PARKER — Athletic director Kevin Boley and the Class 5A Legend Titans feel like they have landed on their feet.
Their Class 5A football program was looking for a head coach and, after an extensive search, landed Monte Thelen, who has extensive experience on multiple levels and most recently was at Cherokee Trail in Aurora.
“We reached out to a number of people in the interview process and for a number of reasons it didn’t work out,” Boley said Wednesday night. “So I reposted the position and was talking to people, like other ADs, and asking who I should be looking at. They kept sharing Monte’s name.
“I contacted him and told him that I knew he didn’t apply, but would he be interested in having a conversation? He did and we were fortunate enough to get him.”
Thelen said the Titans’ program has a lot of potential.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to go there,” Thelan said. “It’s a place, I think, that’s hungry and thirsty to maybe step up the football program a little bit.”
Legend was 4-6 a year ago and 22-28 under Doyle. The Titans never have won a playoff game and own only one winning season, 6-4 in 2013, in its eight years.
Thelen, 55, headed Cherokee Trail for 12 varsity seasons and had an 89-48 record, including losing to Valor Christian in the 2012 5A finale. He stepped down as coach after last season.
Thelen opened the program after coaching Rangeview for six seasons. He also was at Strasburg. Out of state, he had additional experience in Oregon and Washington.
“I’m appreciative of the opportunity here from Kevin and am looking forward to working with everyone at the school,” Thelen said.
The Titans will be in a new league in 2016 with nearby Valor Christian, Fort Collins’ Poudre, Lakewood, Highlands Ranch and Fountain-Fort Carson.
“Everybody I was in contact with about Monte had nothing but great things to say about him as a person,” said Boley, who also coaches Titans boys basketball.
Neil H. Devlin: ndevlin@denverpost.com or @neildevlin
