Von Eye and Conzelman named CoY

In July, two of Newcastle High School and Middle School coaches were honored with Coach of the Year awards at the Wyoming High School Activities Association coaches clinic in Casper.

Allen Von Eye is a long-time coach at Weston County School District No. 1, giving his time to three seasons of sports by coaching basketball, track and football at the high school and middle school levels. In Casper, Von Eye was awarded the Fall Sports Middle School Coach of the Year Award for the entire state of Wyoming.

Matt Conzelman is also a long-time coach at Newcastle High School, and gives his time to three seasons of sports as well, by coaching football, basketball and track. He was honored with an award in Casper when he was named Assistant Coach of the Year for men’s basketball in Wyoming. While Conzelman’s award was sport specific, the CoY award encompassed men’s basketball from all four classes in the state.

“I have no idea who nominated me, but the ballots go out to the coaches across the state, and we vote on who we think deserves the honor,” Von Eye explained. “The award is truly about the coaching staff, and this is the second time that we have won.”

Von Eye coaches football at NMS and, this fall, he will start his 10th year at the helm of the program. In the 2A Conference the Calves play in, NMS has truly been pretty dominant through the years, but Von Eye explained that in football, unlike other sports like basketball, the teams that Newcastle go up against in middle school transition to most of the same teams that the Dogies vie against in high school.

Among others, the Calves compete against Wheatland and Glenrock, and this year they will add Torrington to the schedule. According to Von Eye, his team has only lost one game to the aforementioned two teams combined during his tenure. In addition, the Calves have won district championships six of the nine years Von Eye’s been at the helm.

“When I took this on, I told Matt (Conzelman) that I really wanted to be a feeder program for his high school program,” Von Eye said. “It’s notable because I think that we (as a staff) do a really good job of setting up the middle school kids with the same philosophy and language that Matt uses at the high school, so they are ready to go once they reach him.”

“I’ve grown to really love it and I am really excited for this year,” he continued. “It’s been great to see the kids be successful and for our staff to be recognized for what they do.”

Von Eye’s staff includes Payton Watt and Mike Pederson. Watt was new to the program last year, but Von Eye noted that he got up to speed really quickly and brought some great energy to the program. He went on to add that Pederson is a varsity head coach and brings in that perspective as well.

“Those guys do a fabulous job,” Von Eye said. “I think we do a really great job of working together in a positive manner. Our kids love it and work so hard, despite us being pretty darned demanding of them.”

Von Eye and his staff approach their role as coaches a little outside the norm when it comes to middle school sports. In order to get his young men ready to move on to high school, he teaches them how to effectively and critically watch film in order to game-plan for their upcoming opponent.

“Most middle school programs don’t do those things, but we go week to week getting ready for our next opponent, so our kids are prepped and ready when they step on the field,” Von Eye said.

As the head coach for NHS football, Conzelman expressed his gratitude for how Von Eye has built and established the middle school program to benefit his own.

“I can’t say enough about how much easier the transition from middle school to high school football has been for our kids since Allen has been there,” Conzelman said. “Having him to get them ready for us has been so great.”

Conzelman was nominated for the Assistant Basketball Coach of the Year by Von Eye. As a coaching staff, Von Eye and Conzelman were the longest tenured coaching staff in the entire state — across all classes — having worked together for 21 years.

“(Matt) is going to play the humility side (about being CoY), because that’s who he is and why we love him,” Von Eye said, grinning. “Yes, I nominated him, but the whole state voted for him. Everyone in the state knows what kind of coach he is and what he brings to the table.”

Together, Von Eye and Conzelman have created a basketball program at NHS that 3A coaches in schools across the state respect. That respect speaks volumes, regardless of the Dogies’ win-loss record, as those coaches consistently see NHS teams that work hard, play with respect, and conduct themselves with class year after year.

“People respect what we’ve done and who (Matt) is, so I can guarantee all they had to do was see his name on the ballot and they knew that was who they wanted as CoY,” Von Eye said. “I think it’s a well-deserved honor and I got a lot of texts saying that Matt was a great choice for the award.”

As one would expect, Conzelman and Von Eye created a great chemistry due to working together for such an impressive length of time. Both admitted to possessing a similar level of intensity as coaches, but also praised each other for being a balancer when it comes to performing their jobs as coaches.

“My assistant coach fills absolutely the most important role for me as head coach,” Von Eye said. “I couldn’t do my job without him, and I am only as good as my assistant. Matt’s positivity, his understanding of the game, and his work ethic are absolutely irreplaceable.”

Conzelman being awarded CoY was special on more than just one level, given he tendered his resignation as assistant boy’s basketball coach last spring in order to be able to watch his daughter play basketball at Dickinson State University this year.

“When I wrote out my resignation, it was the hardest email I’ve ever hit send on. Just to be with this guy [Von Eye] for all of those years was great,” Conzelman said. “He knows what I bring and I know what he brings, and we match each other with our intensity levels — and my goal was always to anticipate what he needed before he asked me for it.”

“I’ll try not to get too sentimental, but Matt means the world to me and our program,” Von Eye added. “To be able to send him out this way was pretty great.”