New Topeka High football coach looking to spark culture change

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A new era of Topeka High football is just weeks away from taking the field.

The Trojans brought Jason Filbeck in as their new head football coach in February, but now his plans are underway. He takes over a Trojan program that's had just six wins in the past four seasons, so Filbeck's looking to do more than just change the narrative.

To the new Trojan head coach, change starts off the field first.

"We want a healthy culture that's positive, we want these kids to be coached," Filbeck said. "Sometimes that's [through] yelling but not always, so we want to be educators on the field. And we want the culture to drive the success."

With returning players making up a large portion of this year's roster, Filbeck says the team has been receptive to making adjustments.

The desire to win, and the athletic talent, is there, he says, it's just about putting the pieces together behind the scenes. He says it's easy to get caught up in wins and losses, but wants to put emphasis on the bigger picture.

"There's like 1,700 students at this school, and I need an environment so enticing that at least 100 of them want to come play football," Filbeck said. "I want something that kids can be proud of. So there's a lot of things you can't really measure, but I just know the gold standard we're going for is the goal."

The Trojans pick up practice in a few weeks before opening their 2024 campaign against Wichita West on Friday, Sept. 6.