Jesse Von Behren is looking forward to turning high school athletes into productive young men as he takes over as the new Ames High School football coach.
Von Behren was formally approved to become the new Little Cyclone football coach at the Ames school board meeting on March 10.
“I am excited to bring Jesse on as our head football coach,” said Ames athletic director Lyle Fedders. “Jesse has been a staple in our community and athletic department for 20 years. He has been part of some of the most successful football seasons and is committed to our community and school district. His knowledge of our community and football program are second to none along with his plans to build a strong player focused culture were invaluable in the interview process.”
Von Behren is married to Ames softball coach Meghan Von Behren and they have three children.
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He grew up playing high school football at Olin High School in Iowa. After graduating in 1999, he played college football for Simpson from 1999 to 2002.
Von Behren played receiver and special teams for the Storm, carrying on a family tradition of playing long snapper. After graduating, he has spent his time coaching and teaching young athletes, spending the past 11 years as an assistant football coach at Ames.
Ames spent 2024 looking for the best coach to take over the program. With two interim coaches leading the team, the Little Cyclones struggled through a 1-8 campaign.
Von Behren has been an offensive coordinator, special teams coordinator and receivers coach at the varsity level with Ames, with head coaching experience at the sophomore and middle school levels of competition.
When the official varsity head coaching position opened up, he threw his name into the mix.
“It’s always been a goal,” Von Behren said. “I thought this was a great opportunity to go for it.”
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Von Behren has learned a lot from his former coaches and players over the years. Most notably, Simpson legend Jim Williams, who was 106-48-1 at Simpson from 1987-2001.
“The goal is to create a culture that is family-oriented,” Von Behren said. “You either win or you learn.”
Ames has a lot of work to do in order to be competitive every week against the toughest class in the state. The Little Cyclones must maintain high numbers and build strength, athleticism and speed every year.
Ames strength and conditioning coach Tracy Rial is retiring at the end of the school year. But head athletic performance coach Tony Douglas is stepping in, and Von Behren hopes to work with him to build strong athletes who are “mobile to move”.
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Von Behren admits there is a lot of work to be done to build the Ames football program into a consistent competitor. But he is excited to get to work.
“Every year is going to be a new challenge,” Von Behren said. “My goal is to mold young athletes into being contributive members of the society.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Jesse Von Behren named the new head football coach at Ames High
