Coaches, players getting 2nd chance at football with a Tri-Cities Christian college

Sometimes we never know where and when our next opportunity will come.

For Bill Templeton, it came in the form of a phone call from Bob Nash in November of last year.

Templeton is a Kennewick High grad, is still teaching at Kennewick High, and had been the Lions’ head football coach for 17 seasons before resigning after the 2018 season.

But deep down inside, he felt he hadn’t got coaching football out of his system.

Enter Nash, president of Pacific Northwest Christian College, located on Clearwater Avenue in Kennewick.

Over the years, Nash has been a coach and administrator, both at Richland High School and then Liberty Christian School.

PNWCC itself has been around for about 14 years, and up until last year it was called Gather 4Him Christian College.

“By chance, at a convention last fall, Nash sat in the audience next to the president of the only Christian community college west of the Mississippi,” said Templeton.

Nash asked him how he was able to raise his enrollment from 100 students to 600. The answer was by adding athletic teams.

Nash came back energized.

He talked to Templeton about starting up a football program.

This wasn’t the first time the two had a conversation about this.

“Back when I was a young assistant coach at Pasco High, and Bob was at Liberty Christian — he and I go to the same church — we talked about starting a football program at Liberty Christian,” said Templeton.

This time, Nash came to Templeton at the right time.

“I’ve had the football itch the last year and a half,” Templeton said.

A year ago, Templeton says, student enrollment at PNWCC was around 55 to 65 students.

“Now, we’re going to have 85 to 90 students this fall, and 45 of them are football players,” he said.

The school has also added a men’s soccer team this fall, and women’s soccer will be added in the fall of 2023.

The school is seeking admission into the Region 18 of the National Junior College Athletic Association. This school year will be a probationary run, with the idea that Region 18 will add them for the 2023-24 school year.

When one starts up a football program, it just doesn’t happen overnight.

“I’ve been as busy and as tired as I ever have been in my life,” Templeton admits.

In December, he and assistant coach Aaron Machart started speaking with seniors in local high schools.

“We got a few kids interested,” he said. “At that time, the (PNWCC) board voted to have a football program, and more importantly, they voted to fund it. It costs about $200,000 to start it up.”

Equipment — helmets, pads, jerseys, pants — must be ordered.

Templeton and Machart started brainstorming about local kids.

“We looked up all of the schools between Yakima, Moses Lake and Hermiston, and we figured there were 250 (football-playing seniors) there,” said Templeton.

The result is about 43 to 44 kids are enrolled at PNWCC for the first season.

“We got a big contingency from Prosser,” said Templeton.

Here’s a look at some of the familiar names currently on the Gladiators — that’s the school’s mascot — roster: River View’s Zane Hickman; Prosser’s Anthony Kernan, Kaiden Rivera and Brock Weinmann; Kennewick’s Cody LaFontaine, Erick Mora and Austin Stoddard; Kamiakin’s Henry Mercado; Southridge’s Ryan Stayrook; Pasco’s Jamie Townsend, Jr.; and Hanford’s Easton Wise-Hyde.

Mercado, Rivera and Wise-Hyde have all been standout quarterbacks at their respective high schools. When PNWCC opens its season at Lewis & Clark Valley at 6 p.m. on Aug. 27, Templeton will let each of those quarterbacks play in one of the first three quarters and then make adjustments. After that, Templeton will name a starter for the Gladiators’ home opener, set for 3 p.m., Sept. 3, at Lampson Stadium (where all home games will be played) against Christian Community College from Redlands, Calif.

The team will have a nine-game schedule, “and I have no idea how good our competition will be.”

This is the cool part: Templeton isn’t the only one getting a second chance at football.

“The big thing was we were able to get kids who’ve been out of high school for a few years,” he said. “Kids who thought they might still be around playing, but they weren’t. It’s been a second chance for them.”

And as for the school itself — the one that is housed inside an old bank — it’s also growing.

The school got accreditation two years ago in which students can get an Associate of Arts degree in Biblical Studies. The plan also includes expanding into AA degrees in Business and Education.

And the physical plant is expanding. A second building — located across the street at the old Sea Galley restaurant — is opening this week.

Templeton has brought together some of his old coaching staff and added some young fresh faces too.

Everyone, he says, is giddy with excitement.

“We practice at an elementary school,” said Templeton. “But when we all started practicing together in the spring, it was like the first day of school. Everyone had big smiles on their faces.”

It’s an opportunity to continue playing football for many of these kids, he said.

“There are not very many kids around here who can play for UW or WSU. At EWU, you have to be a very good ball player,” said Templeton. “And it’s hard to pay $55,000 to play (NCAA) D-3 football.”

This first season, Templeton would like to see his team learn how to practice well.

“No. 1, we’re a Christian school, and we want the kids to know what they believe,” said Templeton of his goals. “No. 2, I want them to get their two-year AA degree with no debt. No. 3, Let’s play football. Let’s have fun.”

And if a kid has an opportunity to move on to a four-year school after the first season, Templeton and his staff will do everything in their power to help them get there.

Everyone is getting to coach or play football again.

“It’s amazing when an opportunity pops up. It’s just been a blast,” said Templeton. “I’m full and joyful.”

PNCC GLADIATORS SCHEDULE

(All home games at Lampson Stadium)

Aug. 27, at Lewis & Clark Valley, 6 p.m.

Sept. 3, Christian Community College, 3 p.m.

Sept. 11, at Whitworth University JV, 1 p.m.

Sept. 17, Lewis & Clark Valley, 3 p.m.

Sept. 24, Pacific University, 2:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, at George Fox University JV, 2 p.m.

Oct. 8, bye

Oct. 15, at Pac West Academy, 6 p.m.

Oct. 22, at Christian Community College, 3 p.m.

Oct. 29, Pac West Academy, 3 p.m.

Note: For a full look at the team roster and coaching staff, go to the PNWCC athletics website.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.