State Championship-Winning Coach in New York Steps Down

A New York high school football coach who carried a Capital Region-based program to its first-ever state title in 2024 has stepped down.

James Allen of The Times-Union reported that John Bowen is stepping away from his head coaching position for the Schuyler football team.

Bowen is mainly stepping down in order to see his youngest son, Josh Bowen, play college football at Division III’s Mount Union in Ohio.

“I don’t want to stop coaching, but I am at a point where I need to be a dad and watch my son play. I don’t get a do-over here for the next three years,” Bowen said via The Times-Union. “My oldest son (Tyler) played at Castleton, so it was nice and easy to get to those games without any real hiccups. Going to Ohio is a different animal. It’s time – and it’s a great time for me to step away and hand over the reins to someone I believe is unbelievably capable to continue to roll with what we started.”

Bowen started coaching at Schuylerville in 2013, and he is also the school’s athletic director. During his time with the Horses, the football team compiled a 113-21 record and captured five Section II titles.

In the 2024 season, Bowen guided Schuylerville to a Class C state crown following a 26-20 win over Salamanca. The title came after the Horses made three state championship appearances between 2015 and 2021.

Last year, which turned out to be Bowen’s final season, Schuylerville went 11-1 and reached the Class C state semifinals. The Horses went on to lose 49-16 to eventual state champion Bronxville (Section I).

Bowen will be replaced by Nick Richard, who previously served as an assistant coach for the Horses. Richard joined the Horses’ coaching staff in 2018.

“The first thing I will say is that I am super grateful to be, and to have been, such a part of a standard-type team that has a lot of great coaches involved,” Richard said via The Times-Union. “When I came into the program in 2018, I had the opportunity to coach under coach Bowen and coach (Jack) Burger, two very big names around Section II football and in New York State. Just learning from them has been a treat. Excited for the next chapter and to put my spin on things a little.”

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