SUPER MONDAY

A motivational and informational morning message from Superintendent Willis

Week 18 ~ December 8th, 2025

Super Monday Message

We’re excited to have the basketball, wrestling, and cheer seasons officially started. Today I want to tell a story about a high school girl’s basketball coach. Mike Drier is the head basketball coach of the girl’s basketball team for New London-Spicer High School in New London Minnesota. This year is his 47th season as the head coach. 

You can imagine that after that many years he would have an impressive win total. At the end of the 2024-2025 season he had 1,095 wins on his record. The most of any coach in state history. For perspective, no high school boys or girls basketball coach in Utah has had over 700 wins. 1,095 wins over 46 years is an average of almost 24 wins per season. Mike has won many awards and titles as a result. The wins and the trophies have certainly been fun, but that’s not what has kept Mike Drier coaching all these years.

Coach Drier has built great relationships with the community and his players over several decades. His former players beg him to coach just a little longer to coach their children. When Coach Drier first started coaching he also helped with the football team. One of the first players he coached was named Earl Rich. Earl had a hard life and no parents. Earl had been in half a dozen foster homes. When rumor reached coach Drier that Earl would have to move again, Coach Drier volunteered to be his foster parent. Coach Drier gave Earl a consistent home, helped him get an athletic scholarship to play college sports, and helped him get a good start on life.

Coach Drier’s connection to Earl didn’t end when he graduated. Earl built a great career in the community and came back to ask Coach Drier to continue coaching in order to coach his daughters. Earl had 4 daughters all very close in age. For the 2020-2021 season all four of Earl Rich’s daughters were on the team. There were a couple moments where all four daughters were on the court at the same time. Mckenzie Rich, Courtney Rich, Avery Rich, and Dakota Rich all played on the same team at the same time for a coach that was something like a grandpa. 

A limited number of teachers and coaches get to positively impact multiple generations of students. Whenever coach Drier has been interviewed about his achievements he gives all the credit to the students, the community, and the coaches at lower levels. The awards and titles are certainly fun, but the relationships are what builds the real success. Have the best week 18.

Super High Fives

Just a couple of the awesome recent accomplishments that need a big thank you.

• A super high five to the parents and volunteers that help with youth sports programs. The high school programs are so much fun and are a great unifier for the community, but they wouldn’t be as much fun without the great work of many parents and volunteers organizing practices and games at all levels. Super high five to youth league coaches, drivers, and supporters.
• A super high five to Southern Utah University for bringing their flight simulator to Piute High School and giving our students that opportunity to test it. We’re grateful for our partnership with SUU.

Other Super Information

• Winter Sports Calendar 2025-2026
  • Link to subscribe to PHS Sports Calendar
• 2025-2026 School District Calendar
• Proposed 2026-2027 School District Calendar

Super Weekly Schedule