A three-time state champion coach at Kalama and league champion at Woodland, McDonald has already seen a rise in the number of players at Class 3A Mountain View

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

After winning three state championships at the Class 2B level, coach Sean McDonald moved up to Class 2A and led a team to a league title.

Now he is the head coach for a Class 3A football program.

While excited about the opportunity to coach at a larger school, his heart still has ties to the smaller programs.

“I want everybody. That’s one thing I’m bringing from a smaller school. I want everybody to be out for football,” McDonald said.

From Kalama to Woodland and now Mountain View, McDonald will always send out invitations to the athletes at a school.

Think you are just a basketball player? McDonald will find a spot for you on the football field. Think you want to specialize in baseball? Think again. Your classmates in football could use you there, too.

“I’m a competitor at heart. I want to win. But we’re just trying to build good men” McDonald said. “We’re trying to build something that kids want to join.”

When he accepted the job at Mountain View in April, he was surprised to learn that there was only one basketball player in the football program. Again, he wants athletes out for football. 

His enthusiasm seems to be working. 

Mountain View had a drop in numbers last year. There were some 70 names on the new coach’s email list when he arrived. Months later, heading into the first week of practice, there were 108 players signed up for football.

McDonald did not have a full offseason with the Thunder, being hired in April. But he did take the opportunity to meet with his players — and potential players — in the final months of the 2023-24 academic year. And he was on campus for much of this summer.

“Great group of kids. Very disciplined,” McDonald said of his first impressions. “I can tell they are ‘Yes, Coach’ kind of guys. I really like that.”

McDonald is also a strength and conditioning expert. Mountain View recently opened its new building, which includes a state-of-the-art weight room.

“One of the greatest spaces I’ve been,” McDonald said. “I don’t think I could have designed it better myself. That’s a big benefit.”

McDonald described it as a great opportunity to take over the Mountain View program. Adam Mathieson, now the head coach at Camas, led the Thunder for 17 seasons before leaving after the 2022 campaign. The Thunder won the 3A Greater St. Helens League last year, too, under Aaron Hart.

“There are great roots here. Coach Mathieson did a great job in the 17 years. You can tell walking into a program when a foundation is already there,” McDonald said. “We’ve just got to get the kids back. I’m excited about that. I’m excited about the transition. I’m excited about the competition in the GSHL.”

His goal is to have more than 120 players out for football every year.

“Getting the word out that we are building something,” McDonald said. “Football teaches great life lessons. We want to build that team culture.”

For a while, McDonald acknowledged, he thought he would be at Kalama for his whole coaching career. He still lives there, in fact. Loved his time as coach there. But he also wanted to see what he could do at a bigger program, taking over at Woodland in 2022. Last year, the Beavers surprised everyone but themselves with a 2A GSHL title. This year, he has moved on to 3A Mountain View.

“I’m definitely in it for the long run,” McDonald said. “I think it’s a good fit for me.”