Kiefer aims for 'brutally strong' team
CENTRAL CABARRUS FOOTBALL
BENSON STUBBS
Central Cabarrus head football coach Donnie Kiefer, right, stretching his arm to make a point, provides a post-game talk to his players after the Vikings' win over Montgomery Central in 2025. The teams open the season Thursday, Aug. 20.
Head Coach Donnie Kiefer shouts encouragement from the sideline during action at Dink Jordan Field in a game in 2025.
"I'm not interested in mediocrity."
Head coach Donnie Kiefer didn't really need to spell that out for me when we sat down at Central Cabarrus High School to discuss the Vikings' upcoming season. I could've told you that based on the fact that he's chasing his 300th win as a head coach (he's at 285 right now) or that he's owned multiple records in powerlifting, including a world record in the squat back in 2006, or even because he helped found a semi-professional football team in Hickory, then served as the head coach AND the starting fullback.
Kiefer has a proven track record of turning around underperforming programs. For example, the Central Cabarrus Vikings, his alma mater, were struggling before he arrived in 2012, going 21-71 overall with a pair of winless seasons. He turned the team around, and at the height of his success, he got them to 11 wins, the most in a single season in school history, as well as securing their first playoff win in six seasons.
Should you doubt his accolades, he did it again at Green Sea-Floyds, his stop after Central, where he coached from 2017 to 2019. Before his arrival, the school had gone 13-38 in the five previous seasons. Once there, Kiefer coached the Trojans to a 30-8 record and won back-to-back SCHSL-1A state championships.
So when the Vikings began to slip again, winning three games a season from 2019-2024, Kiefer knew he "may never have another opportunity to come back to his alma mater again." He'd technically retired at his previous stop in West Ashley (another turnaround job, with the team winning just 21% of its games before his arrival), but he always knew he'd be back in N.C., even if he didn't see himself coaching again at the time.
Three goals at Central Cabarrus
If you ask Kiefer his goals, he'll give you three. "I want to win a state championship. I've got two in South Carolina, but I'd still like to get one up here." His second goal is the 300th win. Third, he wants to "turn Central Cabarrus into a contender."
He's off to a good start. In its history, Central Cabarrus has won five playoff games since 1966. Kiefer has contributed to three of those wins, one as a player and the other two as a coach, when Central defeated Asheboro 27-20 in 2013 and Southeast Guilford 38-10 at the end of last season. His contribution might be even better than that when you consider that one of its playoff wins, the victory against South Mecklenburg in 2007, was because of a forfeit due to an ineligible player. So when you think about it, Kiefer has been around for 75% of the Vikings' playoff wins earned on the field.
So close a year ago
Even though last season's five-win season is an improvement over previous seasons on paper, there's more to it than meets the eye. Not only did they lose two games in overtime, one to Northwest Cabarrus and one to West Cabarrus, but they also had two heartbreaking losses in the final minutes against teams in back-to-back weeks. First, Olympic won the game on a touchdown pass scored in the last minute, and the following week, Cox Mill won on a field goal in the final seconds. For those keeping track, Central could have been as good as 9-3 last season. Not to play the coulda-woulda-shoulda game, but if that were the case, they probably would have gotten a first-round home game and thus avoided Freedom in the draw, giving them a chance to win their first-ever second-round playoff game.
How do the Vikings get there?
OK, so he's established a goal; how does he reach that goal?
There are two steps. First, you have to teach these down programs how to win. To put it simply, "When I come into a school, a lot of times these kids have made up their mind on who they can beat and who they can't beat. To me, that's the worst thing ever. It's hard to change that type of mentality if they feel like they're defeated before I even get there. Without the psychological part, you're doomed." He hits the ground running, and he teaches his kids how to win. Teaching them how to win off the field will lead to wins on the field.
Compete in and learn how to win 7-on-7.Compete in scrimmages and learn how to win. Those aren't just "outings." They're teaching tools. Get them right mentally. "I want them to believe in themselves, in each other, in their coaches, and in their program. I want them to play for the community. Play where you are. Be where your feet are. When you do that, great things can happen."
The second step? "Get the weight room right. Get the strength program right. Get the speed program right." As a former powerlifter and strength and conditioning coach, Kiefer loves the science and the physiology behind lifting and how it can improve a program. It's not just about lifting heavy; it's about speed, explosiveness and fast twitch. He's one to stick to tried-and-true methods, as he points out, "Too many coaches now are trying to reinvent the wheel. A lot of coaches are looking for some new fad, some new methodology, some new way of doing things. There's something to be said for being brutally strong."
'Brutally strong'
What does "brutally strong" mean, you might ask? I asked coach Kiefer the same thing. "It's guys who are stronger than what they look like they should be and guys who look like they're stronger than what their body weight should be able to handle. You have to learn to have no fear of the weight. It takes that confidence to know that you've done the work, that you've been methodical about it, that your technique is perfect. Your frame of mind is where it's all at." Being brutally strong is both physical and mental.
While he kept specifics out of reach, I expect Central Cabarrus to run the ball successfully this season. Coach Kiefer has had success with a multitude of ground-game offenses. He's won with the Wing-T, the triple option, and he's even dabbled in some inside and outside zone. At the Cabarrus County Jamboree, the Vikings scored the most of any team involved and dominated on the ground, despite using what I can only imagine was a sliver of their playbook to try to guard against the prying eyes. However they line up, I expect to see downfield, gap-scheme runs, and plenty of them.Combine his coaching experiences with his determination and weight-room expertise, and I think you've got a dangerous combination for this upcoming season.
Interesting matchups
The Vikings begin the 2026-27 season this Friday at home against the Montgomery Central High School Timberwolves. If I had to mark a few games down on their schedule, I'd notch week 3 at Mount Pleasant, where coach Kiefer will take on a former member of his own staff, Daniel Crosby, who's been over the Tigers since the 2022 season. Crosby served as a defensive coordinator under Kiefer during his first stint at Central. They still communicate, and I think it will be a fun contest between two coaches who respect each other. Despite that respect, I'd describe that game as smashmouth football on both sides. It may be a last-man-standing situation.
Additionally, Central will be looking for revenge against Olympic and Cox Mill, which it will again play back-to-back this season. By then, we may know whether coach Kiefer has instilled the will to win that can turn the Vikings into the contenders he wants them to be.
