Blaine Powell enters his fifth season as the Head Football Coach at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in 2026.
Powell was named the first head football coach in program history on April 25, 2022. He led the Pomeroys through four seasons of sprint football in the Midwest Sprint Football League and now guides the program into its first season of full-weight NAIA football as a member of the Mid-States Football Association.
Coaching Career at SMWC
Powell closed SMWC’s sprint-football era by leading the Pomeroys to the most accomplished season in program history in 2025.
SMWC finished with a perfect 8-0 record, securing the program’s first undefeated season. The Pomeroys completed the championship campaign with a dominant 33-6 victory over Calumet College of St. Joseph in the MSFL Championship Game.
The title was the second in program history, while SMWC advanced to the championship game in each of its four seasons competing in sprint football.
Following the season, Powell was named the MSFL Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. Under his leadership, the Pomeroys excelled across offense, defense and special teams while delivering a championship finish to the sprint-football chapter of the program.
SMWC earned 20 MSFL All-Conference selections following the 2025 season, including five first-team honorees, eight second-team selections and seven honorable-mention recipients.
Jeremiah Tosky, Corbyn Cleveland, Lane Sluder and Derron Hazzard earned First Team All-MSFL honors on offense, while Adonimi Parker received first-team recognition on defense.
Zy’Eiar White and Dylan McGrath were named to the second-team offense. Peyton Metzger, Jake Skinner, Byran Simmons and Tyler Young received second-team defensive honors, while Connor Wardlaw and Nolen Noel earned second-team recognition on special teams.
Kyle Vernelson, Owen Huff and Xander Hunt received honorable-mention honors on offense. Joshua Wence, Holtman Doades, Garry Settle and Brodi Smith earned honorable-mention recognition on defense.
The depth of the all-conference class reflected SMWC’s balance and consistency throughout its undefeated championship season.
A Four-Year Run for the Record Books
Under Powell’s leadership, SMWC left the Midwest Sprint Football League as one of its most accomplished programs.
The Pomeroys compiled a 28-4 overall record during their four sprint-football seasons and appeared in the MSFL Championship Game each year. SMWC captured two league championships, winning the inaugural MSFL title in 2022 before closing its sprint-football era with another championship in 2025.
SMWC was especially dominant away from home, completing its four-year MSFL run with a perfect 13-0 road record. The Pomeroys also recorded the first undefeated season in program history during their final sprint-football campaign.
Powell now leads the same SMWC football program into its next chapter as the Pomeroys transition from sprint football to full-weight NAIA football and begin competition in the Mid-States Football Association in 2026.
Previous Coaching Experience
Before arriving at SMWC, Powell served as the head football coach at Sullivan High School from 2017-21.
Powell compiled a 39-16 overall record with the Golden Arrows, producing a .709 winning percentage. Sullivan also went 17-7 in Western Indiana Conference play during his tenure.
He guided Sullivan to the outright WIC championship in 2017 and a share of the WIC Gold Division title in 2021. In 2020, Powell led the Golden Arrows to the first sectional championship in program history.
Before becoming Sullivan’s head coach, Powell spent 10 years as an assistant coach with the program. He served as a position coach and spent seven seasons working as either the offensive or defensive coordinator.
Powell also coached at Sullivan Middle School and Linton-Stockton High School, his alma mater. He was a four-year football player at Linton-Stockton.
Education
Powell graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in spring 2025. He also attended the University of Southern Indiana, Lincoln Trail College and Vincennes University.
