Who says you can’t go home again…don’t tell Stigler head football coach Cade Shearwood. The 2013 graduate of Stigler and a record-setting quarterback for the Panthers played college football at UCO where he made the switch to linebacker graduating with a degree in history. After rejoining the Panthers’ program as an assistant, Shearwood takes the reins of the gridiron future and is glad to be at home.

VYPE: You played quarterback in high school, linebacker in college? Not the typical position match/switch…how did you make the switch? 

Cade: Well I was not your typical Quarterback. I was always a downhill type player so the transition wasn’t too bad. I liked linebacker.

VYPE: Do you have a coaching mentor – someone that you look up to or have called upon for advice? 

Cade: Chris Risenhoover of course is my main coaching mentor. My offensive coordinator Kevin Wilkett and my defensive coordinator Dwight Carry also give me great advice. Those three coaches are the best coaches I’ve ever been around.

VYPE: What has been the most rewarding thing about “coming home” to coach at your alma mater? 

Cade: The most rewarding thing is to see these Panther teams play as hard as they can till the last whistle like me and my teammates did.

VYPE: What’s the most challenging thing about being the hometown hero and now head football coach? 

Cade: Just understanding that I have to work hard as a coach like I did as a player.

VYPE: What are three words that define Cade Shearwood? 

Cade: Faith, Family, and Football. My Faith is the most important of the three. I would not be where I’m at if the Grace of God hadn’t carried me here.

VYPE: All time favorite sports movie?  

Cade: Remember the Titans because of how the team came together as a family and won a state championship.

VYPE: What’s coach Shearwood’s “champions dinner menu?

Cade: “OUR” champions dinner will include ribeye steak, Spaghetti, Bread, Salad, and mashed potatoes with gravy.