(KLZA) Two football programs with new head coaches will face each other in a scrimmage at the Auburn High School football field on Tuesday, Aug. 14, at 6 p.m.  Peru State College (PSC) will host the Highland Community College (HCC) Scotties in a match-up of a former PSC head coach, Ryan Held, and the Bobcats' new head coach, Steve Schneider.
Neither Held nor Schneider is new to the head coach roles.  Held actually began his head coaching career at Peru State College in 2001.  In Held's only year at the helm at PSC, the Bobcats went 5-5.  Held said, “PSC gave me my first opportunity as a head coach at a very young age when many schools might not have.  I really enjoyed my brief time at PSC and am glad to see the many great improvements they are making in the football program facilities wise.” 
After Held's one year at PSC which resulted in the team finishing second in the conference and winning the Wheat Bowl, Held became the head coach at NCAA Division II Oklahoma Panhandle State University.  Held took a program that had the longest losing streak in the NCAA and led the Aggies to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 15 years.  Held's other coaching stints have been at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and just prior to HCC, Held served as the offensive coordinator at Butler Community College, which finished as the Jayhawk Conference Champions.
     Held is setting the tone at Highland this year using “laying the foundation” as the motto for the first year.  It is the football staff's thought to make Highland a place of destination for high school kids to want to come to get their grades, develop and become part of a championship program.
     A member of the Scotties' staff is no stranger to the Auburn community.  Judd Remmers, an Auburn native, is Highland's defensive coordinator.  This is Remmers' tenth year of coaching, which included two years at Peru State, where he earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education.
    Like Held, Schneider is no stranger to being a head coach having served in that role at Midland University (formerly Midland Lutheran College) in Fremont for ten years.  In 2011, Schneider served as the Bobcats' offensive coordinator before moving into the head coach role this spring, in addition to maintaining his athletic director role.
     When accepting the position back in March, Schneider said, “I'm appreciative and thankful for the opportunity to carry on the Bobcat tradition. The Peru State football program is positioned well for success, due in large part to Coach Clark's leadership and the support of the college administration. We look forward to propelling the program to a position of prominence in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.”
     Both coaches believe their teams will be competitive this coming fall.  Held said, “We feel we can be really competitive in year one.  The team will have many new faces from winning programs that can help change the culture and mindset of the program.  There will be lots of competition at each spot that will bring out the best in each player.  Our style of play both sides of the ball will be fun for kids to be in to continue in their development as a player.”   Schneider echoed similar thoughts, but noted, “We had a good spring practice in which nearly 80 players participated.  We were able to evaluate the various facets of our current program.  In addition, we have had a very successful recruiting year, so it should be an interesting fall camp as the guys jockey for their position on the depth charts.”
     The coaches also agreed that playing this early and in Auburn will be good for their programs.  Held stated, “I always liked Auburn and am excited for the Scotties to play on a field where many great players have played.”  Schneider added, “We (PSC) are appreciative that the Auburn Public Schools have agreed to partner with us to host the scrimmage.  Auburn has a fine facility and this will give the community a chance to come out and see what progress both teams have made early in fall camp.”