With summer workouts underway, Aplington-Parkersburg’s Aaron Thomas is preparing for his role in taking over as head football coach on an interim basis.
Thomas says as an interim coach, he’ll provide general oversight and lean on the assistant coaches for expertise in their respective areas.
“I think my skill set is organizing, getting the most out of not just players, but also the coaches,” Thomas says. “I try to do that as a principal out of our teachers, let them know, hey, I’m here to help you. I’m gonna get you what you need. I’m gonna give you feedback and let’s make this the best that it can be You’re gonna be the expert in your areas, whatever area that is that you’re gonna coach. So that’s kind of the way I foresee this. When you think about working with kids, adults, whatever, coaching is getting the maximum out of each person. They can be their absolute best each and every day and that’ll be hopefully where I can come in and what I’ll strive to do is have that attention to detail. I think that’s extremely important to make sure we’re doing all the little things really well.”
Thomas also serves as the principal and head boys basketball coach at the district.
Thomas says it’ll be a unique opportunity to coach on the field named after his father, the late Ed Thomas.
“Obviously, growing up and seeing the amount of time and effort and what AP football meant to my father, that weighed in on this decision without a doubt. To say I’m going to come in and be my dad, not the case, but I did see how he did it. I emulate my basketball coaching exactly like he did football. Practices are up-tempo, nobody walking around, everybody involved doing it with enthusiasm and effort. Those are the things I learned growing up, the investment that it was to our family. Obviously, in no way do I think I’m gonna be my dad by any stretch in this, but I know we’ll give it our best shot and do some things that he would be proud of.”
Thomas was hired at a special board meeting on Friday, May 31.
The Falcons are coming off a 3-5 season last year. They’ll open 2024 on Friday, August 30 at Union.
Interview with Aaron Thomas:
