After 15 seasons as an assistant football coach for Monroe High School, Scott Darrow is now the Bearcats’ top guy.
The school announced in a press release late Friday afternoon that Darrow will take over the position left vacant by former Seattle Seahawks and Washington State University wide receiver Michael Bumpus in December.
“I’m thrilled to have Scott be the next head football coach at Monroe High School,” Monroe athletics director Jeannette Siemers said in the release. “He loves these kids. He loves this town and he loves this program. Scott was chosen because of his unique and long-term ties to the MHS and MHS Football community. He is the perfect candidate who already has established relationships with our student-athletes and I am confident that he will usher in a new era of Bearcat Football to continue to grow our program. I know our kids are excited to have Coach Darrow take over the reins too. It’s a great day to be a Bearcat!”
Darrow, a 1999 Arlington High School graduate, has spent the better part of his 15 seasons with the Bearcats as an offensive line coach and run-game coordinator.
“The offensive line has kind of been my baby,” Darrow said. “That’s been my bread and butter from the beginning, and I’ll miss doing the offensive line. I’ll miss having that connection with those kids, but like I said, I’m super excited to take over this program. It’s a really strong program (with) a really good foundation. I just can’t wait to go.”
Darrow spent time as an assistant under five different head coaches at Monroe, most recently Bumpus, who compiled a 36-17 record and helped end a 25-year state playoff drought with back-to-back appearances in Class 4A.
Darrow said he’s been running weight-room sessions with the team since Bumpus’ departure.
“I’ve been preparing for this as if I was going to be the head coach since (Bumpus) stepped down in December,” Darrow said. “We love Coach Bump. Coach Bump is personally one of my very best friends. We’re going to miss the guy immensely, but we’re excited to not start over and just take this thing to the next level. To me that’s the most important thing is we have a really strong foundation at Monroe and we’ve built a really good culture at Monroe. Our kids are totally bought in to what we do and how we prepare, and it’s just a matter of moving forward.”
Darrow has coached football and taught history and government at Monroe since arriving in 2005. He’ll lead the Bearcats’ football squad as it makes the transition from Wesco 4A to Wesco 3A South after statewide reclassification takes affect to start the 2020-2021 school year.
“We’re excited for a new challenge, a new opportunity,” Darrow said. “… We’re sorry to leave 4A. We’re going to miss those rivalries, especially with Lake Stevens. We still hope we can play those schools, certainly.”
Darrow coached alongside Snohomish coach Joey Hammer and Glacier Peak coach Shane Keck while serving as an assistant at Monroe. Keck was named Glacier Peak’s head coach Thursday after serving as the team’s interim head coach last season.
“Really excited to play those guys,” Darrow said. “I know those guys really well. They’re good friends (and) great coaches.”
The Bearcats finished last season at 6-4 after falling to eventual state semifinalist Mount Si in a Week 10 playoff clash.
“Monroe is a place I’ve been for a long, long time,” Darrow said. “I just absolutely love this community, love this program. Our student-athletes, I couldn’t be more proud to coach. I just can’t wait to assemble my team and get this thing rolling, man.”
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