A passion for the game drives Wald family as father and sons hope to lead St. Thomas More to back-to-back championships

By Matt Gade 

605 Sports 

RAPID CITY — For as long as his boys could play competitive sports, Nick Wald has been coaching Noah and Caleb Wald. 

Now in his first season as head coach at his alma mater, St. Thomas More, Nick, Noah and Caleb, and the rest of the Cavaliers are sitting undefeated at 5-0 and looking to defend their Class 11B state championship come November. 

Nick, who was the quarterback coach last season, said after taking over the reins this offseason, he’s enjoyed his new role and getting to do it while coaching Noah and Caleb makes it a little extra special. 

“It's going good. I've been around a lot of these guys, some of whom I've been coaching since second, third grade,” Nick said. “I know the kids, they know me, and it's been fun to come out and do what we've done so far this year. 

“It is more time being the head coach than being able to just be more behind the scenes and helping just the offense. I've enjoyed it, and I’m just excited for the opportunity to pass on to these players and try to get them to compete at a high level, and you know, help mentor them to their next stages in life after high school.” 

Nick, who played for St. Thomas More from 1993-97 before going on to play for South Dakota School of Mines, holds numerous Class 11B quarterback records. Nick leads the list in career passing yards with 7,104, holds the single-season record with 2,560 yards in 1997, and ranks second in career passing touchdowns with 70, according to records from the South Dakota Football Coaches Association. 

Noah, a junior and the oldest of the three Wald kids, is following in his dad’s footsteps, throwing for 2,136 yards and 38 touchdowns last season as the Cavaliers won their first state championship in school history. 

St. Thomas More's Noah Wald rolls out of the pocket looking down field to pass during the Cavaliers game against Mobridge-Pollock on Aug. 21. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

“The big thing with Noah is you look at where he was at two years ago compared to where he's at today, and even last year, and we're doing a lot more with him this year,” Nick said. “... He's faster, he's stronger, and so we're running the ball a lot more with him this year. And he really understands the game and the reads that he needs to make. He's got a good understanding of the game, and that helps us. It's helped our offense this year.” 

Noah said he’s naturally competitive and loves to win games. A trait he said he and his brother share with their dad. 

“I've always wanted to play quarterback since I was young, and he (Nick) started getting us throwing when we were two or three years old,” Noah said. “We were downstairs in the living room throwing footballs around, so it's always just been in our blood to be a quarterback.” 

Although listed as a quarterback on the roster, Caleb, a freshman, has found himself playing wide receiver for the Cavaliers as injuries have given him an opportunity to make an impact on varsity right away. 

In the Cavaliers' first game of the season, Caleb hauled in a touchdown grab from Noah in the team’s 41-6 win over Mobridge-Pollock. 

“It feels great,” Caleb said of playing wide receiver in his varsity debut. “I mean, when I was younger, I played with (Noah) a little bit, and I got familiar with wide receiver then. Even as a quarterback, I've been able to do both, and I feel like I've always just been good with the wide receiver spot. 

“Catching touchdown passes from him. I mean, there's nothing like catching a touchdown from your older brother.” 

St. Thomas More's Caleb Wald hauls in a touchdown pass during the Cavaliers game against Mobridge-Pollock on Aug. 21. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

While it’s Nick’s first year as the guy in charge, he said having the assistant coaches he does, including the Cavaliers’ long-time assistant coach and defensive coordinator Craig Nowotny handling their responsibilities, has made the transition easier. 

“All the coaches we have from our younger levels on up are doing great. You know, they know the game,” Nick said. “I don't have to worry about it. I can focus on being the head coach, and I can focus on the offensive side of the ball.” 

While it’s his first year as the guy in charge, Noah and Caleb said their dad has always been coaching them. 

“Sometimes even when he has to take on the role of dad, he's still our coach. I mean, it's just in his blood to always try to coach us and to make us be our best,” Caleb said.  

“He just has that coaching in his blood,” Noah said. “He always wanted to have the best for us. Always thinking about football. Sometimes he just needs a little bit of a moment to take a step back away from the game and realize, oh, all right. Well, they're just not my players, my quarterback and receiver. They're also my kids too. It's a great balance in our lives, and it's just something that we've been honestly waiting for our whole lives just to be able to play the game that we love, the game that he loves to coach, all together.” 

At home, Nick said the kids’ mom and his wife, Katie, sometimes has to make Nick take off his coaching cap when home. 

“My wife sometimes says it has to come off,” Nick said of his coaching hat. “But there's not too many nights, if we go home after practice, talking about what we need to be doing this next week against a defense or whatnot. So we do take it home, and on weekends we're talking about the game and watching film and things like that. But you know, we try not to get too excited at home, just during practice.” 

Noah said it isn’t just football season either, as the boys play basketball and baseball too. 

So far this season, the Cavaliers have compiled a 5-0 record, averaging over 45 points per game while giving up an average of 12 points on the defensive side, with a margin of victory of just over 34 points. 

Nick said he’s not surprised the Cavaliers are having the success that they are but knew it would take hard work after more than 15 seniors graduated from last year’s team. 

“Since I took over, and losing all those seniors and that we had, we said, ‘What's that look like this year?’ We returned three starters on offense, and we lost one of them to a knee injury early on this year, and we returned 2-3 seniors on defense. So, we are rebuilding, and a lot of these guys hadn't gotten a lot of opportunity because of all those seniors we had.  

“But we've been preaching that, ‘Hey, you guys are going to have the opportunity. This is your time to step up and show what you can do, and we're going to play. We're going to compete. We're going to play fast. We're going to play physical.’ And you know that's what we've been doing, and you know they’ve been getting better every week. And I'm excited about where we're at right now, but we've got a long way to go.” 

The Cavaliers, who are coming off a bye week, will host Custer on Friday at 6 p.m. (MST). 

St. Thomas More's Noah Wald, left, and Caleb Wald during player introductions ahead of the Cavaliers game against Mobridge-Pollock on Aug. 21. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)