T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY - Returning letterwinners on the 2025 BCLUW football team are pictured. Front row, from left to right: Will Feldpausch, Maddin Helms, Aiden Frank, Eathan Petermeier, Wyatt Gould, Vance Hoyt and Edwin Wanken; back row: Avery Schipper, Nate Bishop, Lucas Vibbard, Maverick Grafke, Beau Towne and Daniel Zoske.

CONRAD — Bob McIntyre hails from a much larger city known for its beloved black-and-gold football team, but the Pittsburgh native is excited to be taking on a new role in small-town Iowa as the head coach at BCLUW High School.

McIntyre, whose coaching resume includes stints at his alma mater Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School, Keokuk and Dubuque Hempstead, said he grew fond of central Iowa while his oldest daughter was attending Iowa State University, and when he began to look for a new coaching opportunity, he was impressed with the administration and team in Conrad.

“It’s typical small town American Iowa football. They take great pride in the community and want to see the stands full on Friday night,” he said. “We like the proximity. You’re close to a lot of different places, but you still get that small-town feel.”

The Comets finished 2-7 last season under former coach Jeff Pikna, who has since taken over at Aplington-Parkersburg, and McIntyre is entering 2025 with a “build from scratch” mentality. He’s still getting to know his roster and his coaching staff, but he likes what he’s seen so far.

“I think, most importantly, the work ethic has been there, the willingness for them to learn and fighting through some adversity. We’re like everybody across the country, across the state. There’s some things we do well and some things we’ve gotta fix, but what’s been impressive is the attitude of the kids and the work ethic — the ability to want to be coached and want to learn,” McIntyre said.

BCLUW has nine seniors on this year’s roster — Maverick Grafke, Vance Hoyt, Wyatt Gould, Nate Bishop, Lucas Vibbard, Daniel Zoske, Edwin Wanken, Mateus Keller and Aiden Frank — and McIntyre feels that they want to go out on a good note after the “bad taste” last season left in their mouths. Gould finished the 2024 campaign with 937 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, and Frank was the team’s leading receiver with eight catches for 113 yards and a score.

Defensively, Gould is the leading returning tackler with 34.5 total last season, and Grafke wasn’t far behind him with 28.

“You always leave somebody out, and so I just want to emphasize the whole senior class. But those kids have stood out to us,” McIntyre said.

With the graduation of last year’s quarterback, Carson Wayman, McIntyre said he still hasn’t made a final decision on who the signal caller will be in week one. The coach’s assessment of how his team can win games in 2025 is relatively simple: run the football and stop the run.

“Whether that’s in a spread formation or a power I formation, the number one statistic is gonna be who controls the line of scrimmage. So really paramount to success at any level is your offensive and defensive line play, and then try to find the scheme that best fits your skill players and take advantage,” he said.

The Comets’ regular season begins on Friday, Aug. 29, on the road at East Marshall.