We founded Sports Guys Iowa to have fun and give as much coverage as we can to Small Iowa Colleges and Universities competing at the NCAA DIII, DII, FCS, and NAIA levels.
Last Week, Briar Cliff got the 2025 football season off to a great start with a 35-23 Win against St. Ambrose (Davenport, IA). I was excited for the Chargers to get 2025 going in the right direction.
Coach Shane LaDage is working hard to build a NAIA Program that surrounded by the best of the best NAIA Programs in the country. Dordt, Morningside, Northwestern, and Concordia are all in their Conference and all are ranked in the top #25. All four teams have legitimate national title aspirations.
So, how do you build a program when we are surrounded by schools with the proven track record of success and top facilities? You do it step-by-step, with great assistant coaches, grit, and drive. You hire and recruit Hard Chargers.
As I started writing this column on Briar Cliff Football, it was in my head to check up on how Jaiden is doing? When I checked the BC football site, I saw Jaiden Aavery Stowers had moved from being a BC player last year to coaching the wide receivers this year.
Home Run hire…Home Run hire by Coach LaDage… is what I wrote in my story notes. So, my column went in an entirely unintended direction.
Why do I think Jaiden Aavery Stowers is a home run hire for Briar Cliff that is working to build a program in the toughest NAIA Conference in the US?
This young man had about the best high school coaching that you could have. He attended a master class in coaching every day in Georgia. PS. I’m biased on this since our son Zach was Jadien’s high school teammate for four years and had the exact same experience. Jaiden is a terrific young man who loves the game.
Georgia High School football is next level in terms of time and commitment for High School players. Two weeks off a year, spring football practices and a game (like college) and the ability to watch film before practice or workouts close to year-round.
Jaiden’s High School coaches at Hebron Christian included Kevin Schaffer (13 years in the NFL – highest paid OT in the league when at the Bears), Terence Melton (4+ years in the NFL), Carnell Lake (8 years NFL), and Head Coach Jeff Saturday (NFL All Pro who you can watch on ESPN today). It was some serious coaching as even the two special teams coaches were former NFL players.
Each and every day, Jaiden was watching film with top NFL players who ran the program like a pro team. For a 15-16 year old kid, it was like being in advanced Football calculus.
FYI – Hebron Christian was far from a powerhouse when these coaches took over and Jaiden joined the team (Hebron had never won a playoff game in the history of the school and had some real tough seasons).
So, he was part of a comprehensive build-from-the-ground-up program that was surrounded by superpower high schools you might have heard of, like Buford, GA.
In just year two they won their first ever playoff game – See photo below of Jaiden holding Coach Saturday for the Gatorade bath. Source – Indianapolis Colts
Jeff Saturday | Colts Forever – This fun video on You Tube about how they built the program is a great watch about high school football.
As a parent who was there and saw it all, I can share that it was amazing to watch a team go from nowhere to the final eight in their Georgia football class.
P.S. Hebron Christian are the 2024 State Football Champs in their class and defending their first title this fall. That foundation they built resulted in the hardware. P.S. Go Lions and repeat in 25…I can be a homer on this one.
So, kudos to Coach LaDage for making a great hire of a great young man who knows how to be part of complete program build.
I know I am not supposed to be a homer for a team, but I will be cheering hard for the Briar Cliff Chargers this fall to keep building their program. It takes huge effort, commitment, and of course time, but best of luck to the Chargers this fall.
It won’t be easy, as this week the Chargers host Morningside College which have only won three national titles recently. The Mustangs are a top contender to win the National title again this year (Grandview, Northwestern, and Dordt are also Iowa NAIA schools who are top contenders).
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