Battle football overhauling culture in year two under Shawn Gaines
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Spartans begin their quest back to the mountain top by shifting the perception of the team.
Battle finished the 2025 season 0-10, the only winless season in the program's history. But when you're at rock bottom, the only way forward is up; a mindset that second year head coach Shawn Gaines is embracing.
At the midpoint of last season, Gaines sent a message that he was not here for the short term, and made some major changes to give this program a boost.
"It kind of started after week five. We made some big changes and made some big decisions, which, affected some things around here," Gaines said. "I think since then we've had more and more buying in and, and, the offseason was great and we had a from what, what I've been told the most kids that we've had in a long time show up."
After having about 40 kids on the roster this time a year ago, that number has nearly doubled, with 72 now reporting for offseason camp. The increased participation isn't just a show of what Gaines and his staff have done off the field, but how the team carries itself and what it believes its capable of.
"The vibe around the program is so much different. Our kids are so much different," Gaines said. "Last year, you know, coming in and they're very skeptical. They don't know what to expect, so on and so forth. But this year, a lot of our guys know who I am."
With a shift in the mindset of this team, coach Gaines is now looking to compile that into on-field performance, and eventually, get this team back to its winning ways.
"First it starts with us being accountable. You know, making sure that we show up to everything, making sure that we work our butts off whenever we are here," Gaines said. "Then really, it boils down to being coachable.We're not always right. We don't always do everything right. But it's getting our guys to understand, when I make this mistake or even when I might have been close enough, it's making the corrections to make sure we do it correct not only the next time, but every time after that too."
Battle opens its season on home soil against Grandview with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on August 28th.
