SNOHOMISH — Nick Bender has been with the Glacier Peak football program since the beginning and in that eight-year tenure as an assistant coach he’s worn many hats.
He’s coached the linebackers, the running backs and the offensive line. He’s been the team’s offensive coordinator and its strength and conditioning coach.
Now he’s the head coach.
Bender was hired last Friday to be the second head coach in the school’s history. He replaces Rory Rosenbach, who stepped down last month to take the head coaching job at Union High School in Vancouver.
“I’m very excited,” Bender said. “I obviously have a vested interest in the kids. I absolutely adore them. I’ve been working with them all this time and I’ve known some of them since they were little kids. For me, it’s a perfect situation to keep working with the kids that I already have a connection to.”
Glacier Peak athletic director Mark Albertine said the familiarity with Bender was a positive when going through the hiring process.
“He has been in the program for eight years, so we’ve had the opportunity to watch him and see him grow,” Albertine said. “He’s a student of the game and he has a passion for the game and a passion for teaching kids.”
Bender will try to uphold Glacier Peak’s winning tradition. The Grizzlies have made the playoffs in all eight years the school has been open and reached the state tournament four times, including a trip to the 3A quarterfinals this past season.
“I honestly believe that with the kids that we have that the potential is there and the sky is the limit to accomplish great things,” Bender said. “I’m beyond elated at the fact that I get to lead them through that process. It’s a pretty cool opportunity to be promoted within.”
There are obvious advantages for the program and its players to hiring someone that has been involved for its entirety. Bender joked it allows him to skip a step that takes many new coaches some time to get down.
“Probably one of the biggest advantages is I already know their names,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t have to sit there and learn every single athlete’s name.”
The players shouldn’t have to worry too much either. Bender said the defense likely won’t change at all and the changes on the offensive side of the ball should be minimal.
“You’ve got to put your own stamp on a couple of little things,” Bender said. “The group of kids that we have coming back and the familiarity that I have with them and the offensive system that we run, it kind of goes back to, ‘Why fix it if it isn’t broken?’”
Rosenbach was well known for his tendency to take risks with his play-calling. The Grizzlies going for two points after scoring a touchdown, kicking an onside kick at a time that normally wouldn’t call for one and going for it on fourth down were all things you might see at a Glacier Peak game.
Bender didn’t rule out some of those things continuing either.
“I don’t know that I have the riverboat gambler mentality on all aspects,” Bender said. “He was pretty fearless when it came to some of those things. I guess I have a little bit more of a personality of controlled chaos. We’ll still do some of it, there’s no doubt about it. The kids love it and the kids enjoy it.”
Rosenbach expects Bender to put his own mark on the team, but said hiring a familiar face was a good decision.
“I think it’s huge for the kids,” Rosenbach said. “They know him and they know what he’s about. I think it’s going to help those guys come into this thing with a ton of confidence and kind of hit the ground running without having to relearn everything from scratch.”
Rosenbach took the job at Union in order to be closer to his daughter, but said the move didn’t come easy.
“It was a really hard decision, but I think the fact that they kept one of our own and promoted from within makes it a lot easier for me,” Rosenbach said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect and trust in Nick, so I have no doubt that GP is going to be just fine as they transition to 4A and continue the success that they’ve had.
“It’s like having a kid leave for college, but I’m the one leaving,” Rosenbach added. “It’s something that I helped build and has been a huge part of the last eight years of my life. To leave it, you want to make sure that it’s in good hands and successful and safe.”
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
