When Wichita Heights coach Rick Wheeler took over the football program in 1999, the Falcons just hoped to muster a winning record.
Until Wheeler arrived, Heights had only two winning seasons – 5-4 in 1969 and 1998 – in the history of the program. The Falcons had a 39-game losing streak to rival Wichita Southeast until snapping it in 2002.
How things have changed.
Wheeler, who is the West’s head coach in the 2011 Kansas Shrine Bowl, has built Wichita Heights into one of the best program in the state, advancing to the Class 6A state championship the past two seasons and capturing the title in 2010.
“There’s no question that it’s something we’re very proud of,” Wheeler said. “The journey was long, but it was worth the ride.”
Wheeler said the enthusiasm was always there from the beginning, but it took a change in mindset to make the Falcons a winning program.
“I was an assistant at Heights before I was head coach,” Wheeler said. “It seemed like the kids were always waiting for something bad to happen. Now, they really believe good things are going to happen.”
However, changing that mindset started with a lot of hard work. Wheeler knew his team had to get a lot stronger.
“We needed a foundation and like a lot of good programs, we decided for the weight room to be that foundation,” Wheeler said. “We had a lot of room to grow in the weight room. The thing about weights is that it not only gets you stronger, but it also provides the discipline necessary to be successful.”
That discipline yielded positive results from the beginning. Wichita Heights posted winning records in Wheeler’s first three seasons as head coach.
The Falcons eventually made the playoffs in 2002.
“There were a lot of baby steps,” Wheeler said. “There was the first team to win six games. There was the first team to win the conference. The first team to be district champion. The first to win 10 games. Those were all big accomplishments.”
And last season, they were the first Falcons team to finish 13-0 and the first to win a state championship. They rallied to beat Dodge City 42-38 in the semifnals, and then dropped Olathe North 48-14 in the Class 6A finals.
However, Wheeler said that state championship goes back to all of the kids who have helped establish the program over the years.
“That state championship is not just for the 2010 team, but for all of the kids who have worn the red and black for the Falcons,” he said. “It’s been the job of each class to leave a legacy, and they’ve done that.”
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