Warrenton High School will have two new faces on the football sidelines next fall, as the hiring of a pair of assistants was made official at last week's school board meeting.Both are already familiar in the district, with one being an alumni and another already holding a teaching position in the district this year.Ryan Raterman has been chosen to lead the special teams, quarterbacks and safeties.Jeff Sargent will take over as offensive coordinator, while specializing with tight ends and linebackers.“We're excited about having both of them on board,” said Activities Director Bobby Spoonster. “I think we hired two really good young minds on the offensive side of the football. They want to be successful, and they're driven by their own success.”The duo is filling one vacancy that was open from a previous season and another left by the departure of Darryl Ray.Raterman, who graduated from Warrenton in 2005, has generated a wealth of experience for himself while working his toward a Masters Degree in Athletic Administration."Next year will be my seventh year of coaching high school," said Raterman. "I've been a part of some winning traditions and teams. I've gotten to see how practices and programs are run."His journey began as intern for the athletic department at CBC.Raterman then volunteered as a baseball coach at Timberland, while helping out with the Wright City football team.Last season he took over as an assistant with the Montgomery County football team, which finished 10-2. Raterman, who will remain employed with the Wright City School District as an academic reassignment teacher, has gradually been inching his way back to his alma mater.“He did a really good job with Montgomery County last year, and they sang his praises, but ultimately he wanted to come back home,” said Raterman.He is excited about the opportunity to return and lead under his own his school coach, Steve McDowell."Every step I've taken, I've learned something," said Raterman. "Coaching is kind of a copy-cat league, and every step of the way I try to take something I've learned and apply that to my own philosophy."Sargent, who is a special education teacher at Rebecca Boone Elementary, held a defensive assistant position at Wright City this past fall.He is a graduate of Francis Howell North and Missouri State University, where he played both baseball and football.“He will be a great asset for us, as he's been successful as an athlete at both the high school and college level,” said Spoonster.After graduating, Sargent spent a year coaching at Kickapoo in the Springfield School District, before returning to serve as defensive coordinator for two years at Howell North.He followed that with a year as defensive line coach for Fort Osage, who won the state title under his guidance.“Ultimately we want people who are invested in kids here in Warrenton, and these guys show that coming into the program,” said Spoonster.Both have extensive experience on the offensive side of the ball as well, with Sargent having played tight end and Raterman helping out with offense on multiple teams over the past few seasons.Spoonster believes they have proven their merits.“It was key for us to go out and get some offensive-minded guys,” said Spoonster. “That's something we really targeted during our coaching search.”Sargent says is exciting about the challenge of trying to best utilize the personnel Warrenton has in place."Right now I'm looking to get kids in the right position to help the team," said Sargent. "We're going to create an atmosphere of competition rewards playing time."He is putting extensive focus on engaging tight ends into the gameplan more.Spoonster says he was thrilled to see both coaches in the weight room working with the athletes just days after their hiring.

Warrenton graduate Ryan Raterman was hired along with Jeff Sargent as an assistant on the high school football program.

Derrick Forsythe Photo.