New Prairie head football coach Mike Peck instructs athletes during a spring practice at Prairie High School earlier this year.
After one season as offensive coordinator for the Falcons, Mike Peck is now at the helm of Prairie High School’s football program.
The 30-year-old takes over for Kevin Baker, who resigned after last season following three years with the program.
“I’ve been an assistant coach now for 10 years and eventually you feel like it’s time to take that next step,” Peck said. “Now’s the right time and Prairie is the right place. I’m excited to get going and see what we can do together.”
Peck was quarterback for the R.A. Long High School Lumberjacks of Longview before graduating in 2006. He then played one season of junior college football in California before transfering to play at Whitworth University in Spokane.
After graduating from Whitworth, Peck began his coaching career at East Valley High School in Spokane where he stayed for two years before moving to North County to coach with his father at Battle Ground High School. Peck spent seven years as the offensive coordinator for the Tigers before taking a position as the wide receiver coach at Central Washington University last spring.
When the chance to coach and teach at Prairie High School came to his attention, he said it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Now, less than a year later, he’s the head coach and is looking to bring a winning culture to a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2011.
“I want to instill a culture of success, and a big part of that is a family atmosphere,” he said. “The kids there want to be successful and as a coaching staff we need to put them in a position
“One of the reasons I like Prairie so much is because I can tell the kids want to be successful,” he said, noting that the day after football ended there were 40 athletes in the weight room, and that number has not dropped off since. “They’re willing to do what it takes.”
When he’s not drawing up plays for the gridiron, Peck, who lives in the Battle Ground area, is the strength and conditioning coordinator at the high school.
