Bob Rottman

The love of football has not waned within Bob Rottman, but he recently acknowledged a new voice could help Moniteau’s football program return to winning on the gridiron.

Rottman, who was the head coach of the Warriors for the past seven years, stepped down from the position Nov. 4. The Moniteau School Board officially accepted his resignation at Monday’s meeting.

“It wasn’t just one thing that led me to this decision,” Rottman said. “It was a combination of things. I’ve been here seven years, and the last few years have been very difficult for the program. I thought maybe it’s time for someone else to give it a shot.”

The Warriors reached the District 9 Class 2A semifinals during Rottman’s first year in 2018, but the program compiled a 9-48 record over the last six seasons. This past season was especially trying for the Warriors. Competing in District 9’s Region 1, they went 0-10 and had to forfeit a game against Central Clarion in mid-September due to injuries.

“We lost five linemen to injury over the first few weeks of the season,” Rottman said. “The PIAA had us down as a Class 2A team, but we actually should have been Class 1A (which would have had the team playing in a different region).”

The current cutoff to be a Class 2A football program in Pennsylvania is 144 male students.

“We were at 133, but somehow the state had us at 147,” Rottman said. “We missed the deadline to file an appeal. So we were a Class 1A team going up against much bigger schools like DuBois, Punxsutawney and Bradford. We were playing out of our weight class, and that takes a mental toll on the players. It makes it very tough to build confidence during the season.”

Stepping down was not a decision Rottman took lightly.

“It’s difficult for me to walk away,” he said. “I’ve built relationships with a lot of people, especially the kids. I like seeing players come into the program, mature and improve.

“I also don’t like leaving without accomplishing my goal, which was to have us consistently field a competitive team that was capable of playing for a district championship.”

Moniteau athletic director Dylan Beachem said naming a new head coach by the end of the year would be ideal.

“It would be great to have someone in place as the team gets into its offseason workouts,” he said. “I think that would give the kids some peace of mind, but we also don’t want to rush things. We want to make the right hire.”

As for Rottman, who has been the head coach of Moniteau’s softball team since 2021, his days of coaching football may not be over.

“I’m leaving the door open to coach football again, whether it’s here or another place,” he said.

The school board also accepted the resignation of cross country coach Zoe McDowell, who will soon retire as a physical education teacher at the high school.