Mark McSorley steps down as head football coach

Mark McSorley resigned his position as Head Football Coach recently. In high school, he had played football with my son and he has coached three of my grandsons. I feel like I know this guy, and I can honestly say I really hate to see him go. I’ve got two more grandsons, and I’m sorry he won’t be their coach … but he leaves quite a legacy.

He took over the program in 2017. At that time, the Tigers played the traditional 11-player game. He tells me, “We competed against some strong teams with a rich football tradition, such as Lynnville-Sully and Pekin. The Tigers only losses were to those two teams in 2017; but we were at a big disadvantage due to participation. We didn’t have the players to sub in-and-out on offense and defense. Instead most of our starting varsity had to play both ways. We made the playoffs in 2017, losing to Lynnville-Sully in the first round. Fortunately for the Tigers in 2018, the State was reclassifying all the districts.”

In 2018, McSorley had presented his case for a change to 8-man football. The community and the athletes supported the change, and with a “yes” vote from the School Board, Tiger football embarked on a new adventure.

The easy part was done and now the real work began. The field had to be reconfigured since 8-man is played on an 80 yard field instead of a 100 yard field. The coaches had to learn different kinds of schemes and formations.

But he never wavered. “We knew 8-man was the best fit for the numbers of players we had participating and gave us a better chance at competing with success. The upper classmen that year (2018) had all played and competed together since flag football. They were a good group and they all adapted to 8-man with ease. The end result … we won the State Championship that year.”

He continued, “That was the culmination of a very special season for New London Football. Not only did we win State, but it also did a lot for our school. It started a tradition and brought our community together.”

Isaac McSorley was a senior that year and the quarterback. What Mark shared with his son was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He says, “To have coached my son and all those seniors every year since flag football, they were all in a way like my own kids.”

McSorley relates an interesting story about those seniors. “About 2013, while I was coaching YSF 5th-6th grade tackle football, our NL team was asked to play at half-time at a football game in the UNI dome. We sold over 300 tickets for that half time show that lasted about eight minutes. I was so amazed at the support these kids had from parents and family. After our performance, I remember telling all those players that they had a special team, and they would be back in that Dome to play again…..and they were!”

The thing I most admired about Mark’s coaching was the way he treated his players. He was always calm and kind to them and treated them with respect. He didn’t yell or belittle them. For him, it was always about the team. His philosophy was and is that individuals don’t win team sports. The success of a team has always been about individual unselfishness, the desire to win, the belief in each other, and hard work always so the team could compete at a high level together.

Why resign now? He says, “It is time for me to “move on” and have more time with family. I know I will miss it, but am confident and proud of the work and success that myself and all the other coaches have had. I want to thank the community for all the support they have given me over the past six seasons.”

He looks forward to seeing them play this year, and wishes them a successful 2023 season and for seasons to come.

Mark McSorley leaves with an impressive 42-17 record. His teams made the playoffs all six seasons he coached. He will truly be missed!

Thanks Mark for your dedication to not only the program, but especially to the athletes you coached and for that championship season … it was truly unforgettable!