Warrenton High School announced major changes to its coaching staff following last Thursday’s monthly R-III school board meeting.Four different sports — cross country, golf, track and volleyball — will be affected, as three head coaches recently resigned or retired from their positions.“I feel confident with the group of coaches we have coming in,” said Activities Director Bobby Spoonster. “Hopefully the transition process will be pretty seamless.”Jeremy Collins will be replacing Mike Spoede, who has been a coach for the cross country team for the past 22 seasons. Collins has been an assistant with the Warrior track team since joining the district seven years ago.“I’ll take a lot of what he’s done, and I know how the kids react to the workouts,” said Collins. “I’ll just build on what he’s done, and hopefully we can continue to move the program forward.”Originally from Nebraska, Collins competed in distance running in college and was a state champion in high school. He hopes to instill that passion into Warrenton’s runners.“Cross country has always been my thing since high school,” said Collins. “It’s fun being out on the course, and I want to get the athletes excited about running and competing. Hopefully I can get the runners to embrace that concept of team.”Spoede will also be vacating the head girls varsity track position, which will be taken over by Steven Wurtzel, who has coached middle school track for the past two seasons.“Having run the middle school program and seeing the numbers continually grow, I think he’s going to come in and bring an excitement,” said Spoonster. “He’s very organized and done a good job of developing the middle school program.”Wurtzel says his focus at the middle school level has been building interest in the sport and helping athletes find their areas of strength.“With this move to the varsity level I’ll be able to spend more time helping the athletes prepare for their events, instead of teaching them or trying to find out where they fit in best,” said WurtzelMatt Griffin is eager to take over the Warrenton golf program, which has been under the direction of Rich Barton for the past eight seasons. Barton has decided to retire after 26 years in the district, coaching multiple sports throughout his tenure.“Golf is something I’m very passionate about,” said Griffin. “Just with my knowledge of the game and the swing itself, I really feel like I can help players improve. I want to help everyone advance their game, whether they’re new to the sport or have been playing for a while.”Griffin grew up in Indiana, where he was a standout golfer in high school before arriving in Warrenton two seasons ago.“He has a lot of knowledge about the game and has the ability to instruct and push kids to get better on a daily basis,” said Spoonster.Griffin has also coached junior varsity basketball for the Warriors.Kristen McDowell will be the new volleyball coach, replacing Kristen Van Horn, who resigned from her role as volleyball coach to spend more time with her expanding family.“It was exciting to have someone of her quality and with the success she’s had in the sport apply,” said Spoonster. “I think she, along with the new assistant we’ve brought in, will really help keep the program moving in the right direction.”This will be McDowell’s first coaching assignment, as she concludes her education at Webster University, where she has been a four-year starter on the volleyball team. Previously, she was the Illinois High School Player of the Year for her alma mater in Staunton, Ill., and is also a coach for the Rockwood Volleyball Club.“I’ve known that coaching was in my blood, and it’s something I wanted to do and to get the opportunity this early is very exciting,” said McDowell. “I’ve got a lot of ideas, and I can’t wait to get in the gym and get started.”WARRENTON HIRES FOUR NEW COACHESMSHSAA