This fall, two programs transferred leadership to familiar faces. Derrick Hefflin assumed leadership in the football program as the new head coach. And in the soccer program, former junior varsity coach Matt Calvert stepped up as the head coach, and Don Luna filled Calvert’s previous position.
Hefflin was confirmed as RHS’s new head football coach in January amid former head coach Jon Franks’ resignation. Hefflin’s new position is a type of homecoming for the 2004 RHS alum.
“When Coach Franks retired, I had several people reach out and contact me about [the position]. It was something I was very interested in,” said Hefflin. “I really, really enjoyed football. I played in high school and in college and growing up, and the guys that were my coaches in high school and college made major impacts in my life… So it was something that kind of was a passion of mine and it all fit together.”
The football team had a rough start to the season, but their fifth match-up against Hillcrest proved to be a win for the team and a meaningful moment for Hefflin in his coaching career.
“It was really exciting… The kids have worked really, really hard. They deserve to get a win and have that excitement, and it was special for me because it was the first time I got to win on that field in 20-something years…The field that I played on as a player to get to get the win as a coach… There was a sense of joy and relief at the same time. We’d been so close,” said Hefflin.
Hefflin sees his team improving as he works with the relatively young roster this season.
“It’s just that we’ve got to keep working harder at practice, getting better every single day and improving our focus. We’re really, really young, but they’re doing a good job and it’s just something that with time everything will come and fit into place,” said Hefflin.
Although the shift in management for the boys’ soccer team was abrupt, Matt Calvert swiftly filled the role. Calvert will also be filling the role of the head girls’ soccer coach in the spring. As an alum of RHS and many Rolla-based soccer teams, Calvert has close ties to his players and five years of experience as the junior varsity coach.
“It has always been a dream of mine to come back and work at the school that I graduated from. I grew up in the Rolla soccer program. I played Rolla soccer at the high school level,” said Calvert. “I got in as a volunteer coach under Coach Howard and then worked my way up from there.”
Calvert has found familiarity in his new position but also challenges he has never faced before.
“Coming from the assistant position, that wasn’t too bad. I knew the kids. I’d already been working on formations and playing with stuff like that because it’s interesting, but really the challenges are more on the administrative side, learning the paperwork, learning the behind-the-scenes stuff that the head coach has to do that I wasn’t even aware happened. So learning all that, it’s been a lot of fun, a little bit of a challenge, but it’s been a good time,” said Calvert.
The varsity boys’ soccer team graduated ten seniors from its program last fall. Players have stepped up into new roles, as the coaches have. The team has had its fair share of wins and losses, but Calvert keeps his focus on his team’s mentality as they near the end of their season.
“I’m measuring success this season by the boys’ reactions after each game and going forward. In previous seasons, the boys seem to be more downtrodden toward the middle of the season, after a bad game or after a loss. And this year, the boys have bounced back very well afterward, and that tells me that the confidence is up, that the boys are having fun, and that they’re enjoying being out here,” said Calvert.
With Calvert’s succession to head coach, the junior varsity coaching position was left vacant. RHS math teacher and A+ coordinator, Don Luna, sought out the role.
“This is my sixteenth year teaching, first year coaching high school sports, but I’ve coached several youth sports since my kids were in third grade,” explained Luna. “I was going to be going to the games anyway because my son’s playing, so it made sense. But then, there was an opening. I saw that [the head coaching position] was posted and I was like, whoa, okay.”
Luna has experience coaching club teams like the Rolla Knights for his kids, but coaching soccer at the high school level has opened his eyes to the workload and school-life balance that student-athletes face.
“The challenge is keeping myself at a level where I can have enough time for my family. The whole reason why I’m doing everything is to be with my family,” said Luna. “As a teacher of a core subject, it does make you have to think a little bit more about what the athletes are going through as far as their sports and staying on top of [homework] and kind of give that appreciation even more… Like one night I got home at 11:30 and I had promised the kids I would have their stuff graded the next day. I stayed up until 1:30 grading because I felt like that was the right thing to do. But it’s kind of like, if a kid had homework, they would have to do the homework.”
The shift in roles has been a learning curve, but Calvert has relied on Luna and others within the community for support.
“I’m very glad that [Luna] is my assistant coach. He’s done a very good job of balancing out my strengths and weaknesses. He does a very good job with parents. He’s been an administrator a lot and that’s something I haven’t had to deal with. So being able to go to him and ask his advice on different issues has been extremely helpful,” said Calvert. “Everyone has been so willing to step up and help. My wife runs the concession stand half the time just to be an extra set of hands. I’ve got several parents that text me almost every night asking what they can do during the next game. The support I’ve received from everyone has been incredible.”
