New Bern High School Football Staff Member of the Week: Coach Reese

Although we are well into the offseason, the NBHS football team is far from hibernating. In fact, as the team is going through weightlifting, the coaches are also preparing for the fall of 2020. One coach who is used to this off-season grind is Coach Kevin Reese

Coach Reese is coming off his 16th season as a football coach. While he has coached at many different levels, one thing has never changed, his love for the game of football.  While well known for his coaching on the field, Coach Reese is also dedicated to the classroom. Just two weeks ago, he was named the WITN Teacher of the Week. 

My conversation with Coach Reese began by focusing on his start as a coach: “I have been coaching football since 2003, in little league, middle school, and high school. I now coach JV defense and Varsity defensive line and linebackers with the guidance of Coach Nowell.”

 Coach Reese came to New Bern in 2015 from HJ MacDonald Middle School. He spent several years there coaching football, where he shared his passion with the players. It was his time at HJ that gave him one of his best coaching experiences. “My most fond memory other than this past year (at New Bern High) was my first Pumpkin Bowl victory.”

For many current and past Bears, the Pumpkin Bowl is their first exposure to a rivalry that pits HJ MacDonald Middle against crosstown foe Grover C Fields. Many Bears players brag amongst each other about who won that game when they played. Coach Reese’s work at HJ is remembered fondly by many.

Coach Reese is honored to now coach at New Bear High. “Even without growing up in New Bern, I am a Bear! New Bern was the first high school team I saw when I moved to the area. Coaching high school has always been a dream of mine. Coach Nowell’s experience and leadership speak for itself, and I have and will continue to learn from him and the other coaches.” 

 That mentality of wanting to be a Bear is shared throughout a coaching staff that has installed discipline and a culture of success in the program. “This is the best coaching staff I have ever been a part of. No one is fighting for a position; no one is jealous of the other coaches. From May until the season is over, we are all together every single day. With each other and with our families. We are not just coaches and friends! The bear ball is about Family. We are real. This is us!”

Coach Reese has seen some highs and lows in his time as an NBHS coach. Especially going from a 2-9 record in 2018 versus 10-3 in 2019. Reese said this about his journey at New Bern HS, “It has been one of the most amazing experiences I ever had in my life. I have had many ups and downs with both wins and losses. My dream is to help the Bears win a state title.”

Reese is optimistic about the direction that the program is heading.“The program has been taken to a new level. Where the program has worked then but doesn’t now. So the direction we are headed in now works best for the student/players and coaches we have now.”

Coach Reese’s coaching of the JV team is just as critical to the Bear’s success as his work on the Varsity. “The JV season was extremely successful in the fact that we had a winning record, and the young men got better. The goal of the JV team is to teach, improve, and prepare them for Varsity.” While winning may not be the most important thing for the JV team, the most crucial part is that they are pushed to improve and ultimately excel on Friday nights as a part of the varsity team.

After having two months to reflect on the ending to the season, Coach Reese is hopeful, “The season was not the outcome we hoped for. However, going from 2-9 to 10-3 was a huge success. Our team, program, players, and coaches got better.”Outside of wins and losses, what does Coach Reese find the most rewarding part of being a coach? “Watching the growth of the young men and women I coach. Watching them get offers to schools. Have them visit when on break from college.” 

Coaching football is not the only service Reese gives to New Bern HS. He is also the head JV and assistant women’s basketball coach and mentors many students. Coach Reese works hard in the classroom, on the field & court, and in the community. We are proud to have him as a Bear! 

Congratulations to this week’s New Bern High School Football Staff Member of the Week: Coach Kevin Reese!