Just a little over a month of getting his team to a conference title, Camden Fairview Cardinals Head Coach Jake Monden announced his resignation Tuesday morning.
Monden has been the head coach and assistant athletic director for Camden Fairview since 2016. When he started, Monden became the third head coach at the program in as many years.
In his five years at Camden Fairview, Monden rebuilt the football program from the bottom of the barrel in 5A South Conference play to a conference championship-caliber team.
Monden's approach to football is traditional and hard-nosed, as he expects perfection in every rep in a game or practice. He is also a coach that develops close bonds with his players on and off the field. Monden expects his players to grind their way to the best performance they can give each game, and he develops his players well during the off-season.
This season, the Cardinals finished with an overall record of 10-2 with a perfect 6-0 record 5A South Conference. The Cardinals have the 5A South Conference title for the first time since 2013, and sole possession of the title since 2012. Monden, along with his well-established coaching staff, was able to stabilize a shaky program that craved to win. He leaves the program with an overall record of 36-31 and a record of 25-14 in 5A South Conference play.
The Cardinals' coaching staff have been highly efficient in creating and utilizing high-caliber talent at each position group. This season, the Cardinals had a boost in productivity on the field after developing their players. Camden Fairview's offense was more explosive this season with more dynamic impact playmakers that helped the team average 39.9 points per game. On the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals were stout and efficient in big plays situations, allowing an average of only 21.4 points per game and accounting for two shutout performances this season.
Monden was named 5A South Coach of the Year and he is a finalist for the 2021 Farms Bureau Insurance 5A Coach of the Year Award. His coaching and development of his players have helped three of his players get named All-Conference position players of the year -- defensive end Jacovey Barker, offensive tackle Mark Welch and wide receiver Brandon Copeland. He has also coached eight of his players to become All-State selections and 16 total players were named to All-Conference.
Coach Monden announced to his players and coaches on Monday in a team meeting that he was stepping down as head coach.
"I mean, honestly, I was happy for him. We had a pretty good run this last year, but came up short and he is now on to something different and a new chapter in his life," junior dual-threat quarterback and the University of Arkansas commit Martavius Thomas said. "Coach Monden and I had a pretty good relationship, there was nothing we couldn't talk about and I wish him nothing but success."
Athletic Director Ricky Tucker will start his search for the next coach of a Camden Fairview Cardinals football team that will return a lot of their key talent next season, including eight All-Conference players.
Monden was named head coach of the Southmoore High School SaberCats in Moore, Oklahoma on Tuesday. Monden is originally from the state of Oklahoma where he went to Noble High School and played for the Northeastern State Redmen for four years.
He will look to rebuild the SaberCats program that accounted for an overall record of 0-10 this season. He has the experience and the coaching charisma for an efficient rebuilding process.
Photo By: Michael Hanich Camden Fairview head coach Jake Monden looks as the play develops during practice.