Dowling Catholic, IA Case Study

Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa, is one of the most successful high school football programs in the state. Eleven state titles. Including 2025's 5A title. A consistent playoff presence. The Maroons are a program that operates with a winning standard built over decades.

In-game adjustments are not optional, they are the difference between winning close games and losing them. The technology on the sideline has to work.

Every snap. Every drive. Every game.

We sat down with Head Coach & Athletic Director Tom Wilson, and Assistant Coach Curt Brown, to reflect on their experience with GameStrat. 

The Problem with Hudl Sideline 

Dowling Catholic had been relying on Hudl Sideline for their in-game replay system. And like many programs, they were running into the same problems week after week.

It was one problem after another. We weren't able to get the information that we needed without interruption.- Tom Wilson, Head Coach & Athletic Director, Dowling Catholic HS

For Curt Brown, who managed the technical setup on game days, the frustration was equally familiar. The system would appear fully connected before kickoff and then simply drop mid-game, for no found reason.

The Decision to Switch

With Head Coach Tom Wilson also being the Athletic Director at Dowling Catholic, adding another technology spend,  especially after already paying for Hudl, was not something he took lightly.

When it came to spending more money... I felt it was important that we had a product that worked and which would allow our coaches to coach.- Tom Wilson, Head Coach & Athletic Director, Dowling Catholic HS

The decision came down to a simple question: was the disruption on Friday nights worth continuing?

For Coach Wilson, the answer was no. He wanted something that worked, and stopped putting the burden on his staff to manage a broken system.

Setup and Game-Day Experience

Once Dowling Catholic made the switch, the immediate difference was how much simpler game days became. Where the previous system required troubleshooting and running back and forth to track down connection issues, GameStrat just ran. 

The setup is so much easier, so it's made my life a lot better. Maybe I'm not as in shape because I haven't had to run up and down Valley Stadium steps as much, but I can figure out a different workout plan. - Curt Brown, Assistant Coach, Dowling Catholic HS

The ability to get all coaches on iPads simultaneously was another immediate upgrade. Previously, the staff was sharing devices and passing them around during games. With GameStrat, up to 10 coaches can be watching replays at the same time, each from their own iPad.

The ability to have up to 10 coaches has been great, because now we're not passing it around. Everybody has their iPads that they can watch.- Curt Brown, Assistant Coach, Dowling Catholic HS

Performing in the Biggest Moments

For Dowling Catholic, the biggest moments came at the UNI-Dome at the University of Northern Iowa for the state championship.

Large venues with heavy media presence: TV cameras, broadcast equipment, crowded frequencies, create conditions that have broken sideline systems before. For Hudl Sideline, operating under an overhang or near broadcast equipment was often enough to lose the signal entirely.

From a coaching perspective, and on the sidelines, we had no issues. Before GameStrat, we would have issues, and it would be near impossible for us to get the video that we needed. So very pleased with that part of it.- Tom Wilson, Head Coach & Athletic Director, Dowling Catholic HS

Support When It Matters

Every program eventually encounters a unique game-day situation. Maybe it’s a venue with interference from broadcast equipment, a Wi-Fi conflict, or a signal strength issue in an unfamiliar stadium. 

Curt Brown described one situation where TV cameras operating at the same frequency created unexpected signal interference. Rather than scrambling alone to fix it, he was able to get GameStrat support on a live video call.

Being able to do a video conference call, which I never was able to do with Hudl, was very nice. They could look at the computer, show me the signal strength, and help me adjust things. That was very helpful.- Curt Brown, Assistant Coach, Dowling Catholic HS

GameStrat's support team operates in-house, with team members available by phone and video call every game day during the season. 

Word Spreads Fast

Successful programs talk. When Dowling Catholic started using GameStrat, other coaches started asking questions. Coach Wilson had already been referring other programs before the case study call was even scheduled.

Several people have contacted me and asked me my thoughts, and I just tell them we don't have the issues that you have with Hudl Sideline by using GameStrat. We just want to be able to do our job, and if we don't have the pictures, we don't have the video, it's really, really difficult to take advantage of that.- Tom Wilson, Head Coach & Athletic Director, Dowling Catholic HS

Curt Brown said the same from his conversations with other camera operators and assistants at opposing programs, coaches who are still dealing with the same Hudl Sideline problems Dowling Catholic used to have.

I talk to the camera guys and I kinda go down asking, 'You still having trouble with Hudl Sideline?' And they always say yes. And I've mentioned to them, you need to reach out to GameStrat, we don't have those issues.- Curt Brown, Assistant Coach, Dowling Catholic HS