Program, building Clemens ready for next challenge

Ken Clemens knows a thing or two about turning around a downtrodden high school football program. Now he has the task of starting one from scratch.

Two years ago, Clemens took the wheel of one of the Kansas City area’s biggest laughingstocks,  Winnetonka, a program that had won only three of 30 games in the three seasons before his arrival. By the time he left, Clemens had turned the Griffins into a legitimate playoff contender, leading his rebuilt squad to a 15-9 record and two regional playoff wins in back-to-back postseason appearances.

Clemens hopes to build similar success with the football program at Liberty North.

“I think this is something most coaches would love to have,” Clemens said. “I definitely feel blessed to have this opportunity. I’m just thrilled to lead a first-year program.

“The thing I was most excited about when I considered the possibility of this position was the chance to make something out of nothing, or in this case something that doesn’t exist. That idea appealed to me.”

Clemens’ track record says the same thing, starting with his positive endeavor at Winnetonka. Before that, he spent three years as the head boys track and field coach at Oak Park from 2003-2005. The stretch stretch ended with a coming out party for the Northmen after a district championship and the program’s first-ever state team trophy.

After the track success, Clemens spent three seasons (2005-2007) at his first head football coaching position at Raytown. The 10 years previous he served as an assistant football coach at Oak Park under longtime head coach Keith Ross.

“Working with these Liberty kids really reminds me of the Oak Park kids,” Clemens said. “With no seniors, we’re not developed in the weight room yet. We’re an undersized group. It’s such a physical sport, it’s easy to see we’re behind in that area. But in leadership and work ethic and sense of responsibility, we have it all. The kids have just been fantastic. They’ve made it a lot of fun for me so far.”

All of the kids. Despite opening the school without a senior class, the football coaching staff has checked out equipment to 114 athletes — an astounding number considering the school will open with approximately 700 students, freshmen through juniors.

A large number of those athletes participated in summer camps and a 7-on-7 league last month. Approximately 60-70 have engaged in weight lifting and condition programs this summer. Next week’s final team camp closes out the summer workouts.

“There’s a lot of kids here who can play football,” Clemens said. “When Liberty had only one high school, a lot of these kids were lost in the shuffle. Now they’re going to be great competitors. They’ve really been willing to work for us.”

Sports writer Chris Geinosky can be reached at 389-6654 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .