Prep football: Lite headed from Ottumwa to Davis County

OTTUMWA — It was a bittersweet day for Phil Lite on Monday.

The Ottumwa football coach watched on proudly as Joel Hallgren became the third Bulldog player this year to sign an athletic letter of intent with a four-year college. Hallgren, one of the key weapons on special teams that helped Lite complete three competitive seasons as head coach, will be kicking next season at Dakota Wesleyan University.

It's a sight that, for Lite, never gets old.

"I'm tickled to see the number of kids that have signed over the last couple of years," Lite said. "That was always the goal to promote our kids to go to the next level."

Lite will be hoping to continue leading kids the bigger and better accomplishments on the gridiron next season just a few miles further south. After four seasons spent coaching football at Ottumwa, including the past two as the head varsity football coach, Lite stepped down from the position officially on Wednesday to take over as the new head football coach at Davis County allowing the Bloomfield resident a simpler commute and a new challenge in guiding the Mustangs to success after winning 11 out of 18 games as head coach at Ottumwa.

"It warms my heart to see kids want to play and take care of business from an academic standpoint," Lite said. "Being able to see kids go on to pursue that dream of playing college football huge for any high school football program. It allows kids to dream big and gives them something to work hard for."

Lite initially joined Ottumwa as a member of Brian Goodvin's coaching staff heading into the 2022 campaign, serving as the offensive coordinator after guiding Staley High School in Kansas City to state championship success. The height of success for Lite in his time at Ottumwa came in his season season as head coach, when the Bulldogs rewrote the record books rushing for a program-best 3,283 yards including 1,000-yard seasons from Koby Chanthalavanh (1,556) and Cameron Manary (1,050) as the Bulldogs produced a 7-2 record, the best mark for any Ottumwa football team in 15 years.

"Those guys in the last two years that have gone on from here to play at the next level put the time in to make themselves better," Lite said. "They put in the work in the weight room. They've all been coachable. It just shows what hard work, commitment and dedication can accomplish."

Lite finds himself in a similar situation to the one he walked into at Ottumwa, building a winning team out of a program that had endured a 13-game losing streak just three years earlier. Davis County is coming off a winless 0-9 season this past fall and carries a 14-game losing streak into the upcoming 2026 campaign.

"It's all about doing the things that you're supposed and winning in the dark before anybody gets up," Lite said. "It's about making sure that you're ready to go at zero hour ready to work hard and improve."