CATLIN, Ill. (WCIA) – Salt Fork High School has a new head football coach.

Les Siefert was named the new leader of Storm football on Jan. 16. Joe Hageman resigned in November after the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Siefert is not new to the building. He has been in the area for more than 25 years and working on the Salt Fork football coaching staff, as an assistant, since 2008.

The Storm never had a losing season under Hageman, which is just one reason why Siefert doesn’t plan to change too much.

“I’ll take what I’ve learned from both the previous head coaches before me and go from there,” he told WCIA on Wednesday.

One change he would like to see is more bodies on the practice field and in the weight room.

“I’d like our program to grow,” he said. “We need to get some more kids involved. We like our kids to be a part of the community. I want our kids to succeed in other things other than football. When football ends for all of us you become a father, a husband, a provider. For those boys it’s just being good people, being good young men means a lot to me.”

The program’s new leader has seen first hand the type of community support his team will have.

“We have good kids and that’s a credit to the parents,” he said. “They support their kids, they get involved, they commit to things as well as their kids do. It’s a very easy community to coach in because of that.”

Siefert says some members of the team are already hitting the weight room three days a week.

“The kids are excited and I’m excited,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity.”