Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Mike Swieter of Southeast Valley was named a Class 1A regional coach of the year for the 2020 season.

GOWRIE — It was a quick and triumphant turnaround for the Southeast Valley football team in 2020, and head coach Mike Swieter has been honored for his part in the Jaguars’ success.

Swieter was recently named Class 1A regional Coach of the Year. A year after finishing 5-4, the Jaguars turned a corner, earning a district title with wins over longtime foe South Central Calhoun and Pocahontas Area.

Southeast Valley reached the quarterfinals on its way to a 9-1 record.

“It means a lot,” said Swieter, who was also named a district coach of the year for 2020. “It’s very special, and it’s a nice honor because you are nominated by a fellow coach.”

This is Swieter’s third stop in the coaching circle. He was at Lakeland for three years, where he earned a district and regional coach of the year honor. He then coached 10 seasons at Prairie Valley, garnering three district and one regional awards.

Now, at Southeast Valley, he has three district coaching honors in seven seasons.

Swieter insists the players and coaches around him own a large piece of the award.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have good assistants, who were also head coaches. Jim Duncan (Webster City), Mark Graves (Southeast Webster-Grand), and Jeff Kruse (Prairie Valley) are all terrific,” Swieter said. “Any time you win a game or an award, you need good kids and coaches around you. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank them. Without them, none of this is possible.

“In order for any program to be successful, you have to have good, quality coaches and kids who buy into your system.”

Also standing beside Swieter throughout the years has been Kyle Johnson, Mitch Murphy, Bill Rahm, Caden Duncan, Keaton Martin, and his son, Aaron.

In 2020, Swieter’s group was able to beat the Titans for the first time during his tenure and second in his career, ending SCC’s long regular-season win streak in the process. That win and the victory over Pocahontas Area garnered the Jaguars a district title and first-round bye in the playoffs.

Southeast Valley took two home playoff victories before falling in a rematch with South Central Calhoun during the Class 1A quarterfinal round.

“Going into the season, we knew we could be good,” Swieter said. “It was special to beat South Central Calhoun for the first time and end their streak. It was a great way to enter the playoffs by winning the district title, earning a bye and setting up home-field advantage.”

Heading into 2021, Swieter is anticipating a jump to Class 2A for his program. The Jaguars have plenty of reasons for optimism, though.

“We return a lot of players. We have our quarterback, tailback and four receivers back,” Swieter said. “We also have the best lineman I’ve ever coached (University of Iowa recruit Aaron Graves will be a senior).

“We have a lot of expectations for the upcoming season. We’re very excited for the future.”