Nobody believes it, but I played nose tackle," the less-than-imposing Service High graduate said Wednesday following practice.

A UAA graduate who teaches history at West, Davis is a lifelong Anchorage resident. After graduating from high school in 2001, he went straight from playing for Service to coaching Service, rising to the rank of co-offensive coordinator last year.

He takes over a program that saw its share of struggles both on and off the field last season. The Eagles finished 3-5, tied for last place in the league in scoring and underwent a coaching change near the end of the season when Bob Garman was fired for drinking alcohol on a team trip to Fairbanks.

Davis said his goal is to create a family atmosphere where players and coaches are accountable to one another in order to be successful.

"We have a system where everybody on the team has to do the right assignment on every play," he said. "...We focus on family. That's been the biggest thing since we've been here."

The step from assistant to head coach hasn't been without its difficulties. Davis said the biggest challenge has been learning to deal with late nights and the responsibility of being in charge of 75 to 80 high school football players.

"I'm keeping busy. There's definitely some late nights watching film, doing paperwork, all the odds and ends of it," he said.

But the easygoing Davis isn't about to complain about the hours.

"I'm having a lot of fun," he said.

Nick Middleton, East

Middleton's path to the head coaching job at East isn't all that different from his counterpart on the west side. An East High grad, Middleton, 30, has spent his entire eight-year coaching career at East, most recently serving as the team's defensive coordinator.

"I played here, I graduated here, I've been here pretty much forever," he said Wednesday.

Now the head man, Middleton's challenge will be to return the T-Birds to prominence after a disappointing 3-5 campaign.

"We have to have that winning attitude; we have to start learning how to win again," he said.

As a young head coach, Middleton said one challenge will be to show people he's in charge of a quality program that does things the right way.

"It's not so much that I'm lacking experience, you just have to earn your respect, I guess," he said. "People see you as a young head coach and they think you don't know anything, so I think that's maybe the hardest thing."

A social studies teacher at Clark Middle School, Middleton said he believes his mixture of youth and experience will suit the East program well.

"I think youth brings innovation. I think we bring fresh ideas that maybe some of the old coaches are maybe stuck in their ways a little bit. We're not that. We're creative, we're innovative, and we're trying to do new things," he said. "We bring some spark to the program."

It's a spark Middleton hopes he can build into a fire for years to come.

"I'm thinking long term. I think you have to if you're trying to build a program," he said. "I don't plan to go anywhere."

Kenny Ray, Eagle River

Of the three new faces among CIC coaches, Ray's is the only one sporting a beard with a hint of gray.

A Chugiak High assistant coach from 1992 to 2000, Ray has been out of the coaching game for several years but hasn't lost his passion for high school football -- or, more importantly, football players.

"I just wanted to see a positive atmosphere for these young guys," he said Wednesday.

Ray said he's enjoying his return to the sidelines, though he's still getting used to the daily grind.

"Like a fighter, I'm still getting the rust off me," he joked.

While at Chugiak, Ray was part of one of the most successful programs in Alaska. He helped the Mustangs to a state championship in 1996 as an assistant to Bruce Shearer and still has fond memories of those days. He said he'd like to turn the Wolves -- which have yet to win a conference game in three seasons of play -- into that kind of program.

He'll have plenty of help. Three of his assistants (Joe Taylor, Matt Patterson and Ryan McMurray) were members of the 1996 title team, which Ray said will be a big help as he works to help the Wolves turn things around.

"I've got three great coaches with me," he said.

While creating a culture of success will be a priority, Ray said he's not focusing on wins and losses.

"I don't care what the scoreboard reads after the game, if you know you gave 110 percent when you step back over the lines, and there's nothing you could do about the outcome, you're a winner," he said. "That's what I preach."

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Reach Matt Tunseth at mtunseth@adn.com or call 257-4309.

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High school football season-openers Friday

Lathrop at Kenai, 6:30 p.m.

Nikiski at Homer, 6:30 p.m.

Chugiak at East, 7 p.m.,

Anchorage Football Stadium Bartlett at Wasilla, 7 p.m. Saturday

Thunder Mountain at Sitka, 11 a.m.

Delta at Monroe, 1 p.m.

Valdez at Skyview 2 p.m.

Eielson at Seward 2 p.m.

Houston at Eagle River, 2 p.m. (at Chugiak)

Service at South, 4 p.m. (at Dimond)

Soldotna vs. West 4 p.m., at AFS

North Pole at Colony, 4 p.m.

Dimond at Palmer, 7 p.m.

Kodiak at Barrow, TBA

West Valley at Juneau, 8 p.m.