Washington High School football coach Chad Stadem will be leaving the football sidelines to take on a new challenge as the activities director of the new Jefferson High School.

Stadem has built a strong legacy in Sioux Falls since taking the Washington job in 2013. During his WHS tenure, Stadem led the Warriors to three straight 11AAA championships from 2015-2017. He also helped develop a culture that helped produced multiple college athletes across Division I, Division II, and NAIA.

"I was comfortable coaching at Washington, and everything about me loves Washington. But I was just ready for the opportunity. I was honest with the guys, and if the right opportunity presented itself I might take a shot, but I was not leaving Washington unless it's perfect." - Stadem

Breaking the news to the kids via a zoom conference wasn't the easiest thing to do, but Stadem mentioned that the students understood his decision.

"They all understood but were bummed. They know me well enough. I always tell them that if the opportunity presents itself you have to go get it. They all know that because we talk about those life skills. If leadership presents itself, you got to lead...At first, it's going to hurt but in a week I'll be a has-been and they'll move on to the next guy. The next guy will come in and do an awesome job. They (the WHS players and community) will accept him and embrace him." - Stadem

New challenges will now present itself for Stadem as he moves over to Jefferson. The new high school is scheduled to open for the 2021-2022 season and there are plans to get the school up and going with sports immediately.

"We're going full varsity right away and going right in. Fall of 2021 we'll be full go. We'll have our core values set, school song, everything. The band will be ready to go, soccer teams, drama, choir, and we're going full bore." - Stadem

Some of the tasks he will face include helping the district hire coaches for the school.

"We'll take the best person that we can get that can fit the values that we are going to set. I can't have a bunch of Chad Stadem's. That just wouldn't work well. You need diverse backgrounds and ideas. Like with my coaching staff, we all think and look at things differently. Everyone can talk, everyone can lead, but when we leave we will have a plan and all be together. I'm going to encourage that type of collaboration in the coaching staff at Jefferson." - Stadem.

Stadem's Activities Director position will officially begin on June 1. He will have one year without students to help get the school situated for the beginning of the fall 2021 seasons.

Here is the entire interview with Stadem that aired today on OVERTIME with Jeff Thurn. On top of the decision to leave Jefferson, Stadem also discusses the highly debated five-class football classification system, whether he believes Sioux Falls will 'balance out' with talent with Jefferson opening, and if there are any discussions or contingencies in place for the upcoming fall season with the Coronavirus pandemic still ongoing.

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