Nowata Head Football Coach Steps Down After Fight Breaks Out At Game Against Dewey

NOWATA, Oklahoma – 

A Nowata high school football coach steps down days after a fight during a rivalry game.

The Dewey Schools superintendent, Vince Vincent, said what he thinks is a disrespectful move by one of his students sparked the fight, and he’s just thankful it wasn’t worse.

It all began when a Dewey Public Schools student attempted to plant a flag on Nowata’s field following a Dewey football win.

“One of our students left the stands after the game,” Vincent said. “Got a bulldogger flag and went to plant the flag in the middle of the field.”

Vincent said he was at the game two weeks ago and said that incited some Nowata players to start a fight.

“At that point, Nowata players saw what was occurring and took things into their own hands,” said Vincent. “Both sets of coaches did a tremendous job at keeping it from becoming something very messy.”

Vincent said the school disciplined the student involved and he’s thankful it didn’t get worse.

Nowata Public Schools superintendent Chris Tanner said they took appropriate action for everybody involved.

The Nowata football team didn’t play last week and a social media post from the Ironman Quarterback Club said an interim coach did step in after the fight.

Tanner confirms head coach Graham Snelding stepped down a few days after the game and Chad Enloe is the interim head coach.

Vincent urges students to think twice before doing something rash like this because there will be consequences.

“The potential for something getting out of hand and dangerous is certainly there,” Vincent said.

Snelding is a 20-year coaching veteran that most recently held the head coaching job at Newkirk High Schoo before being hired at Nowata. Snelding became the fifth Nowata football coach to be hired over the last five seasons.

Snelding grew up in Shidler, Oklahoma. He has coached football in New Jersey, Kansas, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma. He has previous head coaching experience at Pawhuska and Blackwell as far regionals teams are concerned.

Nowata’s next football game is set for Friday night.