New Mathews High School head football coach Ryan Wenner is excited about the talented crop of athletes on his team this year and is looking forward to building a successful program here.

Wenner, 25, has just come off a successful stint as the junior varsity football coach at Gloucester High School. During his three-year tenure as coach, the jayvee Dukes posted an 18-9 record, recording three consecutive winning seasons.

A 2006 graduate of Gloucester High School, Wenner went to Christopher Newport University to play football, but an injury sidelined him. CNU head coach Matt Kelchner, sensing the young man’s interest in the coaching side of the sport, asked if he wanted to help out. That first year, Wenner served as a cameraman, filming the team’s games. After that, he served as a student coach, working with the linebackers and defense.

"It was real nice to see a new standard of excellence" with Kelchner and the rest of the CNU coaching staff.

From CNU, Wenner went...