Why did Weldon Nelms return to coach Iowa Park football after 27 years?

IOWA PARK — Twenty-seven years. That's how long it's been since Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor member Weldon Nelms was at the helm of Iowa Park football. Now, he's leading the Hawks into another football season. "I just love being around the kids and coaching them," Nelms said regarding his return to football. "It's my passion." Nelms, who coached Iowa Park from 1994 to 1999, took over as head football coach and interim athletic director in late June, inheriting a roster of roughly 32 players — including 12 seniors — as the Hawks prepare for a move to Class 4A Division II. The late start has given Nelms and his staff a short window to learn the roster and install the framework of a program he just returned to. “I think all 32 can contribute in a different way,” Nelms said. “It’s just figuring out that pattern substitution-wise, and keeping those kids fresh. You want to get the best kids on the field.” One of the most compelling decisions comes at quarterback, where Nelms believes Iowa Park has two capable options in juniors Reed McClain and CJ McNeill. "It's gonna be a tough situation. I'd like to have both on the field, but you can only have one quarterback," Nelms said. “I’ve been very pleased. Both kids can control it; they can run; they bring that leadership that you expect for the football team.” Iowa Park will also rely on several underclassmen. Nelms said three or four sophomores could start, particularly on defense, and believes its young core has performed well beyond what he typically expects from players that age. "As the old saying goes: for every sophomore you start you've got a loss," Nelms said. "But I don't think our kind of kids are playing like that. They're above the level of what a typical early sophomore would be." The Hawks have five nondistrict games to work through any challenges before district play begins. Nelms' goal is for Iowa Park to have its personnel settled and be playing its best football by then. “There’s going to be a lot of things that you’re probably going to see from week to week a little different, utilizing all of our kids,” Nelms said. “We just got to work through the process and get to know our kids.” Nelms was encouraged by Iowa Park’s first scrimmage against Paradise, particularly in the way the Hawks responded to a physical opponent. “I was very excited about our kids with the passion and the energy they showed in a very tough scrimmage against a very good football team,” Nelms said. “I think our kids answered that physicality, and I like seeing that.” Iowa Park opens the season at 7 p.m. at Henrietta High School on Aug. 28 before facing Holliday, Jefferson, City View and Vernon in nondistrict play. The Hawks then enter a district schedule that includes Mineral Wells, Burkburnett, Brock, Bridgeport and Graham. Nelms noted that Iowa Park’s success will ultimately depend less on one standout player than on how well the Hawks develop as a group. “We probably don’t have that one guy that’s extraordinarily fast or extraordinarily big,” Nelms said. “I just think it’s going to be a great team effort for us to be successful. That’s what I expect.” This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Why did Weldon Nelms return to coach Iowa Park football after 27 years?