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05/23/2018 12:00 AMA former athlete and a longtime coach, Jared Stevens has learned the value of giving it your all as a competitor. It’s an attitude that his athletes are exemplifying every day on the track at Morgan.
Jared, a Clinton resident and Eliot Middle School technical education teacher, grew up in Monroe, where he played soccer, indoor track, and outdoor track in high school, before continuing his soccer career at Central Connecticut State University. After that, he coached middle-school soccer, basketball, baseball, and softball in West Haven.
A few years ago, Jared became an assistant coach for the boys’ and girls’ indoor track squads at Morgan. Now, he’s in the middle of his second season as head coach of Huskies’ girls’ outdoor track team, which has seen several athletes qualify for the Class S State Championship this spring.
“Many of the girls came out of this past indoor season ready to work. We have a nice group of freshmen and underclassmen,” says Jared. “Everyone has been working really hard this season, and we hope everyone will stay healthy as we go into the postseason.”
One of the biggest life lessons Jared wants his athletes to learn is the importance of pushing themselves to the limit in order to unlock their full potential. Even when setbacks happen in the running lanes, Jared wants them to keep moving and never quit. He knows this is the best way for them to see the fruits of their labor at the end of the season.
“I always want to see the kids strive for their best. I tell them that if failure happens, it’s OK as long as you’re giving it your all. I also don’t accept the words, ‘I can’t’ from them,” Jared says. “I love that track is both a team and individual sport. The running, jumping, relays, it’s all for you, so if you put the work in, then you’ll be rewarded in the postseason.”
A mainstay in the Clinton teaching community, Jared has gotten to know many of his upperclass athletes through the classroom setting. When it comes to coaching, Jared keeps his teaching cap on as he works with his student-athletes to help them obtain their personal objectives.
“I love bonding with the kids through coaching. These juniors on the team were my first middle-school class, and I had them three years at the middle school. I know and have a bond with them,” Jared says. “This whole experience as a coach is for the kids. I had someone last year who was a hurdler, and she made states, and then she made it a goal to make the State Open, which she did. I love helping them reach those goals.”
Morgan Athletic Director Kevin Rayel loves what Jared is bringing to the table as a head coach with the Huskies. Rayel appreciates Jared’s ability to mold high-quality athletes and high-character kids.
“We are certainly pleased to have been able to find a coach of Coach Stevens’s caliber and experience,” says Rayel. “He has been able to develop a large number of successful student-athletes.”
As the postseason approaches, Jared says the Huskies are trying to qualify as many athletes as possible for the highest tier of competition in Connecticut.
“Last year in outdoors, we had 10 athletes make it to states, and then we sent six to the State Open,” says Jared. “We want to try and double that this year.”