Ben Mauk’s Monett Cubs: Character, Unity, Bravery and Service

When Ben Mauk came to Monett (Missouri) High School 2 years ago, he brought more than an impressive resume. He came in with a clear idea of how he wanted to coach. For him, it begins and ends with loving people.

“Our job as coaches is to love our players, and their job is to love each other,” Ben said.  

He often points his players back to the biblical definition of love being patient, kind and forgiving as the foundation of how they treat one another. In his view, when young athletes understand that kind of love, it changes the way they approach the game, the classroom and their community.

Ben grew up in Lima, Ohio, where football was a family affair. His father was his high school coach, and from the time Ben was 5 years old, he was a fixture on the sidelines. He started out as a ball boy, grew into a team manager and eventually took the field as a player under his father’s leadership.

“I got to see how my dad interacted with young men,” Ben said. “Everything I do now goes back to those lessons. I can remember situations where my dad faced the same challenges, and I try to handle them the way he would.”

After high school, Ben played at Wake Forest University before finishing his career and earning his master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati. Coaching was a natural next step. He began in Ohio, then spent a decade at Glendale High School in Springfield, Missouri, before coming to Monett.

His years as a player, he said, helped shape him as a coach.  

“I learned what worked and what didn’t. I learned how encouragement can motivate and how negativity can tear people down. I never want one of my players to feel small or like they don’t belong.”

Ask Ben what he hopes players remember years from now, and he’ll give you four words: character, unity, bravery and service.

Character, unity, bravery and service are the four values at the core of his program. He uses the school’s mascot, Cubs, as an acronym to remind players of the lessons he wants them to carry long after football.

Character means learning to grow through mistakes. Ben wants his players to understand that while no one is perfect, they can choose to be the kind of men who become responsible husbands, fathers and employees.

Unity is about playing as a team, not as individuals. Winning or losing happens together, and he often points out the connection between teamwork on the field and building strong family units off it.

Bravery is the ability to stand firm when it isn’t easy. That might mean resisting peer pressure, walking away from a bad decision or doing the right thing even when it’s unpopular.

Service is seen in action. His players volunteer with veterans, support special needs programs and give back to local schools. At Christmas, they help identify families who need extra support and provide gifts to make the season brighter. Service is an essential part of leadership.

For Ben, building a program is about more than drills and game plans. It’s about looking at what students need and finding solutions.

One example is the clothing initiative he launched after noticing bags of unclaimed clothes left behind in the weight room. Instead of discarding them, he saw an opportunity.

“We’re working to get a washer and dryer so we can clean and repurpose those clothes,” he said. “There are kids in our schools who need them, whether at the elementary, middle or high school level. We want to make sure every student has the basics.”

Within the football program, Ben also works to ensure every player has essential gear sweats, shorts, and this year, a pair of tennis shoes. Community support has made that possible. A golf tournament and partnerships with alumni help fund these efforts.

One big project now on the table is an indoor sports facility. The idea grew out of early-morning workouts that quickly gained momentum.

“When I first got here, we started 6 a.m. workouts on the football field. We began with about 25 kids. The next week it was 35, then 45, until we had 80 kids showing up before school.”

Local businesses noticed, often providing breakfast for the students after workouts. During one of those mornings, two community members asked Ben what he needed most. Half-joking, he replied, “An indoor facility would be nice.”

That joke turned into real talks with the superintendent, the athletic director and community members. The vision is to build the facility on historic ground once used as Monett’s original football field. The land was donated by the Gillioz family, who operated a theater in Monett and now in Springfield.  

“I told them if we do this, it needs to be built by Monett people for Monett kids,” Ben said. “We have every construction trade in this community, and I want them all involved.”

The project won’t rely on a bond or levy. Instead, it will be a community effort funded by alumni, businesses and families.  

Beyond football, Ben partners with the YMCA to offer speed and agility training for kids as young as 4 all the way up to high school athletes. Now, families pay for those programs, but he hopes with the new indoor facility, he can offer training free of charge.

“This is about raising the level of athletics across Monett,” he said. “We want every kid to have access, not just the ones who can afford it.”

Ben is the father of two young children, ages 4 and 19 months. Though they are still years away from high school, he is already imagining the day they’ll play in Monett.

He credits his faith for grounding him through the challenges of coaching and the responsibility of leading a program.  

“Everything happens for a reason. I believe I’m here because this is where I’m supposed to be. My job is to do the best I can for as many people as I can.”

He is quick to point out that his role is only one part of a much larger picture. He credits Monett’s alumni, administrators and community for supporting both the football program and the students themselves.

“They took a chance on me,” he said of his hire. “I want to make them proud—our alumni, our kids and our community. I’ll work day and night to give our players what they need to succeed.”

For Ben, coaching in Monett is more than a career stop. It’s a commitment to building a legacy of character, unity, bravery and service. His players may one day forget a score or a play, but the lessons, he hopes, will stay with them for life.