CHERRY TWP — Moniteau has two new coaches.

Bob Rottman was hired as the new football coach for the Warriors, replacing Jon McCune, and Mike Jewart was hired as the boys basketball coach, replacing Jerry Day, at the Moniteau school board meeting Monday night.

Both Rottman and Jewart were assistant coaches at Moniteau last season.

“I'm excited for the opportunity,” Rottman said. “The first thing we have to do is get kids excited about Moniteau football. That's more important than Xs and Os.”

Rottman was an assistant coach under Wade Vogan in 2016 and under McCune last season.

He will be the third head football coach at the school in three years.

Moniteau was 3-6 in McCune's lone season.

Rottman was also a junior high football coach.

“I wanted to bring some stability,” Rottman said.

Rottman also plans on going back to a more traditional offense.

Last season under McCune, the Warriors employed a spread, no-huddle attack.

“My philosophy as a football coach is you have to run the ball before you can do anything,” Rottman said.

Rottman, a 1995 A-C Valley graduate, played football for the Falcons.

He's a state police officer.

Like Rottman, Jewart is stepping into a program that has been in flux.

Jewart will be the third coach in four seasons.

“I was planning on stepping away,” Jewart said. “Jake (Jewart's senior son) was done and my daughter was going into the seventh grade and I planned on helping out there. But a couple of player asked me to take over.”

Jewart couldn't say no.

“I really enjoy those kids,” he said.

Jewart played basketball at Moniteau, graduating in 1990. During his senior year, he played for former Karns City athletic director Tom Wagner.

Wagner got Jewart interested in coaching.

Jewart has been the junior varsity coach of the Warriors for five years and has coached in the school district for 14 out of the last 15 years.

“One thing we haven't had is a lot of enthusiasm,” Jewart said. “I want to get kids back involved and excited by the program.”

That's a challenge Jewart said he is ready to tackle.

“We haven't done a good job of getting our players involved with the young kids at the younger levels,” Jewart said. “I want those guys to go down there and help out and get those kids excited about Moniteau basketball.”

Jewart may have some excitement brewing on the court.

The Warriors will return four of five starters after a disappointing 7-15 season.

Things started out on a negative note when starting guard Jake Jewart suffered a torn ACL just before the season.

Jake, a senior, is back and healthy enough to play baseball this spring.

Moniteau will have sophomore Ethan McDeavitt and junior Jared Lominski back as well as junior Gane Neal and junior Tyler McFadden.

“We have a solid nucleus,” Mike Jewart said. “We also have a bunch of eighth-graders coming up.”