From childhood coaching to the championship title | Eli Reinhart's football trip

Fort Worth, Texas – From South Korea to North Crowley, Eli Reinhart's trip to Texas High School Football was extremely rare and yet extremely predictable.

Eli was born in South Korea and adopted as a baby by a football family in small town Michigan.

“There were a few Asian children in the community, but for the most part it was a kind of norm for me,” admitted Eli. “

Eli's father, Dennis Reinhart, was the legendary chief football coach of the Montrose High School in Montrose, Michigan. Dennis won more than 200 games for over three decades, including two state championships (1998 and 2002).

On the morning of the 1998 state title, Eli – then 4 years old – pulled a game design on a piece of paper and gave his father.

“There are many doodles and probably too many men in the field,” joked Eli.

Dennis held the illegible work of art of his adopted son in his buttocks when Montrose won the state championship title. Little knew Eli, his father stored the drawing in a briefcase for the safe 26 years in a briefcase.

Eli spent his childhood and young adult life on the edge of the montroid as waterboy and ball boy before playing later and coaching for his father.

“It was a large part of my development as a trainer, but also my love for the game and the creation of this relationship and this connection to my father,” said Eli. ”

After a few stops in college, Eli returned to coaching high school football as an offensive coordinator at Anderson HS outside of Austin, Texas. A year later, he played the same role at North Crowley for a new coaching team, which was run by head coach Ray Gates.

Since then, the Panthers 42-2 have gone a perfect 16-0 campaign in 2024, in which Reinhart's passed an average of 54 points per game.

What about a complete circle moment?

On the morning of 2024, Eli's father gave him the game design 26 years ago. That night defeated North Crowley Austin Westlake (50-21) and won the title of Uil Class 6a Division I.

The Panthers ended the season with a top -three ranking list national. For Eli there was no better time for the first time to be head coach.

In February he was discontinued as a New Head Football Coach and Boys Athletics Coordinator for Hutto High School outside Austin.

Eli is motivated not only to be successful for himself, but also to pave the way for other minority trainers in the future and to inspire the next generation of children, especially those who look like them.

As Eli noted: “If you are interested in more people or more children in the Asian community for the football game and see more representation of coaches, I would attract more children to explore these paths.”