Kansas High School Football Team Hires New Head Coach

Travis Rauh leaves his post in Montana to take over at Circle.

Circle Thunderbird Football/Facebook

A Kansas high school football program has a new leader, landing a head coach out of Montana.

According to a report by The Laurel Outlook, Travis Rauh will be the head football coach at Circle High School. He most recently served in that same position at Laurel High School.

For Rauh, the decision was “incredibly tough,” but it gets him closer to family.

“The intrigue in Kansas is in part because I have family there,” Rauh said. “I’ve been to the Kansas coaching clinic at least 10 times.

“It was incredibly tough…horrible (meeting with the Laurel players). I enjoyed the building of the relationships with the kids and watch them grow as young men.”

Big Challenge Awaits Travis Rauh With Move To Kansas High School Football

Circle is coming off a 1-8 season in which they lost the last eight games of the season, including a close 20-13 setback, followed by defeats by 41 and 47 points.

Rauh had plenty of success at Laurel, going 25-8 over his three seasons with a playoff berth each year. He led the team to eight, nine and eight wins, competing against Billings Central in 2024 for the Class A Montana high school state football title.

New Kansas Head Football Coach Won State Title In Montana

Prior to his run at Laurel, Rauh coached for two-plus decades at Townsend, going 123-67, including a Class B Montana high school state football championship run in 2014.

“I expect Laurel to do well,” Rauh said. “They are in a great situation. They know if they work hard, they will become good players. They are going to play some really good football in the next few years.” 

The Thunderbirds are scheduled to return sophomore quarterback Cole Wilbur, who had 650 yards passing and four touchdowns in eight games, along with leading rusher Jason Smith, a sophomore who rushed 67 times for 669 yards with six touchdowns and four 100-yard games.