Kevin Wilkett was named the Stigler Panthers Head Football Coach during a Stigler School Board meeting on March 11. The board voted 5-0 in favor of hiring Wilkett. He is a 2001 Stigler High School graduate.
He replaces Cade Shearwood who has accepted a job as Warner Head Football Coach. Shearwood went 2311 in his three years as the Panthers head coach. Wilkett was hired at Stigler Public Schools in 2009 to be head baseball coach and assistant football coach. He was named offensive coordinator in 2020, when Shearwood started his head coaching career. Wilkett will continue to be the head baseball coach after this season.
While at Stigler, Wilkett was under Chris Risenhoover and Shearwood. “Both coaches have taught me a lot about how to navigate the nuances of being a head football coach. Coach Risenhoover trusted me enough after a time to put in packages that I would call on a Friday night from time to time. Coach Shearwood trusted me with my many years of experience to put together the offensive game plan and to call the plays on Friday nights. Both guys are tremendous and I’m glad to call them my friends,” Wilkett said.
Wilkett has called the plays since becoming the offensive coordinator with the help of Kelby Self. He plans to continue calling the plays next season and in the future. Wilkett stated that he looks forward to keeping the same level of consistency as years past; nine consecutive playoff appearances, due to having great players and coaches returning including assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Dwight Carey. He sees great potential in the junior high program as well.
“It is a special privilege to be named the head football coach of the Stigler Panthers. Our kids always play hard and try to represent this program by giving everything they have. The players want to be good because the previous groups set a standard that the next group always tries to strive for,” Wilkett added.
He has been married to Nichol Cox-Wilkett since 2005 and they have two sons enrolled at Stigler Public Schools, Dalton is a freshman and Dayne is a sixth grader.
