State Champion Nebraska High School Football Coach Retires

Kevin Dodson, top assistant stepping down from St. Patrick’s

A Nebraska high school football program will be have a new head coach for the first time in decades this coming year.

Kevin Dodson, who took over at St. Patrick’s High Schol in North Platte back in 1999, has announced his retirement. Dodson’s long-time assistant coach and defensive coordinator, Brent Aufdenkamp, has also done the same.

According to a report by the North Platte Post, Dodson plans to remain in his current role as Superintendent of North Platte Catholic Schools. 

New St. Patrick’s High School Head Football Coach Already Appointed

Brad Braithwait, who was the special teams coordinator under Dodson and is the athletic director who also teaches English and Physical Education at St. Patrick’s, has been named the new head coach. He joined the Irish coaching staff in 2008.

“It’s been challenging, fun and one of the most rewarding aspects of my job,” Dodson said. “I was blessed with great assistants, hard-working boys and a community of support that made my job as a coach easy to navigate.”

Dodson, who graduated from St. Patrick’s in 1989, coached at Columbus Scouts High School for four seasons before returning to his alma mater. He led the school to a program-record 210 wins, qualifying for the Nebraska high school football state playoffs 25 times. 

Kevin Dodson Led Irish to 2004 Nebraska High School State Football Championship, Three Trips to Semifinals

That run under Dodson’s leadership since 1999 included 15 district championships, three trips that ended in the state semifinals and a state championship during the 2004 season. He was named the Nebraska high school football coach of the year that season, earning the Nebraska Coaches Association Level IV Milestone Award this past season.

Dodson was selected as both the head coach and an assistant coach for the West Nebraska All-Star Game and was an assistant on the staff for the 2007 Nebraska Shrine Bowl.

The Irish finished the 2025 season 6-3 overall, falling to Johnson-Brock in the state playoffs, 57-30. They are set to return key players Jaxon Braithwait, Ben Heirigs, Peyton Kramer, Ben Hankla and a handful of others.