New St. Marys' football coach ready for year one

ST. MARYS (KSNT) - CJ Marple was named St. Marys' head football coach back in February, but he's counting down the days to his first kickoff while leading the team.

Marple, who has spent the past two seasons as the Bears' defensive coordinator, was promoted to head coach after former coach Kyle Schenk took a job in North Carolina. Marple played college football, but is grateful to have learned from someone like Schenk.

"He's an amazing guy, I do miss him a lot," Marple said of Schenk. "I learned so much from him. He had college coaching experience, so I got to learn the ins and outs of football from a different perspective."

It's not Marple's first head coaching gig, though. He's St. Marys' head baseball coach too, and is planning to do double duty while also teaching physical education.

The Osage City native is already familiar with the team from being the defensive coordinator, but he's coached a handful of two-sport Bears who play baseball in the spring as well. With 14 varsity players returning to the football field this fall and a familiar coaching hire, St. Marys has a tight-knit group heading into 2024.

"I love these boys, they're a great group," Marple said. "They push each other, and I just want to be there to push them a little bit more. And like I said, I'm lucky to have that opportunity."

His biggest goal is to keep things consistent for his players despite the coaching change. Marple says to expect the same offensive and defensive approach, keeping things '95% the same and 5% different.'

The Bears start team practice in late August and open the season against Perry-Lecompton on Sept. 6.