Morris coaching staff to feature familiar faces in new roles

MORRIS – You’ll have to excuse Morris football coach Alan Thorson if he looked like he was exhausted back in March of this year.

Several of Thorson’s assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Greg Larsen and defensive coordinator John Courter, stepped down from their positions. Also leaving were defensive assistants Derek Johnston and Matt Seidel, along with freshman coach Jake Walker.

“There were definitely some sleepless nights,” Thorson said. “I knew going into the season last year that John [Courter] was 99% sure that it was his last year. That one wasn’t a big surprise. Some of the other ones were, but I understand their reasons. Greg Larsen and Matt Seidel have young kids and want to be involved with all of their activities, Derek Johnston’s son, Miles, is playing football at Western Illinois and he wants to be able to see him play, and Jake Walker’s wife got an internship in Tennessee, so they had to move.

“We are definitely going to miss those guys. I can’t thank them enough for all they have done for me, both personally and for the football program. They are all good friends and always will be. I was starting to wonder if I did something wrong, but they all had their reasons and I have always told them that I don’t want football to interfere with family or their personal lives. They made the decisions that were right for them at this time, and I am happy for them and wish them all the best.”

Thorson has been Morris’ head coach since 2010 and has been on the staff since 2005. Courter has been Thorson’s only defensive coordinator, while Larsen began as an assistant on Thorson’s staff in 2010. Seidel had been an assistant since 2006, with Courter starting at Morris in 2007.

“That’s around 50-60 years of experience that we are losing,” Thorson said. “They all still want what’s best for the program, and I am sure we will still see them around the field.”

Filling the role of defensive coordinator will be Ryan Clauson, who was a member of Morris’ 2005 Class 6A state championship team as a sophomore and was a starting linebacker for Morris when they finished as Class 5A runner-up in 2007. He also was a member of the sophomore team when Thorson began coaching at Morris in 2005 as the sophomore coach.

“Ryan is a Morris football player through and through,” Thorson said. “He played here, he has coached here. He understands what the tradition, history and expectations here are, because he has been a big part of it.”

Clauson has been in the Morris program as a coach since 2012. Between his playing and coaching days, he has been to four state championship games and two other semifinal appearances. He knows the program inside and out and knows what is expected.

“We are not lowering our expectations at all,” Clauson said. “There are really no scenarios I haven’t seen before as far as big games and stuff like that. One of the biggest things is to manage the emotions during the game. A big part of my job will be to try to make sure the kids stay calm, and being a part of big games in the past and having that experience will definitely be a help.

“I told the seniors to not be afraid of high expectations. People have these high expectations because they believe that the kids can do it. We don’t want to hide from that. Morris is never devoid of talented athletes that aren’t afraid to put in the hard work it takes to be successful. Having been the freshman coach for so long, I have coached every one of the kids that are in the program. I know the strengths and weaknesses, and I will put them in the best position to succeed.”

Clauson also will be the linebackers coach for Morris, while Brian Casher will remain as the defensive line coach. Ty Smith, who is a new hire that previously has been a head coach in Florida and was on the staff at Reed-Custer for the past two seasons, will coach the defensive backs and help Thorson with the special teams.

Taking over for Larsen will be Justin Zink, who has been a fixture on the Morris sideline since joining the staff in 2012 along with Clauson, starting as the offensive coordinator for the freshman team before moving up to JV offensive coordinator and then as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for the varsity.

He is another who understands the expectations and traditions of Morris football.

“I lived in Morris until I was in fourth grade and then we moved to Seneca,” Zink said. “I graduated high school from Seneca, went to Northern Illinois for college and then got a job back in Morris, so I have come full circle. Growing up in Morris, I got a real good understanding about how much football means to the school and the town, so I am excited to take this step.

“Coach Larsen built a great foundation for our offense. He really has it in a good spot, so we aren’t going to change much. There may be some tweaks here or there, but we still are going to find ways to get the ball in the hands of our best athletes. We have a lot of talented kids, and it’s going to be hard to get it to everybody, but that’s a nice problem to have. The kids have been great about the change, and we have great leaders on this team that have been pretty vocal. We aren’t reinventing the wheel. We just want to keep things running smoothly.”

Zink still is coaching the quarterbacks, while Tyler Hartley will be the offensive line coach. Thorson will coach the running backs, while Chase Hansen will move from the JV and freshman teams to be the varsity wide receivers coach and signal plays.

Morris opens its season Aug. 25 at Coal City before hosting Joliet West in Week 2.