Richland High School Names Josh Jelinek As New Head Football Coach

Richland High School Athletic Director, Adrian Ochoa, announced Friday that Josh Jelinek has been selected as the 13th head coach in Bomber football history. Jelinek, 44, has held the position of Offensive Coordinator for the Bombers in 11 of the prior 14 seasons and becomes only the 7th Head Coach of the Bombers since 1946. 

Jelinek was hired on the football staff at Richland High School under Coach Mike Neidhold in 2010 as offensive line coach as the Bombers returned to the State Tournament for the first time in 10 seasons. He was promoted to Offensive Coordinator the next season and revolutionized the Richland offense. As offensive coordinator, Jelinek coached 9 of the top 15 scoring offenses in Richland Football history. Jelinek helped the Bombers to a 100-38 record in 12 of 14 seasons from 2010-2023. 

From 2013 to 2023, Jelinek’s offenses featured the top 4 passing quarterbacks in Richland Football history. All 4 would set the season and career passing yardage and touchdown marks during his OC tenure. Zach Whitby, Paxton Stevens, Cade Jensen and Josh Woodard would improve upon each other’s records from 2013-2023. Josh Woodard now holds the career passing yardage and touchdown marks with 6,401 passing yards and 75 passing touchdowns. 

Before moving to Richland, Josh and wife Danielle welcomed their daughter Jordan in 2007 and moved back home to Prosser with the opportunity to teach and coach at his alma mater. From 2007 to 2008, Jelinek coached the offensive line under his high school coach Tom Moore. In those two seasons, the Mustangs went 27-1 with back-to-back CWAC Championships and appearances in back-to-back State Championship games. Prosser defeated Burlington-Edison 42-7 for their 5th State Championship in 2007 while the following year the Mustangs lost to Lynden in a bid to repeat the following season, 35-34 in double overtime. 

After graduation from the University of Idaho, Jelinek accepted a position as an Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor at Wahluke High School in Mattawa, Washington. As the Defensive Coordinator for the Warriors from 2003-2007, he helped the program to a 29-16 record including four playoff appearances. During his time as teacher and coach at Wahluke, Jelinek and Tyler Thomas, former Prosser teammate and current Richland quarterbacks coach, won the 2005 National Indoor Football League Championship with the Tri-Cities Fever in their inaugural season. 

Jelinek graduated college with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Education from the University of Idaho where he played five seasons in the trenches for the Vandals. During his time playing for the Vandals, Idaho won the 1998 Big West Conference Championship with a 9-3 record en route to a Humanitarian Bowl victory against Southern Miss. Former NFL Head Coach Tom Cable took over Head Coaching duties for the last 3 seasons of Jelinek’s career. 

A 1998 graduate of Prosser High School, Jelinek was selected as an All-State Lineman playing under longtime Head Coach Tom Moore. In Jelinek’s four years of football as a Mustang, Prosser went 40-4, won four consecutive Conference Championships and made an appearance the 1995 State Championship game against the O’Dea Fighting Irish. In his senior season, Prosser won their 11th straight Conference Championship and maintained a 67-game regular season winning streak including 57-straight Conference games. 

In addition to his head coaching duties, Josh will continue to teach his CTE classes and advise Richland High’s award-winning FFA Program along with his wife Danielle.