sportsYou is the best FREE communication platform for districts, schools and teams. Streamline and customize the way you engage with coaches, players and parents.
sportsYou enhances safety for our athletes and is a great communication tool with coaches, kids and parents. It is 100% mandated for all our coaches and kids throughout all of Frisco ISD.
GRACE MCDOWELL, FRISCO ISD
TEXAS COACH - (ISSN 0040-4241) - Copyright 2022
Texas High School Coaches’ Association, Inc.
PUBLISHER
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ASSOCIATION, INC.
PUBLISHING/EDITORIAL OFFICES: 2553 N INTERSTATE 35 FRONTAGE RD SAN MARCOS, TX 78666-5924 web: www.thsca.com
Subscriptions: Annual subscription to TEXAS COACH for members of the Texas High School Coaches Association is $20.00, which is included in the $70.00 membership dues. For non-members: one-year subscription price is $30.00; two-year subscription price is $50.00; Foreign: one-year subscription price is $50.00. Single copies are $5.00 per current volume. TEXAS COACH is published monthly except in June, July, and August and is dated the first of the publication month, although it is mailed around the 10th of the publication month.
Change of address: Request for change of address must reach us 30 days before the date of issue with which it is to take effect. Duplicate copies cannot be sent to replace those undelivered through failure to send advance notice. Email change of address notice to admin@ thsca.com or members can go online and make the change in your member portal profile at www.thsca.com.
Periodicals Postage Paid at San Marcos, TX & additional entries. “All rights reserved”. (USPS 540-600).
POSTMASTER Send address change to:
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ASSOCIATION 2553 N INTERSTATE 35 FRONTAGE RD SAN MARCOS, TX 78666-5924
Printed by Capital Printing Co in Austin, Texas.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JOE MARTIN joemartin@thsca.com
ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
GLEN WEST glenwest@thsca.com
Chief Operating Officer of THSCA BRIAN POLK brianpolk@thsca.com
Chief Operating Officer of THSCEF
LIBBY PACHECO libbypacheco@thsca.com
Director of Publications & Technology
BECKY ADAMS beckyadams@thsca.com
Director of Administration
MARGARET BEYER margaretbeyer@thsca.com
Director of Social Media & Marketing
KAYCI COHEN kaycicohen@thsca.com
Director of Exhibits & Sponsorships
MOLLY FLY mollyfly@thsca.com
Director of Membership
ALLIE HERRMANN allieherrmann@thsca.com
SHERYL HONEYCUTT sherylhoneycutt@thsca.com
Director of Finance & Accounting
GORDON MACKEY gordonmackey@thsca.com
Director of Hotels & Hospitality
CHELSEA MILLER chelseamiller@thsca.com
Director of Public Relations & Awards
TYLER WATTS tylerwatts@thsca.com
Finance: *John King, Kendall Miller, Mark Torres, Sam Wells, Lee Wiginton, Shaun McDowell
Bylaws: *Adam Cummings, Chad Dunnam, Charley Drum, Ricklan Holmes, Jeff Rayburn, Danny Servance
Ethics: Richard Bacon, Kevin Crane, Robert Flores, Dave Henigan, *Carlos Lynn, Fred Staugh
Policy: Shane Anderson, Jerry Carpentier, Leo Mireles, Aaron Roan, *Grady Rowe, Amanda Wolf-Schramm
Magazine: Matt Lovorn, *David Malesky, Lance Moffett, Jason Wilson, James Williams, Jerod Womack
Hall of Honor: *Ronnie Gage, Johnny Taylor, Dub Farris, Gary Joseph *Denotes Chair
DIRECTOR-ELECTS
Region 1 – Chip Darden, Lubbock Cooper; Region 2 – Aaron Roan, Abilene Cooper; Region 3 – John Settle, Sunnyvale; Region 4 – Clint Hartman, Midland Legacy; Region 5 – Shaun McDowell, Grand Oaks; Region 6 – Todd Quick, Lufkin; Region 7 – Leo Mireles, Laredo LBJ; Region 8 – Juan Morales, Jr., SA Sotomayor
1ST ALTERNATES
Region 1 – Todd Winfrey, Canyon; Region 2 – Sterling Doty, Stephenville; Region 3 – Marvin Sedberry, Jr., Terrell; Region 4 – Jeff Ellison, Odessa Permian; Region 5 – BJ Gotte, Pearland; Region 6 – Chris Cochran, Lindale; Region 7 – Trea Stevens, Mathis; Region 8 – Joe Hubbard, East Central
2nd ALTERNATES
Region 1 – DJ Mann, Coronado; Region 2 – Casey Pearce, Breckenridge; Region 3 – Josh Gibson, Pleasant Grove; Region 4 – Michael Pry, El Paso Coronado; Region 5 – Brian Randle, Randle; Region 6 – Don Hyde, La Vega; Region 7 – Reuben Farias, La Joya; Region 8 – Eddie Salas, San Antonio Harlan
R-1 Chris Koetting, Canadian
R-2 Russell Lucas, Sweetwater
R-3 Seth Stinton, Melissa
R-4 Rusty Purser, Greenwood
R-5 *John Snelson, Dickinson
R-6 Don Drake, Ennis
R-7 Rob Davies, Harlingen
R-8 Stan Laing, Northside
R-1 *Trey Hayes, Lubbock
R-2 Casey Pacheco, Abl. Wylie
R-3 Eric Vogan, Texas High
R-4 Michael Waldmann, Andrews
R-5 Robert Kelly, Sam Rayburn
R-6 Daniel Gonzalez, Longview
R-7 Hector Castaneda Jf., Harl. South
R-8 Kari Brothers, Northside
R-1 Thomas Brockman, Idalou
R-2 Allen McGee, Graham
R-3 Josh Wheeler, Muenster
R-4 Juan Orozco, EP Coronado
R-5 Corey Cephus, Cy-Ranch
R-6 Matthew Anderson, Franklin
R-7 Eric Martinez, Mathis
R-8 Tom Alfieri, SA Churchill
At-Large *Chans Chapman, SA Reagan
R-1 Jason Pillion, Amarillo
R-2 *C.J. Villegas, San Angelo Central
R-3 Ty Tabor, Krum
R-4 Jason Archibald, Wink
R-5 Danny Russell, Katy
R-6 Jake Russ, Franklin
R-7 Sean Armstrong, G. Portland
R-8 Andrew Brewer, Alamo Heights
At-Large Richard Flores, Cy-Falls
R-1 Tyler Helms, Idalou
R-2 *Kenni Patton, Electra
R-3 Donna McCullough, Sachse
R-4 Steve Lee, Pebble Hills
R-5 Christina Jamerson, Dulles
R-6 Amber Wiley, Tyler
R-7 Clarissa Arredondo, McAllen Mem.
R-8 Christina Camacho, Judson
At-Large Brooke Brittain, Mansfield
R-1 Jay McCook, Canadian
R-2 Glenn Griffin, Holliday
R-3 Calley Conner, Wylie
R-4 Alonzo Samaniego, Presidio
R-5 Kenneth Decuir, Paetow
R-6 *Josh Sypert, Eustace
R-7 Efrain Ambriz, Harlingen
R-8 Kelly Thompson, Leander Rouse
At-Large Scott Hippensteel, Lockhart
R-1 Ray Baca, Canyon
R-2 Loy Triana, Burkburnet
R-3 *Susan Bailey, Highland Park
R-4 Corina Marruto, Del Valle
R-5 Jim Darcey, Katy
R-6 Edward DeLaCruz, Waxahachie
R-7 Michael Villareal, Zapata
R-8 Rachel Freeman, SA Reagan
R-1 Jason Richards, Muleshoe
R-2 Sterling Doty, Stephenville
R-3 *Joe Castillo, Little Elm
R-4 Ruben Rodriguez, Eastlake
R-5 Rick Lafavers, Ridge Point
R-6 Keylon Kincade, Winona
R-7 Brent Davis, G. Portland
R-8 Alan Haire, Chaparrall
At-Large Clint Fuller, Kilgore
R-1 Cord Wilburn, Lub. Cooper
R-2 Jason Hodges, Stephenville
R-3 Charlie Means, Denison
R-4 Paul Bustamante, Pebble Hills
R-5 Clayton Brady, Hous. Memorial
R-6 Brant Bennett, Midlothian Heritage
R-7 Celso Gonzalez, McAllen Mem.
R-8 *Mike Martin, SA Johnson
At-Large Paige Martin, Southlake
R-1 Cathy Palmer, Lubbock
R-2 OPEN
R-3 Kerry Gabel, FM Marcus
R-4 Shawn Trousdale, Ysletta
R-5 *Angela Chancellor, Kingwood
R-6 Joel Davenport, Ennis
R-7 Jennifer Ruiz, McAllen
R-8 Patrick Pruitt, Westlake
At-Large Brent McCuiston, Alamo Heights
BOYS SOCCER
R-1 Hugo Aguillon, West Plains
R-2 Justin Rhodes, Stephenville
R-3 Pablo Regalado, Kemp
R-4 Chris Bryant, Midland Legacy
R-5 Ben Powell, Bellville
R-6 *Cashan Clark, Midlothian Heritage
R-7 Julian Robles, Harlingen South
R-8 David Rogers, SA Lee
At-Large Jason Meekins, Katy Jordan
R-1 Alistair Caldwell, Lub. Coronado
R-2 Carl Wiersema, WF Rider
R-3 Kelly Thompson, Allen
R-4 *Cecilia Kellar, Odessa
R-5 Evelyn Torres, Ridge Point
R-6 Gerald Slovacek, Midlo. Heritage
R-7 Juan Luna, Los Fresnos
R-8 Bailee Perrine, Dripping Springs
At-Large Aaron McGough, Highland Park
R-1 Styler Haddock, Canyon
R-2 Cynthia Herrera, Stamford
R-3 *Kathy Schoettle, Allen
R-4 Lindsie Swarb, Monahans
R-5 Katie Roberts, Brenham
R-6 Same Weeks, Troup
R-7 Audra Troutman, Sinton
R-8 Jennifer Fox, Alamo Heights
R-1 *David Denham, Lub. Corondao
R-2 Mark Hathorn, Abil. Wylie
R-2 Carrie Castleberry, Vernon
R-3 Sylvia Sims, Frisco Heritage
R-4 Kevin Gersbach, Greenwood
R-5 Daniel Marshall, A&M Consol.
R-6 OPEN
R-7 Jeff Davidson, CC Vet. Mem.
R-8 Teri Saunders, Pf. Hendrickson
R-1 Jon Murphy, Stratford
R-2 Andy Howard, Brownwood
R-3 Janson Head, Denton Ryan
R-4 Brien Burchett, Greenwood
R-5 Jason Haddock, Clements
R-6 Josh Rankin, Longview
R-7 Bob Bechtold, McAllen
R-8 Keith Randle, SA Johnson
At-Large *Will McCrary, Rockwall
GIRLS TRACK & FIELD
R-1 Crista Jones, Lub. Monterey
R-2 Jeremiah Butchee, Stephenville
R-3 Ashley Broom, Sunnyvale
R-4 Robert Ontiveroz, Monahans
R-5 David Pollack, Seven Lakes
R-6 Angela Moon, Tyler
R-7 Stacy Zamzow, Goliad
R-8 *Karmen Sanders, RR McNeil
R-1 Kelly Lozada, Lubbock Monterey
R-2 Shay Douglas, Stephenville
R-3 Jennifer Chandler, Northwest
R-4 Heather Archibald, Wink
R-5 Pamela McRae, Cypress Park
R-6 Arden Johnson, Troup
R-7 Jess Odem, Goliad
R-8 *Rachel Torvik, SA Reagan
At-Large Jacob Thompson, Leander Rouse
BOYS WRESTLING
R-1 Mark Snow, Lub. Coronado
R-2 OPEN
R-3 *Kyle Stevens, Anna
R-4 Oscar Norez, EP Montwood
R-5 Vinnie Lowe, Katy
R-6 Collin Stroner, Midlothian Heritage
R-7 Donald "Ed" Arvin, CC Vet. Mem.
R-8 David Burdick, Vista Ridge
GIRLS WRESTLING
R-1 Tyler Frausto, Canyon
R-2 OPEN
R-3 *Jessica Fresh, Northwest
R-4 Stephen Scott, EP Franklin
R-5 Nicholas Johnson - Cypress Woods
R-6 OPEN
R-7 Ronald Pratt, Rio Grande City
R-8 Garvin Smith, San Marcos
* DENOTES CHAIR
THSCA Coaches:
April 2023
IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE A TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL COACH! This is the everyday message ringing in our ears, being modeled for our athletes, and being voiced amongst our peers. The student-athletes we get to influence daily are so much more than athletes who we hope help us win games. They are daughters and sons, they have pains and have needs, they want to be noticed and want to be loved. Thank you for the difference you make in the lives of these young athletes.
Some sports are now in full off-season mode while other sports are in the midst of their seasons. Soccer state championships are about to take place. In the midst of all the madness, spring sport coaches keep in mind that the Academic All-State deadline is May 1st for Golf, Track, Softball and Baseball. We are also still going strong on our Super Elite Teams and Coach of the Year recognitions. Nominations for Tennis, Track, Golf, Baseball and Softball will open in May and June.
We just finished up the THSCA Board of Directors’ Meeting. Coach Martin and Coach West continue to amaze us all with their leadership and commitment to coaches across the state. Coaching School keeps getting bigger and better every year. The $60 pre-registration deadline is coming up on June 1st, so mail those registrations in before you leave for summer. If you wait, the price goes up to $75 from June 2nd through July 1st. We will also be announcing the dates of our upcoming Spring Power of Influence meetings very soon on the THSCA website. All Head Coaches and Athletic Administrators are welcome at the POI.
The Legislative Session is in full swing, and THSCA is fighting the fight on the front lines for public education. We will call on each of you to act in the coming weeks! The ROCK symposium was a huge success once again. I want to welcome and give a huge shoutout to our newest ROCK Class of 2023. Thank you to the mentors, advocates, speakers, and sponsors for the role you played in the event.
Things happen on a daily basis that remind us why we do what we do. Too many times I find myself allowing my selfishness and competitive nature to take away from the opportunity to provide the love that these student-athletes need from us. I want to wish each of you the best of luck the remainder of the spring. Go win ‘em all. That means every ballgame, but also every opportunity we have to make this world a better place. I look forward to seeing you in Houston this summer for Coaching School.
MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!
Lee Wiginton THSCA President
Four outstanding organizations, transformed into one powerhouse. And while our name may have changed, everything you count on - great service, uniforms, and gear remain.
With an athletic department package, you’ll get Focus cameras for your school, which will change the way you see your sports.
Our smart cameras record and upload automatically—you don’t have to lift a finger.
Player tracking technology means there’s no need for someone to manually pan or zoom.
There’s only one installation. From then on out, they’re ready to roll—no set up, tear down or logistical hassles.
Every team that plays in your gym, stadium or field can use the Focus cameras to record, upload and livestream their games.
Coaches set their schedule, choose whether to livestream and the camera does the rest – automatically.
The choice of if and how to drive revenue is up to you. Use sponsorships, pay-to-view or opt to offer a free-to-view stream.
Enhance your viewers’ experience through graphics, multiple camera angles, commentary and more.
Get Focus for your gym and stadium when you purchase an athletic department subscription. Learn more at hudl.com/products/focus.
Andrew Britt hired to be HFC at Medina Valley.
John David Caffey named HFC at Scurry-Rosser.
Jason Calvez promoted to HFC at Agua Dulce.
Chris Castillo from AC/HFC at SA Highlands to AC/HFC at Kyle Lehman.
JR Castellano from HFC at Taft to HFC at Alice.
Kelvin Chatham from HFC at Washington to HFC at Aldine Davis.
Charles Boles, a 14-year head coaching veteran announced his retirement after one season leading Water Valley.
Steve Keith, Head Football and Head Track coach for Ackerly Sands has announced his retirement.
Danny Kloza, who spent thirteen seasons leading his alma mater announces his retirement.
Terry Minton, Head of Athletic Operations for Waxahachie ISD announces his retirement. He began his coaching career in 1984 and moved to WISD in 1999. During his tenure at Waxahachie, Coach Minton has served as the Assistant Head Football, Offensive Coordinator, Head Boys Track, Head Boys Golf and Powerlifting coach.
Kyle Adams from OC at White Oak to AD/HFC at Ore City.
Israel Aguero from Asst. at Natalia to HFC at Charlotte.
Mike Alexander from HFC at Grapevine to HFC at FM Marcus.
Marte Amrine from DC at Dripping Springs to HFC at Maypearl.
Jacob Bible from DC at Midl. Heritage to AD/HFC at RockportFulton.
Zach Birdwell from OC at Coronado to HFC at Tioga.
Chance Blackburn from Asst. at Atlanta to HFC at Simms Bowie.
Jason Botos promoted to AD/HFC at Hamlin.
James Boxley promoted to AD/HFC at Wills Point.
Tommy Brashear named HFC at Troy.
Kyle Coats from DC at Desoto to HFC at Woodlands College Park.
Clint Conkin from HC at Clarendon to HFC at Slaton.
Kyle Cooper from HFC at Ponder to HFC at La Grange.
Cody Day from HC at Colmesneil to AD/HFC at Price Carlisle.
Dwayne DuBois hired as HFC at Vidor.
Jerry Edwards from HFC at Harker Heights to HFC at Colleyville Heritage.
Earven Flowers promoted from DC to AD/HFC at Taylor.
Willie Gatson promoted from OC to HFC at North Shore.
Clayton George from OC at Plano to HFC at Mount Vernon.
Shane Hanks promoted from DC to HFC at Richmond Foster.
Vicente Herrera promoted to HFC at Hous. Wisdom.
Bryan Hill from DC at Abilene Wylie to HFC at AD/HFC at Midland Greenwood.
Kendrick Holloway from OC at Berkner to HFC at Richardson.
Alfonzo Jackson promoted from DC to HFC at Hearne.
Odell James from Asst. at Duncanville to HFC at Aldine Eisenhower.
Jordan Johnson from OC at Denton Guyer to HFC at Friendswood.
Kenneth Johnson from OC at CC Vet. Mem. to HFC at CC West Oso.
Bryan Kelley from Asst. at Rowlett to AD/HFC at Dawson.
Ryan Knotsman from HC at Aransas Pass to AD/HFC at Yorktown.
Roger Landeros from DC at Stevens to HFC at SA Highlands.
Nate Leonard promoted from OC to HFC at NB Canyon.
Mike Loveless from Asst. at Guyer to AD/HFC at Italy.
Mike Ludlow named HFC at White Oak.
Lonnie Madison from HC at Woodlands College Park to HFC at Bridgeland.
Kirk Martin from HFC at Colleyville Heritage to HFC at Manvel.
Josh McKiddy from Asst. at Celina to HFC at Electra.
Levi Montgomery from Asst at Cuero to HFC at Halletsville.
Cody Moore promoted from DC to HFC at Round Rock.
Tyler Moore promoted from OC to HFC at Prosper.
Ty Opperman from DC at Ellison to HFC at Bartlett.
Todd Patmon promoted from DC to HFC at Del Valle.
Earnest Pena promoted from DC to AD/HFC at Columbia.
Jason Powers promoted from DC to HFC at Olney.
Brian Pullum from Asst. at Grand Saline to HFC at Big Sandy.
Tyler Price promoted from OC to HFC at Bowie.
Rusty Purser from AD/HFC at Greenwood to Asst. AD at Midlothian ISD.
Jose Ramirez promoted from OC to HFC at Brownsville Vet. Memorial.
John Ramsey promoted to HFC at Bonham.
Travis Reeve from HFC at New Caney to HFC at El Campo.
Beau Riker from Asst. at Brock to HFC at Ropes.
Chad Rives promoted from OC to HFC at Arlington Martin.
Louie Rodriguez from OL at Katy Paetow to HFC at Hous. Chavez.
Chad Rogers from HFC at Tioga to HFC at Sanger.
Billy Rushing from OC at Canyon to HFC at Stanton.
Andy Smith from OL at Gregory-Portland to AD/HFC at Alpine.
Sunni Strickland from Head Volleyball at Forsan to Girls Coord./Head Volleyball at Big Spring.
Aaron Wampler from HC at Boys Ranch to HFC at Clarendon.
Wes Weaver promoted from OC to HFC at Saginaw Boswell.
Rodney Webb from AD at Highland Park to HFC at RockwallHeath.
Joshua Willis from DC at San Angelo Central to HFC at Hughes Springs.
Chad Worrell from HFC at El Campo to HFC at Burleson.
Submitted by Drew Bridges, AD/HFC at Florence: My dad is Andy Bridges and has been an active THSCA member for many years after a long career in education and coaching. My dad has four children, and all four of us are in education and coaching. Tim Bridges is a teacher/ Offensive Coordinator at Hallettsville, Ashley (Bridges) Szura is a teacher/coach at College Station MS, Matt Bridges is a teacher/coach at Liberty Hill HS, and I am the AD/HFC at Florence HS. Several years ago my dad began working as a track starter and in 2023 he has be able to start track meets at the schools for all four of his children. He and my mom, Jeanne (retired teacher), raised all of us to serve as public school teachers/coaches, and now my dad is giving back & has had the opportunity to help us in our coaching careers.
A Texas based Football Camp that develops young Quarterbacks & Receivers through proper instruction and training. Established in 1990, Air It Out has left a lasting impact on many young players lives, not only through what they learned on the football field but through leadership and teamwork exercises that can be used in their professional lives in the future.
Roland Oscar Conrad of Needville, TX, passed peacefully on March 1, 2023. He was born in Halletsville, TX on December 30, 1934, to Hilda Koehn and Willie Conrad. He was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn Conrad, his parents and his brother Clinton Conrad.
Roland met the love of his life; Carolyn Conrad as high school sweethearts at Needville HS. They wed on August 16, 1957, and were together nearly 65 years. He is survived by his son Russell “Rusty” Conrad; daughter-in-law, Debbie Conrad; his grand-daughter, Kathryn Conrad; his brother Danny Conrad plus many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He graduated from Needville HS as a four-time letterman; attended Delmar Jr College. He then graduated from Sam Houston State Univ. with a bachelor of science and a master’s in education. He was a member of the only SHSU undefeated football team in 1956 and participated in the Refrigerator Bowl.
He had a passion for sports, especially football, and upon graduation coached in Falfurrias HS from 1958-1959; then became the AD/HFC Coach at Needville HS from 1959-1979. He maintained an impressive record with a win-loss of 133-61-2 to included 5 district championships; 2 bi-district championships; 1 regional championship; and 1 quarterfinals championship. After 20 years as a coach; he went on to become the Needville HS Assistant Principal and Principal for 14 years. He retired in 1992. In 2008, he was inducted into the THSCA Hall of Honor. He, along with his wife, were active members at Immanuel United Church of Christ and worked closely with their local senior citizen organizations. He was a life-time member of Texas State Teachers Association; Needville Blue Jay Booster Club; Needville Band Booster; Fort Bend County Fair Association; Texas PTA. He was an Airman First Class in the Air National Guard. He and Carolyn were named 2016 Citizens of the Year for their involvement and contributions within the community.
After retirement, he spent most days having morning coffee at 360 Short Stop; riding his bicycle; mowing his yard; working in the garden and attending his “honey-do” list. He also raised commercial cattle in both Colorado and Lavaca counties.He enjoyed spending time with family and friends. He loved traveling both in and out of the US. He had a wonderful sense of humor and enjoyed life. Roland will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and neighbors.
Coach Jerry Larned was born March 25,1938 in Haskell, Texas to Joe and Florence Larned, and passed away Saturday March 18th, 2023 at his home in Abilene. He was the youngest of four children. He graduated from Haskell HS where he participated in all sports. He played collegiate basketball at North Texas State in Denton. Jerry married Elizabeth Key from Throckmorton, Texas. They were married 60 years, and dedicated their lives to education, as teachers, principal, coach, and superintendent. Jerry spent time coaching at Bowie, Hamlin, Duncanville, Iraan, SuI Ross State Univ. and spent many successful years in Monahans. He was named West Texas Coach of the Year in 1967, 1973, 1974, 1976 and was South Plains Coach of the Year in 1974. Jerry served as director of the THSCA and served as Master of Ceremonies for the Hall of Honor luncheon at coaching school for 13 years, where the state champion coaches are honored. He was voted into the Texas Panhandle Hall of Fame in 1982. Jerry received the Distinguished Service Award from the THSCA in 1987. He was inducted into the THSCA Hall of Honor in 1992, and the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2012. Jerry served as Superintendent of the Monahans schools three different times, and was twice named Region 18 Superintendent of the Year. He retired once to run the Kent Companies in Midland for former player, Bill Kent. The Monahans school board lured him back for another four years. He retired again, but not one to sit still, he coached at New Mexico Military Institute, served as interim superintendent in Kermit, Boerne and again in Monahans. He was honored in 2003 by having the multi-sport athletic facility renamed the Jerry Larned Sports Complex. In 2004, Jerry was hired as Athletic Director at McMurry Univ. After 3 years, Jerry retired again, but continued to work for the Kent Companies. Known as the "Ole Coach", Jerry was a sought-after speaker for sports clinics, sports banquets, business conventions, educational meetings, and as an after-dinner speaker. Jerry always found time to work in his church and community. He served as Chairman of the Methodist Administrative Board, was President of the Monahans Chamber of Commerce, President of the Rotary Club, Chairman of the Ward County Appraisal District, Economic Development Consultant, and in 1985 was voted Outstanding Citizen in Monahans. With the many honors and awards Jerry received, he was always modest in his acceptance. He preferred to pass off most of the praise to his players, assistant coaches and teachers.
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
D ATE OF BI R TH : /
P.O. DRAWER 1138, SAN MARCOS, TX 78667 512.392.3741 OFFICE info@thsca.com
GENDER: M F
I agree to receive THSCA Email Updates & Reminders.
The THSCA membership year will run from July 1st to June 30th of the following year, congruent with UIL and academic calendars. A portion of every membership fee goes to the THSCEF as an education fee. Applications submitted for individuals who are not current members of the THSCA, will be issued a membership for the CURRENT year, and given immediate access to THSCA online member services. The membership fee will NOT be pro-rated. If the applicant already has a current membership when submitting this application, the fee will be considered a renewal and be applied for the upcoming membership year.
1. SEL E C T MEMBERS H IP TO PURCHASE :
AFFILI ATE MEMBERSHI P
RETIRED MEMBERSHI P
Shall include all members in good standing of the THSCA, who have completed their coaching career and are no longer employed by an educational institution of any kind.
S T UDENT MEMBERSHI P
PAYMENT
REGISTRATION
$60 If paid by 6/1.
$75 If paid between 6/2 - 7/1. NO REFUNDS OR TRANSFERS ACCEPTED AFTER JULY 1ST. On-site Registration fee will be $90 per person.
STUDENT REGISTRATION - $25
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE P ROFESSIONAL LIA B ILI TY I N S U RANC E See Eligibility Requirements for Professional Liability Insurance Coverage *
**2022-2023
Coverage effect 7/1/23 through 6/30/24. Coverage purchased after 7/1/23 will commence on the payment received date. This coverage is not retroactive. You must be a coach, athletic trainer, or athletic director, including classroom duties, for an accredited secondary school, college, junior college or university within the state of Texas. Your THSCA membership must be current for the 23-24 school year to be eligible to purchase this coverage. If you choose to purchase this coverage & do not meet the criteria for eligibility, this coverage will not be valid. (Annual Premium $53.00; State Taxes & Fees (4.925%) $2.61; Association Admin. Fee $2.39; TOTAL 23-24 Renewal Premium: $58.00)
COVERAGE A - LIABILITY INSURANCE
Up to $2,000,000 per insured per occurrence/$ 3,000,000 per occurrence, plus the cost of defense, investigation and legal fees
•Applies in the event a member is alleged to have caused injury or damage to others while performing his/her professional duties
•Errors and omissions insurance for claims for damages arising out of a member’s duties as a professional educator, including all defense cost Note: The duty of the insurer to defend extends even to groundless, false and frivolous suits and accusations.
COVERAGE B - REIMBURSEMENT OF ATTORNEY FEES
Up to $10,000 per insured per occurrence
•The policy provides reimbursement of attorney fees in a broad range of situations not included under Coverage A. This includes allegations of criminal and/or sexual misconduct and employment related actions against an educator involving dismissal, revocation of certification and other professional rights and duties.
•In actions involving termination, salary, reassignment, certification or resignation, the matter in dispute must be resolved in favor of the member to qualify for the full reimbursement of $10,000. However, $2,000 of this amount is available for initial consultation and research, whether or not the member prevails, to determine if there exists a reasonable chance of the case being resolved in the member’s favor.
COVERAGE C - BAIL BONDS
Up to $2,000 premium on bail bonds
COVERAGE A: Up to $2,000,000 per insured per ccurrence/$3,000,000 per occurrence, plus the cost of defense, investigation and legal fees.
COVERAGE B: Up to $10,000 per claim per Insured. Coverage for criminal proceedings and /or sexual misconduct limited to $10,000 aggregate per policy term.
COVERAGE C: Up to $2,000 premium on bail bonds.
COVERAGE FEATURES:
Criminal/Sexual Misconduct Allegations
The policy provides reimbursement of attorney fees up to $10,000 under Coverage B if the educator is acting in the scope of his/her duties.
Corporal Punishment
Corporal punishment is covered under Coverage A (Liability) if administered according to the rules of the jurisdiction in which the school is located.
Outside Activity
As long as the educator is within the scope of his/her professional duties, the policy covers liability for injury to students and others while the educator is conducting visits to industrial and commercial establishments, entertainment centers, outings, picnics and other similar school functions, subject to specific automobile, watercraft, & aircraft exclusions
Coverage B
Reimbursement of Attorney Fees - Such reimbursement as is afforded the member for actions involving tenure, dismissal, revocation of certification & other professional rights and duties is assured under the policy and is not contingent on the approval of a board or review committee, as might be the case where the only available assistance is from a defense fund.
The Texas High School Coaches Association offers a Coaches Professional Liability Insurance option to eligible members with coverage beginning July 1, 2022. The THSCA has chosen the John A. Barclay Agency, Inc. to provide this coverage to our members. This plan was devised to offer liability insurance and legal assistance to THSCA members. In order to be eligible for this coverage you must meet the following criteria:
• You must be a Coach, Athletic Trainer or Athletic Director, including classroom duties, for an accredited secondary school, college, junior college or university, within the state of Texas.
• Your THSCA Membership must be current for the school year in which the coverage is effective – 7/1/22 - 6/30/23
• PROFESSIONAL, AFFLIATE and LIFE members are eligible only if they meet the criteria above. This insurance is not available to STUDENT or RETIRED members.
If you choose to purchase this insurance coverage and do not meet the criteria for eligibility, this coverage will not be valid. This coverage will be in effect July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 Insurance purchased after July 1, 2022 will commence on the payment received date. This insurance coverage is not retroactive.
Payment should be made directly to the THSCA. The total 22/23 annual premium for the insurance coverage will be $58.00 per member.
Annual Insurance Premium:
$ 52.00
$ 2.56
State Taxes and Fees (4.295%): Association Administrative Fee: $ 3.44
TOTAL 2022/23 Annual Premium: $ 58.00
Checks should be made payable to: THSCA
Mail payment to: THSCA, P.O. Box 1138, San Marcos, TX 78667 DO NOT MAIL PAYMENT to the Barclay Agency.
Eligible members will be able to purchase the Coaches Professional Liability Insurance on the THSCA website, or by selecting to purchase the coverage on the THSCA membership application form and submitting it by fax, email or mail to the THSCA office with the insurance payment. NOTE: In order to be eligible to purchase the coverage your membership must be current for the same year of policy coverage. (7/1/22-6/30/23)
Do you have the financial ability to defend yourself in the event of claim?
Do you have the expertise to find the best legal counsel for your situation?
THIS IS NOT A CERTIFIED COPY OF THE POLICY BUT A SUMMARY AND IS PROVIDED FOR REFERENCE ONLY. ALL COVERAGE PROVIDED UNDER THE TERMS OF THE POLICY IN THE EVENT OF A LOSS OR OCCURRENCE IS SUBJECT TO THE EXCLUSIONS AND CONDITIONS CONTAINED IN THE MASTER POLICY ON FILE WITH THE POLICYHOLDER, INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS, ENDORSEMENTS, AND ADDITIONS. QUESTIONS REGARDING SPECIFIC INSURANCE POLICY COVERAGE
“When you encourage others, you, in the process, are encouraged because you're making a commitment and difference in that person's life.”
Zig Ziglar
"I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among men the greatest asset I possess. The way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement."
Charles M. Schwab
"Correction does much, but encouragement does more.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get–only with what you are expecting to give–which is everything.”
Katharine Hepburn
“The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.”
Victor Hugo
Henry Miller
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
Helen Keller
“When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.”
Terry Bradshaw
“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”
Rikki Rogers
“Anyone can give up; it is the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone would expect you to fall apart, now that is true strength..”
Chris Bradford
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”
Newt Gingrich
" The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love."
1. The first time visiting the new portal you will be required to set up a new password, so select the Forgot your Password? option. Your username will be the email address we have on file for your member account.
2. The system will email a link/verification code for you to verify your account and set-up a new password. (If you have any difficulty remembering the email address you used for account set-up, or you do not receive the verification email to reset your password, please call our THSCA office 512.392.3741 and we can assist you.)
3. Once you have logged in, click on the Round Grey User icon on the top right and select “Update Profile/View My Membership”
at the top to update your THSCA profile info, renew your membership for 2023-2024, and register for Coaching School.
The THSCA member portal functions as a shopping cart experience. If you would like to pay for multiple things at once, (example: Membership, Coaching School Registration, Liability Insurance, etc.) you will need to add them ALL to your shopping cart before proceeding to check out.
1. Click on the Round Grey User icon on the top right and select “Update Profile/RENEW Membership”
4. Select the pencil icon under “My Personal Information” to update your contact data.
2. Click on the Membership tab, and you should find an option to Renew at the bottom.
3. Select the appropriate membership type and hit the Next button to proceed.
5. Under “Communication Preferences” please OPT-IN to receive THSCA Updates & Reminders via email throughout the year.
4. Read the disclaimer information and check the box marked “Above Read.” Also please select an option on your Texas Coach magazine delivery preference. Then click Next.
5. Select any add-ons, including a Political Action Committee Donation, Benevolence Donation or Professional Liability Insurance. Then click Next.
6. You will be prompted with a summary of your selections. When you are satisfied with your selections, choose Add to Cart.
1. Click on the Events tab on the menu at the top and select Browse Events.
1. Click on the shopping cart icon to view the summary of selected items to purchase.
2. When you are satisfied with the summary click, CHECK OUT.
2. Select the event you would like to register for:
3. And look for the Register button on the top right.
3. You should be redirected to the Checkout screen to proceed with credit card payment. Upon completion of the transaction you should IMMEDIATELY receive an emailed, itemized receipt you can turn in to administration for reimbursement if necessary. You no longer have to wait until coaching school to pick up your receipt. If for any reason you do not receive the email, you can always log back into your Member Portal account and print it from your account history.
4. Select the appropriate registration fee and hit the Next button to proceed.
5. Read the disclaimer information and check the box that you understand the terms of registration, then click Next.
6. Select any add-ons you would like (Hall of Honor Ticket(s) or Benevolence Donation) and then click Next.
7. You will be prompted with a summary of your selections. When you are satisfied with your selections, choose Add to Cart.
You should also recieve an email confirming registration for Coaching School if you have registered for that event. (Please remember that THSCA membership for the year and Coaching School registration are TWO SEPERATE fees.)
After you have completed check-out in the member portal you will be prompted to update your profile information. Please make sure we have the correct contact information for you and that your communication preferences are set-up so you can receive THSCA Updates & Reminders emails.
If you need to update the school you are affiliated with in your profile please email your name, THSCA ID number and new school affiliation to info@thsca.com so we can correct it for you.
23-24 MEMBERSHIP
Professional - $70
Affiliate - $70
Retired - $70
Student - $30
23-24 LIABILITY INSURANCE
premium - $58
COACHING SCHOOL REGISTRATION FEES
pre-registration - $60 (Before June 1st)
LATE Registration - $75 (Between 6/2-7/1)
onsite Registration - $90 (7/16 or 7/17 Only)
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament, more commonly referred to as the ACL, is one of two cruciate ligaments in the knee, and is responsible for preventing excessive forward movement of the tibia and limiting rotation of the knee. The ACL is a major structural component of the knee. ACL injuries are a serious problem for all athletes in sports that involve cutting, pivoting, and jumping. These movements can create added stress to the ACL.
The female athlete is more likely to experience an ACL injury than a male athlete due to several physiological differences. Dr. Andrew Cosgarea, M.D. from Johns Hopkins lists several factors that predispose the female athlete. One of those physiological differences is the increase in mobility of joints in the female body compared to males. Also, females tend to have less muscle mass surrounding the
knee, which can contribute to more instability and less control. In turn, these along with several other factors, put the female athlete at a greater risk for ACL injury compared to their male counterparts.
Unfortunately ACL injuries are a common knee injury and are not fully preventable, but there are several ways to reduce the chances. A primary activity to help reduce the risk of injury is through strength training. Studies have shown strength training can improve muscle strength and correct muscle imbalances, neuromuscular control, and proprioception which can all assist in reducing the risk of ACL injuries, especially in females. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research concluded that female athletes who participated in a strength training program had a significantly lower risk of ACL injuries compared
to those who did not participate in a strength training program. The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy also found that female athletes who completed a six-week strength training program had improved muscle strength and balance, which helped to reduce the risk of ACL injuries. In addition to improving muscle strength and balance, strength training can also help to improve coordination and body control. These are key components to athletes because athletes with poor coordination and body control are more likely to suffer an injury compared to those with these attributes.
While strength training is a great way for helping minimize risks of injury, there are several other factors that should also be considered to help minimize risks. Practicing good technique with training and participating will help mitigate some risk of injury. With proper techniques, biomechanical function and alignment will allow the body to perform in its best possible form. Also, working to develop muscle groups evenly is ideal for bodily function. Correcting muscle imbalances will help decrease tensions placed on tissues by the stronger muscle group. Creating a balance between strength and flexibility is a must as well due to imbalances can place added stress on those tissues as well as associated structures. All of these can be implemented under supervision of coaches, athletic trainers and physical therapists to help identify possible issues and correct them. Associated with physical activity to help create muscular strength, eating a balanced diet as well and avoiding working out when overly fatigued will also reduce risks. Fueling the body properly will allow for proper muscular function and regeneration, as well as proper sleep and rest will help prevent poor techniques and assist in muscular function.
Overall, it is clear that strength training is an important part of injury prevention for female athletes, especially when it comes to ACL injuries. By improving muscle strength, balance, coordination, and body control, female athletes can reduce their risk of suffering an ACL injury and continue to perform at their best.
Hewett, T. E., Lindenfeld, T. N., Riccobene, J. V., & Noyes, F. R. (1999). The effect of neuromuscular training on the incidence of knee injury in female athletes. A prospective study. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 27(6), 699-706.
Myklebust, G., Maehlum, S., & Holm, I. (2003). A prospective study of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in female team handball players: risk factors and prevention. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 31(6), 1002-1012.
Grindstaff, T. L., Danneels, L. A., Driesen, R., & Willems, T. M. (2009). The influence of hip muscle strength on lower extremity alignment in female athletes. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 39(3), 170-177.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-anddiseases/acl-injury-or-tear/acl-tears-in-female-athletesqa-with-a-sports-medicine-expert
The school year is winding down which means summer is just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean that High School Sports are coming to an end any time soon. The Spring season is as busy as ever! Congrats to all the Spring Season athletes and coaches who are still going strong this season and good luck in the upcoming playoff tournaments! Spring also brings one of my most favorite parts of the year, Spring Football. I absolutely love Spring Football. It’s like a little preview of what's to come in the fall. It’s also when I like to get our wives together to do different things for our players and coaches after Spring Practices. One of my favorite traditions is passing out popsicles to the players after Saturday practice. There is just something about watching a bunch of tough high school football players run over to get a popsicle! Melts my heart. This is just one thing we do as coaches' wives to bring us together and involve our families in Spring Football.
Our 2023 Convention is only a few months away! I am so excited to be heading back to Houston this year. I can not wait to see all you amazing women! I am so fortunate to be a part of the THSCWA, it has blessed me with a lot of lifelong friendships. Every year I look forward to meeting new coaches' wives. As Coaches Wives, we often go through a lot of the same things but yet have such different stories to tell. You never know which story hits home and becomes something you hold onto. If you have never been able to join us at convention, I hope this is the year you choose to come. You will leave convention with dozens of new friends and a community of amazing wives that are here to support and encourage you.
Convention planning is in full swing and with that comes some very important details. We are still accepting scholarship applications for coaches kids that will be graduating with the class of 2023. If you need more information about the scholarship application, please reach out to us via email at THSCWAScholarship@gmail. com. We are in need of some amazing door prizes. So, when you are out shopping, keep us in mind. Each year our auction baskets get better and better. Let’s keep that up. Donate a basket for the silent auction on behalf of the coaches wives from your district! Finally, we need Vendors! If you have your own small business or if you know anyone interested in being a vendor, please reach out to us via email at txcoacheswives@gmail.com. Team work really does make the dream work and we couldn’t do any of this without our amazing members!
Dates to Remember
Scholarship Application Deadline—----------- April 28, 2023 @ 11:59 PM
Online Membership Form Closes—------------ May 1, 2023
Convention Registration Opens—-------------- May 31, 2023
Your 2022-2023 President, Shelby B. Shelby, Region 7 : McAllen High School, txcoacheswives@gmail.com
PRESIDENT: SHELBY B. SHELBY
PRESIDENT ELECT : misty houston
SECRETARY: justine palmer
TREASURER: cynthia griffing
PAST PRESIDENT: KARYN STORY
SPECIAL COMMITTEES:
SCHOLARSHIP CHAIR - ERIN SMITH, SOCIAL MEDIA CHAIR -
DIRECTORS
REG 1: kim keys
REG 2: ANGIE MARTINEZ
REG 3: MONICA HARP
REG 4: ANGIE TORRES
REG 5: erin smith
REG 6: DAISY GREEK
REG 7: MORGAN HAMRICK
REG 8: amanda aguirre
ASSISTANT DIRECTORS:
REG 1: clara simmons
REG 2: JESSICA ATWOD
REG 3: KRISTEN HAYWOOD
REG 4: GENTRY STAUGH
REG 5: RACHAEL MCGUIRE
REG 6: LYNDSEY RATLIFF
REG 7: AMBER HILLIS
REG 8: open
Being a middle school athletics coordinator is at times deemed as an “extra duty” or “in charge” position. However, being an effective middle school coordinator can be a great asset to your campus and high school programs. Three of the most important attributes of being an effective coordinator are pride, preparation, and communication.
No one goes into a coaching career planning to layer their wealth. Middle school coaching is, more than occasionally, assigned to applicants as “how do you feel about coaching?” As a coordinator, it has to be a duty to spread your passion and enthusiasm to those who lack the luster or are new to the career. Having pride in your campus, in your athletes, and in your job is contagious. It's something as simple as wearing your school apparel every day. It's making sure your coaching staff has enough school swag to brand their pride. It's building genuine relationships with your coaching staff. Giving your coaching colleagues affirmations on anything that may help build their self-worth will in turn create a sense of pride in their work ethic. Attendance, practice preparation, game performance, class room duties, handling a difficult parent, encouraging athletes are all opportunities to give a colleague a high five. If your district celebrates things like Coach of the Week or Month, make sure to nominate your coaching staff. Appreciation fuels pride.
For most things in life and careers, preparation is a must. At the middle school level, when athletes are still at a high parent dependency rate, it is imperative that coaches are prepared for the lot. Having a prepared and organized coordinator helps to diffuse most chaos and “surprises”. Effective coordinators
always have a “Plan B” ready. Coordinators should handle the brunt of uncertainties, cancellations, absent game-day athletes, weather changes, etc. All coaching staff should know the primary plan and action. The coordinator should have the objective mindset to come up with the most advantageous plan for all athletes, no matter the obstacle. Another part of preparation is inventory of equipment, uniforms, gym space and school calendars. Always know what you have, what you need, and how to get it. Create a day before the school year begins to become familiar with your coaching staff. Get to know their strengths and weaknesses. Delegate duties that they are comfortable with, along with duties that are modeled and taught to them. Coaches that are new to the staff need preparation that a coordinator may have to facilitate. YouTube has made it all but impossible to be prepared for the sport/event you may be coaching. Use your resources. Make yourself familiar with the campus calendar. Creating or having a handbook that is specific to your middle school district is a highly effective tool for preparation.
Preparation leads into communication. Efficient communication is one of the most powerful tools an effective coordinator can have. Communication with parents should be a non-negotiable at the middle school level. Have you ever tried to get directions from a 13-year-old boy or girl? Creating an email distribution list for each grade level is an effective way to communicate with parents. Using apps such as sportsYou, TeamSnap, or Game Changer are always helpful when sending direct notifications to parents and students. Sending a
general athletics newsletter at the beginning of each week to communicate practice times, requirements for athletics, links to purchase gear/swag, game schedules, weather reports, and high school game schedules can create a routine for parents, school staff, and coaching colleagues to receive necessary information. Google docs and sheets should be something you are using quite frequently. They are significant organizational tools. Those and similar programs save and edit easily. Communication amongst the coaching staff is just as crucial. Any information that is directly communicated to you that may affect them should be passed to your staff in a timely manner. This will help create a mutual respect which reciprocates an open line of communication.
As throughout your campus, keeping the morale of your coaching staff high throughout the year is an unspoken duty of an athletic coordinator. Having pride, being prepared, and communicating will enhance the effort of creating a confident and successful culture for all involved.
BEONE SPORTS CLELL WADE COACHES DIRECTORY GIPPER
PORTAPHONE
JOSTENS RIDDELL HELLAS CONST. SIGN CHAMP
Supporting Sponsor: SI Wealth Management
OFFICIAL PARTNERS
» REGISTRATION The price for Coaching School registration will be the same as last year, however please make note of the newest registration deadlines.
REGISTRATION DEADLINES/COST:
MARCH 1 - JUNE 1 - $60 PER COACH
JUNE 2 - JULY 1 - $75 PER COACH
ONSITE AT CONVENTION - $90 PER COACH
(Please note convention registration fees are separate from the annual membership fee. Membership fee/renewal is a separate $70 fee.)
CONVENTION HOURS:
SUNDAY, July 16th - 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
MONDAY, July 17th - 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
TUESDAY, July 18th - 8:00 AM to NOON
» TRANSFERS & REFUNDS The deadline to request a refund or transfer of payment for a Coaching School registration will be July 1st. If you are paying with a school check and still need to hire a coach, you may still send in the registration fee with the rest of your staff and make a note that you would like us to store it in our system as open credit on your school's account until you are able to hire that person.
» U.I.L. CCP MANDATORY EDUCATION We will once again provide opportunities to complete
mandatory U.I.L. CCP courses in-person at Coaching School. We also plan to offer coaches the option to complete these prior to arrival through our THSCA platform on CoachTube. We have a number of coaches choose to get these courses completed at home before arriving. For those that pre-register for the convention by July 7th, we plan to provide early access to CCP Courses the week before the convention.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE 2023 COACHING SCHOOL REGISTRATION FEE:
► IN-PERSON ACCESS to LIVE Demos, Sport Lectures & Professional Development Lectures
► IN-PERSON ACCESS to Exhibit Show and Sponsored Networking Events
► IN-PERSON ACCESS to THSCA Career Center
► IN-PERSON ACCESS to THSCA Regional Meetings & General Meeting, including your OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE OR BE NOMINATED in our 2023 THSCA elections.
► IN-PERSON OPTION to print/laminate your THSCA membership card for upcoming year.
► Access to both IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL opportunities to complete UIL CCP Mandatory Education Courses
► Emailed Certificate of Participation for Continuing Education Hours to provide to your school. (Only available to those who attend the convention in -person and pick up their registration packet onsite.)
SATURDAY,
1:00 PM THSCA Board Meeting
7:00 PM Hall of Honor Banquet
HBGCC Stars at Night Ballroom
SUNDAY, JULY 16
Pre-Registration Packet Printout
Onsite Registration
THSCA Career Center
MONDAY, JULY 17
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
THSCA Office & Help Desk
Exhibits Open
THSCWA Wives Registration
10:00 AM FULL LINE-UP OF LECTURES
11:00 AM FULL LINE-UP OF LECTURES
12:00 PM THSCA HUDDLE UP PRESENTATION
1:00 PM FULL LINE-UP OF LECTURES
2:00 PM FULL LINE-UP OF LECTURES
3:00 PM FULL LINE-UP OF LECTURES
TUESDAY, JULY 18
4:15 - 5:15 PM
NCAA Div. I Head Football Coaches Panel Discussion & Leadership in Women's Coaching Panel Discussion 5:30 - 6:30 PM
Below is a list of discounted hotel rates available through the THSCA Housing Block for the 2023 Coaching School. Online booking will require a credit card in order to secure the room, however the card will not be charged until you check-in or 72 hours before arrival. THE DEADLINE FOR BOOKING AT THE DISCOUNTED RATE WILL BE JULY 1ST.
Booking for the THSCA housing block and updates on hotel availability and parking are only accessible on our website at: www.thsca.com/hotels
Cancellations made after June 1, 2023, and 72 hours prior to arrival date will be charged a $50.00 cancellation fee per room. Continue to use VISIT HOUSTON HOUSING for all changes and cancellations through July 1, 2023. After July 1, 2023, cancellations must be directed to your assigned hotel at least 72 hours prior to arrival or a one night’s room and tax charge will be assessed by the hotel.
Please note the following fee is not included in room rates: 1.25% Tourism Public Improvement District (PID) Fee. Room rates and PID fees are subject to 16.75% Hotel Tax per Night. (Subject to change) *Additional fees may apply for 3rd or 4th person in room: If a rollaway bed is required.*
VISIT HOUSTON HOUSING is the ONLY THSCA designated housing provider for the 2023 THSCA Convention & Coaching School. Beware of other companies misrepresenting themselves as affiliated with THSCA.
turf demos
cedric calhoun - rice
doug conrey - texas long snapping
jeffrey joseph - port neches groves
clint killough - incarnate word
mack leftwich - texas tech
eman neghavi - houston
matt powledge - baylor
texas tech staff
athletic admin
ross bjork - texas a&M
joe castiglione - oklahoma
don coryell - Texas State
curtis culwell - legislative consultant
kelly damphousse - texas state
chris del conte - texas
jeremiah donati - tcu
rusty dowling - thsada
kirby hocutt - texas tech
chris ferris - conroe isd
charlotte jones - dallas cowboys
chris pezman - houston
greg sankey - sec commissioner
volleyball
michael kane - dripping springs
hugh mccutcheon - minnesota
penny lucas white - alabama state
mary merrell - tompkins
ginger murray - celina
tracy porras - monahans
kendra potts - west texas a&M
genny volpe - rice
mitch ables - hawley
Shane Beamer - South Carolina
tyler beatty - china spring
mac brown - UNC
justin burke - utsa
kendall briles - tcu
dana dimel - utep
dj durkin - texas A&M
sonny dykes - tcu
denny faith - albany
jake fieszel - gunter
blake gideon - texas
joe gillespie - tcu
aj milwee w/ Chris Jackson - texas
Rhett Lashlee - SMU
claude mathis - desoto
eric morris - unt
bobby petrino - texas A&M
matt rhule - nebraska
reginald Samples - Duncanville
drew sanders - vandegrift
jay vilai - oklahoma
matt wallerstedt - utep
tony arbogast - flower mound - water polo
alberto escalante - boerne champion - water polo
logan kelly - lovejoy - cross country
darby norman - randall - tennis
Plus more to come!
aquatics (swim/dive, water polo)
Athletic Administration baseball basketball (boys & girls)
cross country (boys & girls)
Football golf (boys & girls)
professional development soccer (boys & girls)
Junior High Acadmey
tennis (boys & girls)
SOFTBALL strength & conditioning
volleyball track & field (boys & girls)
wrestling (boys & girls)
Your questions and concerns about your health matter. Ascension Seton care teams are here to empower you and your family by listening, respecting your experiences, and creating a care plan that works for you. You deserve to be seen and heard. That‘s why our doors are always open to provide health and healing, for the whole you — body, mind and spirit. To us, you are more than a patient. And together, we are a community.
As the head coach at Georgetown HS, I am fortunate enough to have a tremendous staff. I do not coach a position or call the offense or defense. This has given me a unique perspective on our staff and our team development. Our staff does an excellent job growing and learning in their professional respects. Whether that be position specific or offense/defense specific. They are constantly learning and growing. Three years ago, I was challenged by a good friend of mine, Colonel Craig Flowers, to help our staff grow personally as well.
In our talk, he suggested that most organizations or teams fail when they fail in strategic and long-term planning. To be honest, I thought I was already pretty good at that. I try to stay six months to a year ahead, but he was thinking 5 years out. What in the world does “long term planning” as a high school football coach look like? How do I plan five years out for our program? State and local funding are in constant flux. There will
be staff changes. There will be administration changes. As high school coaches, we never really know what our kids or our team is going to look like in five years. We can guess, but there are a lot of moving parts in that. So, what can I control? And, how can I develop what I can control? Those became my big questions.
Personnel became my focal point. The best way to ensure a 5-year plan is to have consistency on our staff. So, new questions arise. How can I develop that consistency? I want our coaches to grow and to go be head coaches and coordinators. When a coach leaves, how do we handle that change? How can we continue developing the same staff and program culture consistently over time, even with changes in staff personnel? How is all of this possible with constantly changing variables on different fronts?
Colonel Flowers’ suggestion was to look outside our organization for help on this. Someone who was a stakeholder, but not in the typical fashion. I wanted someone with no kids in the program, not a financial supporter, and not a GISD employee. But, I did want someone with a genuine care for our program and what it stood for. Thankfully, I taught a class at church with someone who fit that bill. Mike was a former Army basketball player and West Point graduate. He was a former captain in the US Army and had led several operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was a local business leader. He had kids at our school, but not in our program. He was a great fit and thankfully, he jumped at the chance to work with our staff.
Mike and I sat down to figure out what this would look like, and how we would put it together.
We decided on a book study. We met early on Wednesday mornings in the Spring. This could have proved to be a challenge for our staff. I am not a fan
of meeting to meet or adding “extra” things onto our staff, but Mike’s unique perspective on high functioning teams that operated at a high level proved to keep our staff challenged and focused. His expertise would prove to be not only valuable, but would challenge our staff to be prepared and to meet the expectations he laid out.
We are currently working on our third Spring together, and this has proved to be an integral piece in developing our staff. We have had some staff changes during this time, but our staff camaraderie and cohesiveness has improved each year. Our study, discussion, and willingness to grow as a staff has created an office that coaches want to be a part of, they want to be here working for our players and our team. Our players, parents, administrators can see it as well. Their level of confidence in our staff has continued to grow. We saw a marked improvement in the leadership of our team by the senior class in the second year as
well. This is in no doubt a direct reflection of the work our staff is putting into the program outside of the X’s and O’s.
The first book we studied was Leadership and Self Deception by The Arbinger Institute. This book dives into the true motivations and effectiveness of our efforts to achieve success. The second book was It’s Personal by Ward, Joiner, and Ivy. This is a faith based book, but we studied its impact from a secular viewpoint, because after all, we are dealing with people and it is personal to everyone involved. This spring we are going to study Culture Wins by Vanderbloeman, and we want to learn more about developing an unremitting and captivating culture within our staff.
These books are just the starting point of our discussions. We have gone much further and much deeper. In our meetings, we have not once discussed football. There has been no talk of quarters coverage, the mesh route, or analytics. We have discussed Red Team Thinking, Dynamic Systems Theory, Cybernetic Control Systems, FFT, The Line of Empowerment, Truth vs Reality, and Institutional Language.
All of this thinking is quite out of the box for a ball coach but, that was the importance of finding someone from the outside. My challenge to you is this; find what works for your staff. Create an environment of growth outside of just ball. As a head coach, with so many things on your plate, staff growth may seem like it can go on the back burner, but it can’t. Find ways for your staff to grow. Find ways to create and maintain the culture you want in the office. Find ways to help your staff improve in each aspect of their life. We are blessed to be in the business of creating young people of character, make sure as a leader in your program that you start with the staff.
North Shore High School has become a factory that churns out wins and Division I players like the local industrial plants churn out oil and petrochemicals.
It wasn't ahvays that way, however. Before 1994, the Mustangs hadn't been to the Texas High School Football Playoffs since opening in ... 1962. North Shore was off the grid.
The visionary Galena Park ISD Athletic Director with high expectations - Ed Warken - hired David Aymond, who was lured to Texas from Louisiana by legendary coach Neal Quillin a decade before. Enter Coach Aymond - the Kingfish in 1994. The Opelousas, Louisiana-native came from poverty to build one of the most recognized high school football brands in the country, one process at a time. Think Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday - unpolished with that gravelly voice with a twinge of cajun mixed in - Aymond was the voice of a program. During the playoffs in 1996, Aymond met and married Liz Fleming eight months later, unifying and stabilizing a family of nine.
He tirelessly instilled his winning process that was so detail-oriented and focused on accountability that it was more Fortune 500 CEO than high school coach. He built a culture ... more of an infrastructure that set high expectations over decades.
Judging any good leader, however, it's about the numbers. And the numbers don't lie.
After never being to the playoffs, Aymond led the Mustangs to the postseason for the next 20 years, starting in Year One. They haven't missed a playoff since.
During his 20-year tenure, North Shore won 206 games, set a State record of 78 consecutive regular season wins, won 13 district titles, went undefeated eight times and won a Class 5A DI State Title (2003).
Possibly the most important number is 187. Aymond was committed to promoting his athletes and 187 of his players signed college scholarshipsthat's over nine student-athletes a year.
He has been recognized by peers for decades. Aymond was a two-time TD Club of Houston Coach of the Year, a I0-time District Coach of the Year, a two-time US Army All-American Bowl coach and a Greater Houston Football Coaches Association Hall of Honor Inductee. Aymond also served as a director for the GHFCA and THSCA.
Aymond was about people and building relationships. One of his best traits was that of a mentor. Pat Alvarado (Northbrook), Mike Coker (Galena Park), Craig Chessher (Stony Point), Jeff Ellison (Odessa Permian), Todd Rankin (Stratford), Brian Ford (Summer Creek), Shaun Wynn (Sam Rayburn) and Jeryl Brixey (Comanche) all became head coaches off of Aymond' s staff over the years. The program he was instrumental in building has
stood the test of time, as his long-time assistant Jon Kay has taken North Shore to new heights. Aymond's fingerprints and voice can still be heard throughout the halls of the #Eastside.
Tim Buchanan grew up in Killeen, TX and was the sixth child in a family of seven. He spent most days playing some type of game with his older brothers and their friends. Tim believes that is where he developed his never-give-up attitude. He attended Killeen High School participating in football and track & field. He played high school football for two Hall of Honor Coaches: Gene Rogers and Tommy Cox. His junior and senior years, Tim played for Coach Rex Turner. After graduation, Buchanan attended Abilene Christian University on a football scholarship for one semester before transferring to Southwest Texas State University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in December 1983.
Tim began his coaching career that same December at Florence HS. He coached junior varsity basketball and was the head track & field coach. Over the next 4 years, Tim coached at Bastrop High School, Killeen Ellison, and The Colony High School. In 1988, Buchanan began coaching and teaching at A&M Consolidated High School under Hall of Honor Coach, Ross Rogers. While at Consolidated, the Tigers were 53-13-1 with 3 appearances in the class 4A state-finals, winning the Class 4A State Football Championship in 1991. Tim also received his master’s degree from Texas A&M while in College Station.
Tim Buchanan became Aledo Independent School District’s Athletic Director and Head Football Coach on April 13, 1993. Exemplary qualities sold Aledo ISD on pursuing Tim as their A.D. and Head Football Coach. These qualities include a tenacious work ethic, a pursuit of excellence in all athletic endeavors, and a genuine desire to become a fixture in the community.
The 1979 Killeen High School graduate says plainly, “I took the Aledo job because of the vast
opportunity. There are good kids here and a real community spirit. Because of the quality of the students and the closeness of the school district, I felt this was the perfect fit for Rebecca (Tim’s wife) and myself.”
Rebecca received her degree in elementary education from Texas A&M University in December 1993. She is currently an Instructional Specialist in White Settlement ISD. Tim and Rebecca have two children: Madeline, a graduate from Texas State University, and Caleb, a Fort Lewis College graduate.
When asked why he wanted to become a coach, Tim stated, “I was the first male in my family to graduate from high school; and I would never have graduated if not for my involvement in athletics. The same coaches who motivated me to stay in athletics and school also directed me into coaching.”
Of his 40 years of experience in education, the last thirty have been at Aledo ISD. In the 25 years as the Aledo Head Football Coach, Buchanan’s career record is 281-58-3 with a playoff record of 81-14. Under Buchanan’s leadership as the head football coach/AD Aledo HS has earned three region semifinalists, five state quarterfinalists, three state semifinalists, and EIGHT State Football Championships.
Tim stepped away from the Head Football Coaching duties in 2014 to become the full time Athletic Director in Aledo, but returned as the head football coach in 2019. As the Athletic Director and/ or head football coach for Aledo ISD, Buchanan has seen every sport improve with State Championships in Boys Golf in 2007, Softball in 2008, 2014 & 2015, Baseball in 2014 and a Texas Record 11 State Football Championships. Aledo High has consistently been in the top ten of the UIL Lone Star Cup Standings, winning the Cup in 1997-98.
Off the field, Buchanan has been active in the Texas High School Coaches Association serving on Football Advisory Committee 2004-07 and as the Region III Director from 2010-13. Tim was recently named as One of Top Ten Football Coaches in Texas by Dave Campbell Football Magazine. Other Coaching honors include: TSWA Class AAAA Coach of the Year in 2013, District Coach of the Year 11 times, the Fort Worth Star Telegram Coach of the Year three times,
the Reebok Coach of the Year in 1997, Padilla Poll 5A Coach of the Year twice, the Lay Witnesses for Christ International Coach of the Year in 2004, and the National Football Foundation Gridiron Club of Dallas Legends Award Winner in 2022. Tim was an assistant coach on the 1992 South All-Star Football staff under Hall of Honor Coach Ross Rogers and was the Texas Team’s Defensive Coordinator in the 2006 Oil Bowl, defeating Oklahoma 17-0.
Tim Buchanan has not only earned the respect of his players, but also the entire Aledo community. His leadership skills both on and off the athletic field are exemplary.
Don was born October 24, 1944, to Bobby and Allen D. Cumpton in Clovis, New Mexico. Don is the second of the Cumpton's four children. He has two sisters, Nancy and Patsy, and one brother, Rex. The Cumptons lived in the small country community of Ranchvale, New Mexico, until 1952 when they moved to Bovina, Texas.
All of the Cumpton kids were very active in the school and community sports' programs in Bovina, with the encouragement and support from both of their parents. Nancy was a member of the Bovina girls basketball team, which played in the UIL State Tournament for two consecutive years. Patsy was a Varsity member of the girls basketball team, and brother Rex was an outstanding football player on two playoff teams. Don himself was an all-around athlete playing football, basketball, baseball, track, and tennis.
Don graduated from Bovina High School in 1963 and enrolled in West Texas State University with the sole ambition of becoming a "Coach." After graduating from WTSU in 1967, Don accepted his first coaching job down the road at Tulia High School as an assistant football and basketball coach. Tulia is also where Don met his lovely wife Linda, who has been his support and companion for 53 years. They had two sons, Brent and David.
In 1970 the Cumptons' lives changed when Don accepted an offer to move to Hereford. Larry Wartes, a member of the THSCA Hall of Honor, hired Coach Cumpton as an assistant football coach and head track coach for the Hereford Whitefaces. When Coach Wartes moved into administration, Larry Dippel, also a member of the THSCA Hall of Honor, took over as Head Coach of the Whitefaces. It was during this time Coach Cumpton served as Coach Dippel' s Defensive Coordinator.
In 1974, Coach Cumpton accepted the Head Football coaching position at Sanford-Fritch High School. After one year at Sanford-Fritch, Cumpton, assisted by an outstanding coaching staff, led the Eagles to their first District and Bi-District Championship in school history.
Following the rebuilding of the Sanford-Fritch program, in 1976 Cumpton took over a struggling Muleshoe Mule program. One year later the Mules, relishing a great 9-1 season, celebrated a District CoChampionship.
Receiving a call from his mentor, Larry Wartes, in 1978, Coach Cumpton moved back to Hereford as the Football Coach/Athletic Director for the Hereford Whitefaces. During the decade of the 1980's, the Whitefaces were 70-23-2 with 6 playoff appearances, including the 5A Semi-finals in 1981 and the 4A Semi-finals in 1986. For this success, The Amarillo Globe News recognized Coach Cumpton as the Coach of the Decade for the Texas Panhandle.
Coach Cumpton, with an overall coaching record of 115-62-6, received many awards for his success in the 1980's. They include:
• 1981 Coach of the Year in the Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame
• Amarillo Globe News Super Team Coach of the Year on 3 occasions in the 1980's
• THSCA Director 1980-1982
• WTSU Alumni Coach of the Year 1981
• SWOA Sportsmanship award in 1981 & 1986
• Greg Sherwood service award 2010
Cumpton then tried his hand in the "Little
Southwest Conference" at Abilene High School; but after three years, he made a decision to "go home" when Hereford offered him a chance to return as their Head Coach & AD.
Following the 1990 season with the Hereford Whitefaces, Cumpton accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent at Hereford ISD until he retired from the school business in 1996.
For the next ten years, Don Cumpton was the Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation. Leading a strong board, he was extremely successful in bringing new business and industry to the Hereford area.
Coach Cumpton is now retired from school and the community work force. His wife, Linda, and dog, Suzy, help him enjoy retirement. Linda & Coach are very active in Special Olympics, supporting their youngest son, David. They also spend a great deal of time watching college football & basketball, NFL football, and the Texas Rangers.
Coach Cumpton continues to keep up with other coaches, players, and the many people whose lives have touched his. Many have, in turn, benefited from his coaching, friendship, and mentoring through the years. He's been blessed, but he's certainly blessed and touched the lives of others in his path.
Bryan Dausin was born on January 28, 1960, in San Antonio, Texas where he grew up. He was the fifth of eight children consisting of six boys and two girls. Bryan attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in San Antonio. He was a two-way player at offensive tackle and defensive end and threw the discus in track. After his senior football season, he received honors for 1st Team All-District as well as All-City offensive lineman. He was selected to play in the 1978 THSCA All-Star Football Game as a South All Star.
At the completion of high school, Bryan became the first of three brothers (Randy ‘82-’85, Chris ‘89-
’93) to sign and play for the Fight’n Texas Aggies. He started in the offensive line for 3 years, under head coaches Emory Bellard, Tom Wilson and Jackie Sherrill.
In the spring of 1983, Bryan signed a free agent contract with the Houston Oilers. At the end of Oiler training camp, he returned to A&M and got his first taste of the career he would fall in love with. Under Head Coach Jackie Sherrill, Bryan served as a studentcoach for the Aggies ‘83 season. He went on to sign and play in the USFL’s ‘84 & ‘85 spring seasons for the Houston Gamblers & Denver Gold. Coach Dausin completed his college degree in fall of 1984 after student teaching and coaching at Navasota Jr. High.
In 1985, Coach Dausin returned to San Antonio to take a coaching/teaching position at Jackson Middle School in North East ISD. In 1986, Robert E. Lee High School Head Coach Bobby Smith hired him to coach offensive and defensive line, basketball, and track. In 1988, he was promoted to Offensive Coordinator and continued in that position under Jimmy Burkholder through the 1993 season.
In 1994, Athletic Director Jerry Comalander hired Coach Dausin as the new head coach at his alma mater, Theodore Roosevelt High School. The 1995 Rough Riders won the Division II 5-A State Championship becoming the first team in 5-A to attain a perfect 16-0 record. During the regular season, the Rough Riders defeated their rivals, the Judson Rockets, who went on to become the ‘95 Division I 5-A State Champions. Two State Champions from the same district. USA Today Polls ranked the Rough Riders #4 nationally and #1 in the southwest. The Texas High School Football Hall of Fame presented the Rough Riders with the Gordon Wood Award.
In 1997, San Antonio Northside ISD AD, Dub Farris hired Coach Dausin to lead the John Marshall Rams. While there, the Rams gained four consecutive playoff appearances, the first time in school history. The 2000 Ram team were District and City Champions. Their 14-0 record earned them a State Semi-final appearance where they were stopped by the eventual State Champions, the Katy Tigers.
In 2002, Coach Dausin left Marshall to open the district’s new school, Earl Warren High School.
He spent the next 16 years at Warren, having the privilege of coaching both of his sons. Under Dausin’s helm, the Warriors accrued 8 playoff appearances. The 2011 team advanced to the Regional Semi-finals.
After 33 years, Coach Dausin retired from publicschool coaching in 2018. His career record as a Head Coach was 165-107. In reflection, one of his greatest points of pride was having 14 of his Assistant Coaches go on to become Head Football Coaches.
However, he did not retire from coaching entirely. He went on to coach at Texas Lutheran University under Carl Gustafson, Antonian College Prep under Danny Padron, and is currently at Trinity University under Jerheme Urban. His career affiliations and awards include: 1995 Texas Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year; San Antonio Express News Coach of the Year; a 2003 US Army All Star Coach; 2016 San Antonio Sports All-Stars Head Coach; and serving on THSCA Board of Directors 2005-2008. He is also a longtime supporter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Coach Dausin is married to his wife, Lisa. The rest of the family includes sons, Ross, 33, Rex, 29 and wife Chelsea. The newest lights of his life are granddaughters Chloe, 8, and Kenna, 1.
Texas High School Coach, Glen West, successfully served Belton ISD, Round Rock ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Kemp ISD and Brenham ISD as an assistant coach, head coach, and athletic director for 34 years. Public Schools are his passion and watching young athletes from every walk of life work toward their goals and dreams has brought immense joy and meaning to his life.
Glen and his wife Julie have been married for 33 years. They met in 1988, while coaching at Round Rock Westwood. Julie is a graduate of the University of Texas, a former Art Director in advertising and a newly retired Graphic Design and Audio Video Production teacher from New Braunfels ISD. She
serves on the women’s ministry team at River City Church.
Julie and Glen have two children, Gracie and Gretchen. Gracie received her undergraduate degree from TCU and her master’s degree from Texas State. She is now a first-grade teacher and a co-owner and designer for Gracie and Gretchen Design. She and her husband, Michael Buro, and their one-year-old son, Hank, live in San Antonio where they teach and coach in North East ISD. Michael is the offensive coordinator at Johnson High School, where his offense led the district in total yards this past season. Gretchen is also a TCU graduate and is now the business developer and co-designer of Gracie and Gretchen Design. Erik and Gretchen Yeager live in Austin, where Erik coaches and teaches at Westlake High School. Erik is part of the extraordinary coaching staff that led the Chaparrals to three consecutive state championships while coaching quarterbacks and receivers. Erik is also the Head Coach of the Chaparral Track Team. Both sons-in-law, Michael and Erik, are former Brenham Cubs and played for Coach West and are both graduates of the University of Texas.
Gordon Glen West is the proud son of Coach Kenneth West and the late Shirley West. Glen’s father Kenneth was a longtime coach at Brownwood High School where he won seven state championships as an assistant coach. Glen played on the 1978 Brownwood State Championship Team as an AllState linebacker and is the Godson of and named after Gordon Wood, the legendary coach. Glen went on to college at Angelo State where he graduated in 1984.
Coach West started his coaching career in 1984 in Belton, Texas. He was also an assistant at Round Rock Westwood and Spring Branch Memorial before taking his first head coaching job in 1992 at Kemp High School. A turning point in Glen’s career was teaming up with former Brownwood teammate, Tim Oehrlein. The duo started their career at Kemp and they were able to set records and change history at the two school districts in which they coached together for 26 years.
In their first year at Kemp, they beat their archrival, Mabank, for the first time in 27 years. They
made it to the playoffs for the first time 21 years, and in their second season, started a 5-year winning record. This was monumental for Kemp, who had not had a winning season in 15 years. In West’s sixth season at Kemp, the team advanced to the third round of the playoffs, the farthest advancement in school history. While at Kemp, they had a total record of 41-23-1, the winningest record in school history. Glen and his staff led the teams to the playoffs three of his six years in Kemp before becoming head coach at Brenham in 1998.
Coach West spent 20 years at Brenham as Head Football Coach and Athletic Director. The Brenham coaching staff rose to new heights when long-time friend and high school teammate, Craig Agnew, joined West and Oehrlein. The trio were high school teammates who shared the same coaching philosophy that was passed down from their fathers, who also coached together. During their tenure, Brenham amassed a record of 185-61. The Cubs made the playoffs eighteen of twenty seasons, including the last fourteen in a row. West and the coaching staff were able to turn around the Brenham program that had one winning season in the previous ten years. The three years leading up to West’s arrival had records of 3-7, 2-8, 2-8. Over the 20 years, Brenham became district champs 11 years and competed in 5 Regional Finals, winning four of them, and 4 State Semi-Finals, winning 3 of them. West’s Brenham teams played for the State Title in 2002, 2009, and 2013, the only state appearances in Brenham history. West currently holds the highest winning percentage and number of victories in Cub history.
As a result of the hard work by the Kemp and Brenham coaching staff, 7 athletes have gone on to play in the NFL and 117 have earned college football scholarships, with 63 of them being in Division 1. Coach West has a deep appreciation for the communities of Kemp and Brenham that worked hand in hand with the program so that it could be truly special. These people include Dr. Bill Harlan, Buzzy Hale, Lee Cook, Ed Kruse, Howard Kruse, Melvin Ehlert, Eddie Van Dyke, David Yeager, John Hasskarl, Jim Kolkhorst, Mike Brannon, Dr. Robert Stark, Jon Hill, Michael Groves, Marshall Harrell, Dan Blaylock, and Charlie Matejowsky.
Words cannot describe the overwhelming love and appreciation for the coaches that dedicated their time, effort, love, dedication, and loyalty to the student-athletes in these two communities. These men made a difference in not only their communities, but in families of their former athletes for years to come. In 26 years of head coaching, Glen and his staff have put together an overall record of 226-84-1 with 21 trips to the playoffs. These are the men that should be accepting this honor: Josh Potter, Steve Puckett, Sammy Burnett, Mark Chalk, Todd Schneider, Jim Ferrell, Randy Ewers, Mike Adams, Casey Sink, Ryan Cook, Brett Mouser, Jason Teague, Jason Allred, Steven Lee, Brian Harris, Jerry Newman, Bruce King, Calvin King, Lanny Williams, Brady Pennington, Michael Watts, Bob Purl, Chad Lechler, Walt Mangan, Philip Roberts, Jason Meekins, Noe Castellanos, Chase Wheaton, Andrew Shanle, Matt Ratliff, Wade Wilson, Trey Marik, Art Maxwell, Dexter Smith, and David Yeager. As these coaches have all collectively said “This was Camelot”.
Glen has received several accolades over the years. Among them:
• 11-time District Coach of the year
• 3 Time Brazos Valley Coach of the year
• 2014 Coach of Distinction Award from Texas Coaches Leadership Summit
• 1993 – Recipient of the City of Kemp’s “Man of the Year” Award
• 1993 – Henderson County Coach of the Year
• 2005/2006 – Texas High School Coaches Association “Coach Who Makes A Difference”
• 2014 – Coaching Beyond the Game Award – Texas High School Coaches Education Foundation
As a coach, he served on the THSCA Board of Directors from 2012-2014 and
was elected President of the THSCA in 2015.
Glen officially came to the THSCA on April 2, 2018 and officially took the role Assistant Executive Director of the THSCA on January 1, 2019.
Proper and consistent fueling is important for high performance, as an athlete and as a student. Every meal is an opportunity to provide the energy and nutrients your body needs, plus it gives you an edge over athletes who don’t focus on nutrition.
Incorporate dairy, whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, veggies, and healthy fats into your daily diet to ensure proper fueling and recovery.
Meal planning can be fun and simple. Utilize MyPlate when choosing your meal to help you build a balanced plate. Check out these easy ideas to fuel using MyPlate!
• Breakfast: Mix up overnight oats the night before and grab it from the refrigerator on your way out the door in the morning.
• Lunch: A turkey sandwich, an apple, and a glass of low-fat chocolate milk is a quick, easy lunch idea.
• Snacks: String cheese and grapes is a portable, nutrient-rich snack option.
The diversity, convenience, and taste of dairy foods like Greek yogurt, cheese, and milk are great additions to meals and snacks. Chocolate milk after exercise is an example of a great-tasting recovery snack to promote muscle recovery.
With a little planning, meals and snacks can provide the nutrition to fuel you as an athlete and a student!
If we are currently living in the age of disruption, then the advent of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) seems to be right on schedule. Like a tornado ripping through a trailer park, very few issues have wreaked havoc on amateur athletics like NIL.
Those winds of change are howling across the country, sweeping through college athletics and now moving towards the high school space. As high school athletic directors and coaches grapple with the thought of NIL, it will take steady leadership, which Texas has in droves, to properly manage the inevitable disruption. To understand what’s at stake, it might be helpful to look at how we got to this point.
NIL has its origins in 2008 when former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon found that he was depicted in an EA Sports college basketball video game, licensed by the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company, without O’Bannon’s consent. He led a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA for not allowing athletes to collect a share of revenues generated from the use of their likeness in video games and television broadcasts. In 2014, a federal judge ruled the NCAA had violated antitrust laws
and ordered a payment of $46 million to O’Bannon and 19 other plaintiffs. Five years later, in 2019, California enacted the Fair Pay to Play Act and shortly thereafter, 26 other states passed similar laws. Add in a 2020 defeat in the courtroom, this time in the Supreme Court, and the NCAA’s grip on amateurism finally relented. In the summer of 2021, the NCAA announced an “interim” policy that allowed studentathletes to be paid for their fame.
Change is now here, but it hasn’t exactly been moving at a blistering pace.
While all of the attention of NIL has been centered in college athletics, the impact is now being felt at the high school level. No matter if a state allows high school student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, high schools are feeling the trickle-down effect of the new rules. In Texas, the biggest impact seems to be on opportunity. NIL and the transfer portal in college has dramatically changed the recruiting process and that is limiting the number of opportunities for high school kids to land scholarships to their favorite universities.
That is giving high school coaches a taste of NIL, but the real disruption will come if/when the Texas State Legislature makes it legal for high school students to benefit from NIL. The number of states that allow high school students to profit off of their notoriety has jumped to 27, while several
“Any change, even a change for the better is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.”
- Arnold BennettECCKER SPORTS IS THSCA'S RESOURCE ON N.I.L. EDUCATION FOR COACHES & ATHLETES
others, including Texas, are contemplating passing legislation to give high school athletes the right to earn NIL money.
“Before the NIL bill was even filed in Texas, Coach Martin and I started talking about this and how it would potentially impact high school athletics in the state of Texas,” said Rusty Dowling, Executive Director of the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association. “In order to develop an informed position on this, we decided that the THSCA and the THSADA should form a collaborative group of coaches and athletic directors to provide input and feedback.”
The two men followed through with the idea in February, when the THSCA and the THSADA formed an NIL Advisory Committee to discuss the effect on Texas interscholastic athletics, should state law be passed for student-athletes to monetize their NIL at the high school level. The advisory committee is made up of 10 head coaches, 10 athletic directors, five association executives, and two NIL education experts.
Their approach has been to identify the biggest challenges the adoption of NIL would pose to high school athletics and figure out the appropriate solutions to best manage the unfamiliar terrain, including:
• What does oversight look like, and who manages that?
• High schools don’t have the same resources as colleges, how do you handle compliance?
• How do you set the right policies so that everyone is on a level playing field?
• How do you enact rules that keep kids from being recruited by other schools with more resources?
• How do you ensure that female athletes get the same opportunities as male athletes?
• How do you keep NIL money from undermining the process of developing young athletes for adulthood?
• How do coaches continue to establish and maintain a positive culture in the new environment?
"This is a huge issue, and we need to be thorough in the way that we address it.” said Joe Martin, Executive Director of the THSCA. “We got a lot of great feedback, a lot of direct communication between the two groups that is going to prepare us for the future when this comes. We feel like our approach has been very successful in not only inside this committee, but asking them to reach out to their constituents to get feedback. We asked the athletic directors to utilize their coaches. We went to coaches and asked them to utilize their ADs and other coaches in their school system and school districts. We have also had opportunities to visit with
“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.”
- Maya Angelou
a number of legislators that have given us some great feedback, and we've had the opportunity to address our major universities and get feedback on college NIL and then the high school NIL bill. Those are different things, two different thought processes. It has allowed us to gain a lot of education, knowledge and awareness on a very important issue.”
While not everyone embraces the idea of NIL for high school athletics, everybody agrees that if it
becomes reality, NIL education for athletic directors, coaches and even parents will be paramount to successfully managing an ever-changing environment.
Texas is the standard bearer for leadership in high school athletics that every other state aspires to emulate. By taking a collaborative approach, the THSCA and THSADA are using sharp minds and recent history to help lay out an informed plan for managing the most disruptive issue high school athletics has ever experienced, should it be enacted sooner or later.
“NIL is coming, and it is just a matter of when and how,” Austin Independent School District Athletic Director Leal Anderson said. “I think we have to understand and accept this on many levels. Just saying no, we do not want it is not going to make it go away. So as a result, since it is inevitably coming, how can it be implemented in a fair and thoughtful way? Together, that’s what we need to figure out.”
REHYDRATE WITH natural electrolytes and 90% water
REPAIR WITH 8 grams of high-quality protein per glass
REPLENISH WITH the ideal carbs-to-protein ratio
RESEARCH SUGGESTS high school athletes can lift up to 6-7% more by recovering with chocolate milk instead of a sports drink.
See the power proof at chocmilkpower.com
BY Mauricio Vazquez mvazquez@gogipper.com
with an organization. Here’s why that connection matters for high school coaches:
When you signed up to be a coach, you probably didn't see “marketing professional” in the job description. In addition to the core responsibilities of coaching athletic programs, team promotion and marketing activities often fall on coaches’ laps.
I’m happy to report you don’t have to have a degree in marketing to successfully promote your program. All you need to stand out from the crowd are some branding fundamentals. And if “brand” isn’t in your vocabulary, that’s ok. It’s not a complex concept, rather a relatively easy one if you have the right tools. And let’s face it – you’ll want to embrace branding if you want your program to be successful both on and off the field.
Why do you remember the “That’s What I Like About Texas” slogan from Dairy Queen? What about the “We Are Farmers…” jingle for Farmer’s Insurance? What do you think of when you see a maroon colored block T? A burnt orange longhorn? Companies and organizations invest millions into their brand and the impression it creates on consumers.
But a brand is more than just a logo or a slogan. It’s the sum of all the branding elements that creates an emotional connection people have
Coaches rely heavily on support from the community to be successful. A professionallooking brand can help increase support by creating a sense of pride and loyalty among supporters. For example, if your high school football team has a strong brand, more people are likely to attend games, buy team merchandise,
join the booster club, share social media posts, and support the team in other ways.
A successful brand has persistent building blocks: logos, colors, fonts, etc. These allow you to “own” your brand aesthetic, and unify your teams with it. Whether it’s for the basketball team or soccer team, fans should be able to easily recognize your school and programs because of the consistent look and feel of your promotional material.
If you’re just starting out, these elements lay the foundation for a brand presence that will grow
stronger over time with consistent and continual use. Like a feedback loop, the more you put in, the more you get out.
A strong brand can also help you secure funding for your program, which is essential for purchasing equipment, travel expenses, and other necessary items.
It’s much easier to have sponsorship conversations when local businesses know your brand attracts eyeballs and will bring people through their doors. I’ve talked to many ADs who’ve paid for major gymnasium updates because they built up their brand to the point where sponsors came to them!
Ticket, merchandise, and fundraiser sales also see a boost with strong brand backing.
The good news for coaches is that getting started with building a brand is easy and doesn’t require a huge investment. In fact, there’s a good chance you have many of the items below built out for your program already.
As mentioned, these elements provide the building blocks for your brand. Conduct a full
inventory to see what you have on hand.
• Logos - of the school athletic program and/ or mascot, in high resolution
• Fonts - should be consistent across promotions and have visual impact
• Official colors - not just “red” or “yellow” but actual hexadecimals or pantones
• Slogans - taglines you use regularly for your program (e.g., Champions Built Here)
• Hashtags - social media tags for fans to rally behind and share (e.g. #WinTheDay, #AllGasNoBrakes)
If you’re missing any of these assets, or you think they might need an update, you can create them yourself or request the help of others. Tap into your student body, parents, or volunteers with expertise to help. Or, run a contest within the community!
Now that you have your brand assets, it’s time to put them to use. Use them together to create graphics for promotional flyers, social media posts, banners, letterheads, schedules, broadcasts, and more.
Producing compelling graphics today is easy. There are a variety of design tools to meet your needs, depending on your design experience and budget. Straightforward, plug-and-play options, such as Gipper, let you work off of templates, whereas more complex tools, such as Photoshop and Pixlr, have you start from scratch.
Most of these tools also allow for video and motion/animation. That’s important, as Cisco reported that 82% of global internet traffic came from either video streaming or video downloads last year.
Choose a tool that makes sense for your workflow. Just remember: the more visually engaging, the better. Use video and motion when you can. But don’t overdo it. As the saying goes: less is more.
With your newly branded graphics ready to go, it’s time to share them with the world.
A good place to start is online. While some coaches loathe social media, the vast majority embrace it because they know it’s both low lift and where their audiences are. According to a recent Gipper survey of over 600 athletic administrators, 98.9% of respondents said they use social media to highlight their program. Social media is not a trend, it’s the status quo.
To be effective, social media posting shouldn’t be a one-off activity. Rather, posting should be planned and continuous. Mark your calendar when you plan on posting and what you want to promote, be it schedules, player spotlights, gameday announcements, weather updates, you name it. It’ll take time to build your base, but in time your fans will be hitting the “follow” button in droves.
Next, update your physical promotions. Flyers are great for handing out or posting on community bulletin boards. And banners/posters at events and on the building have lasting impact and catch attention in ways your digital promotions can’t.
Get creative when incorporating your branded materials, and look for additional ways to share them. Scoreboards, video walls, team buses, billboards, and on-field graphics are all great places to establish your mark.
It can seem daunting at first, but building a brand really isn’t. Follow these steps, and with time and patience, your fans, student-athletes, and community members will all not only recognize your brand but proudly tout it their own as well.
There’s no better and easier time than now to dive in. And remember, if you’re not telling your program’s brand story, somebody else is.
Mauricio Vazquez is a former Texas High School Football/ Track & Field Coach and current Marketing Manager at Gipper, the leading graphic solution designed to assist coaches & athletic directors in celebrating and promoting the athletes in their program. You can find more information and additional resources at www.gipper.com.
The enrollment period for 2023-24 Professional Liability Insurance (7/1/23-6/30/24) is now open. You must purchase 2023-24 THSCA Membership (7/1/23-6/30/24) in order to be eligible for this insurance coverage.
** THIS INSURANCE COVERAGE WILL BEGIN ON 7/1/2023 AND WILL EXPIRE 6/30/2024.**
You have the option to purchase online by logging into the Member Portal, or you can visit https://www.thsca.com/liability-insurance to find a downloadable Insurance Registration Form. Find more information on policy coverage on page 16.
by: Rusty Miller, Head Baseball Coach - Banquete HS
Just like many of you, I have read the books, watched the TED Talks, and scrolled through the social media clips of anything that I thought could help me grow the culture of our program. Countless hours of trying to find anything from a new base-running cue, a quote that would make a difference or a motto that fit a current year’s team make-up. I, like you, have tried everything I can to be better. A few years ago, I ran across an article talking about a “Culture Circle” and what it is built around. The “PIVOT POINT” is how everything in your program is connected. Our “PIVOT POINT” is “Being the Best Banquete We Can Be.”
We don’t want to be anyone else, we just want to be the best we can be on-and-off the playing field. How are we connected to each other and what are we all connected to makes us a unit. As you can see in our circle we have six major components that build our program.
1. Academics
2. School/Community
3. TEAM
4. Your Body & Development
5. FAITH & FAMILY
6. WINNING
Each component plays a vital part in how we view our success, but none of them determine success on their own. For example, as hard as it is, if we do not have a winning season, but every other category is at a high level then we have to view ourselves as successful. We believe that a State Championship is a wonderful goal to shoot for and accomplish; however, there have been teams that have won a state championship and cannot hang their hat on any of the other categories as successful, it’s simply all about winning. For us, it is just as important to be a great son, a great student, a great teammate and a great community member as it is to win a championship.
One of our major academic goals each year is the have each player earn a 90 average and earn Academic All District honors. We are typically around 75%, but a couple of years ago we had 19 of 20 varsity players to earn the honor. To us, that is success. We also strive as a team to be recognized as a Team of Academic Excellence by the American Baseball Coaches Association. We have currently accomplished that goal for five years in a row.
A great way to accomplish this mission is to get involved with the local youth league. Over the years, we have spent time umpiring, cleaning fields and doing field maintenance. Every year we also hold Little League Night before a game to work with and recognize those athletes. Any way to show your athletes the importance of the community can be a great asset for attendance at games and building interest for young athletes to desire to be a part of the program.
A few years ago, we brought Stephen Mackey to speak to our athletes; and my favorite thing he said was, “good teammates make good teams and great teammates make great teams.” This has been a staple in our program ever since. We challenge our athletes with the question – “What are you doing every day to be a great teammate?”
Today’s athletes eating and sleeping habits are awful. WE spend a lot of time feeding our players. Almost 60% of our fundraising goes to meals before, DURING & after baseball games. We are weight room guys for sure. We believe in working out every day, INCLUDING GAME DAY!!! Check out our twitter handle @banquetebeisbol for a view of our pre-game workout. Finally, we started to include baseball yoga on Saturday mornings for our players and they love it.
This is a hard one in today’s world, but we believe it is important to have a moral code and strive to represent your maker the right way. Who your maker is, is up to you. The biggest part of this is how our family views us. Are we the son and brother we need to be? Much like a teammate, are you great?
Winning certainly does play a role in what we do. After all, most of the world only cares about this part. We are different and want to be. The biggest quote we use for this is, “Most people don’t want to be a part of the process, but the PROCESS is where you figure out who is worth being a part of the outcome. "
You may also see the phrase "we are NOT a family." “We are a family” is used by many coaches and it has its place for some. We in the baseball program at Banquete disagree, and this is why: A family will constantly forgive and allow mistakes to happen over and over, because the person is in the family. For us, you have to be held accountable. Accountability means, eventually, you don’t do it right and have been given an opportunity, but always failed to stay inside the circle, then, we have to cut ties for the betterment of the program. I had a player a few years ago say in a meeting “Program over Player.” This has its place, but isn’t a constant. Accountability is the constant. For example, we have a rule that if you fail twice in the fall semester, no matter what classes, you cannot participate in the spring. This has been a vital part of our academic success.
Finally, you will see the following listed in the outer portion of the circle.
• GROW – Gain Resiliency over Winning
• FINISH EMPTY – When the game/season is done make sure you have given everything
• MERAKI - doing something with soul, creativity, or love -- when you put "something of yourself" into what you're doing, whatever it may be
• 1+1=3 - defines synergy as the phenomenon of two or more people getting along and benefiting one another, i.e., the combination of energies, resources, talents and efforts equal more than the sum of the parts. It is possible to describe this phenomenon by the expression 1 + 1 = 3
• Well Done>Well Said – don’t tell me, SHOW ME
• Leave a Legacy – make sure that when you leave this team, you have left your mark in a positive way
All of these were motto’s for a particular season. Although, we have had others over the years, these have remained as staples for our program that bind us together from year to year.
I wish you luck in developing your circle and would love to speak to anyone about this topic. Good luck to all of you.
For over 30 years, CoachComm has been the name that more than 25,000 coaches have trusted for proven, reliable coaching communication. From small playing fields to large stadiums, CoachComm headset systems deliver clear and e ective coaching communication on the sideline, across the field, and in the press box - even in the toughest game environments. Regardless of size or budget, CoachComm has a winning headset system to fit your team's needs.
Largest football equipment manufacturer of helmets and shoulder pads.
Largest reconditioner of football equipment in the world. Market leader in football head protection technology. The industry leader in smart helmet technology.
Riddell is proud to sponsor the Texas High School Coaches Association
For more information, contact your Riddell sales representative or call 1.800.275.5338
Having been part of a football program for the past 23 years, 8 as a player and 15 as a coach, I have come to see the importance of the following two quotes: “Some people try to find things in this game that don’t exist but football is only two things -- blocking and tackling,” by Vince Lombardi, and “Effort is between you and you. Nobody else,” by Ray Lewis.
Football has changed exponentially since Rutgers and Princeton squared off against each other in 1869, which is considered by many to be the first football game ever played. From the first forward pass in 1906, to the wishbone, to today’s game, which is spread all over the field, football is constantly evolving. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Basic fundamentals are still the most important part of building a successful defense.
All good defenses have a sturdy foundation. Just like with a house, if the foundation isn’t solid, it will sink and cause cracks throughout the entire structure. A proper foundation keeps everything above it supported, even when crazy things happen and mistakes are made. At any level of football, especially when dealing with 14-18 year old kids, crazy things are going to happen and mistakes are going to be made. If the defense has been built on a solid foundation, those crazy plays and mistakes are mitigated. Here at Lone Star, our defense has been built on pursuit. We start each practice with this drill. We stress the importance of doing pursuit during meetings before practice, and
the kids know the drill must be run perfectly. Pursuit drill is slotted for 5 minutes; however, our kids know and the coaches buy into the fact that if the drill isn’t run correctly, pursuit drill can last 10, 15 or 20 minutes. We will not move into other parts of practice until the pursuit drill is finished.
After going back and looking through film from the past two seasons, our pursuit as a unit shows up in multiple facets of the game: tackling, turnovers, and helping erase mistakes made by players.
As a result of pursuit by our players, we were a good tackling team because we had many of our players around the football. As a staff, a few years ago, we labeled every tackle made in a single season. We found that very rarely were our players in a situation in which the “perfect form tackle” was made. What we did find was that most of the players made tackles on an angle, and that we were able to get ball carriers on the ground because all 11 guys were swarming to the ball.
Turnovers were in more abundance as a result of the pursuit by our players. By getting more players to the ball, we are able to get the second, third, and fourth defender in a position where they can get in on stripping the ball carrier. It also seemed to help that there was always an extra guy there to fall on the ball when it popped out. This past season, we also had more interceptions on tipped balls than we have had in the past.
The effort and pursuit by our players also help in covering up mistakes made during the game. Blown assignments, or a slip here or there can be disastrous for any defense. We stress and demand that full effort, of all 11 guys to the ball, be given on every play. This has helped turn huge plays that would normally be touchdowns, into 20 or 30 yard plays. It makes the offense snap the ball again, and gives us another chance to get off the field. It also helps in keeping missed tackles by a single player from turning into big plays for the offense.
The aspects of pursuit drill that I enjoy most are that all players are a part of the drill. It takes our best player and our least talented player to be perfect to complete the drill. It teaches entering the field with the right mentality and maintaining the right mentality. It makes the players rely on one another. It also gives us an outlet to teach the defense that they cannot point fingers at each other when mistakes are made. It truly takes all of us. It teaches them that
when things aren’t going the way they want them to, they have to forget what happened on the previous play, pull together, and get ready for what is next.
Pursuit is a fundamental part of a defense that can not be overlooked and must be practiced. Most defenses have a pursuit drill they perform. We have taken multiple pursuit drills done by different coaches and molded it into our own. For example, our pursuit drill is actually a combination of pursuit and fit drill. I attribute our good pursuit obsession to drills that we have seen performed by others at practice and at clinics.
The way in which the drill is run is important to the drill itself. Each player will perform the drill. We WILL run ruthless and relentless to the football as a defense. They know that full-out effort and perfection will need to be demonstrated in order for the drill to end.
Four groups are put together for the drill. Our 1’s are a group, followed by the 2’s, JV 1, and JV 2. Players can stack at each position, when there are more players than positions on the field.
Each coach watches his players during the drill to see if the player is aligning properly before the snap, communicating and making calls, using proper technique, and giving full-out effort. At the completion of the drill by the group, if any of the coaches felt that their position didn’t meet those expectations, the coach will teach the kids what went wrong, correct it, and go back to their group position on the sideline and get ready to try again later. The defense as a whole would not get credit for that rep. Once the coach has decided that the number of perfect reps are obtained, we will end the drill and move onto the next part of practice.
The drill is started with all four groups on the sideline. Group one is located at the 10 on the left side of the field. Group two is located on the left side of the field at the 20. Group three is located on the right side of the field at the 10. Finally, group four is located at the 20 on the right side of the field. A coach will call out “group one ” or “group four”, and that group breaks out and sprints onto the field to their respective positions. A second coach gives the play call, and players will communicate accordingly. At the beginning of the year, we place cones where each player will align. As the year progresses, we will use a LOS tape and players line up off the LOS. We also have “rabbits’’ that pose as ball
carriers. One is placed at RB, and the other two are placed in the slots to mimic two running vertical.
Once the players sprint on the field, align in their correct positions, and make necessary calls and adjustments, a coach calls the cadence and run stretch to the right or left side of the formation.
The DL starts on their bellies, and upon snap of the ball, pop up and get into their correct pursuit angles. LB’s and DB’s take their appropriate angles and sprint to their fitting position on the ball carrier, or to their cone based on coverage, alignment, and direction the ball carrier went. Working from the outside in, the playside corner fits on the outside shoulder of the ball carrier while staying square. The safety ball side runs the alley between the corner and the OLB. Playside OLB will fit on the inside hip. Playside ILB will fit on the near inside hip. Playside DE will fit near hip. The nose will chase backside cheek. Back side DE will play for QB keep then trail deepest back.
Once the defense has made their fit on the ball carrier, or sprinting to their cone on the sideline, the players chop their feet. A coach breaks them out, for example, “Savage squad on three”, and all players sprint past the LOS and back into their huddle on the sideline.
The DC checks with each coach to seek approval for the rep. If no errors were made, the coach gives a thumbs up and that rep is complete. If a mistake is made, the coach gives a thumbs down and explains what went wrong. This is repeated until the DC is happy with the number of perfect plays run.
The drill is started the exact same way as run pursuit. Two rabbits are lined up in the slot and will simulate two going vertical. The secondary coach points from a position located behind the defense as to which rabbit will run down the field. A coach simulates the snap, takes a drop, and throws the ball to the designated rabbit running downfield. The d-line simulates a pass rush while the LB’s and DB’s take their drops based on quarterback off the ball.
The defense sprints to the receiver that the ball was thrown to and forms a semi-circle around the receiver while chopping their feet. Once all defenders arrive, a coach breaks them out, they sprint past the LOS, and to their huddle back on the sideline. The evaluation process from each coach is performed and they are either given credit for the play or denied credit.
the DB yells, “oskie,” and sprints down the nearest sideline. The rest of the defense will try to sprint in front of the defense and simulate a block. If a defender is behind the football, they throw their hands up and simulate a touchdown signal. This is done to keep players from blocking behind the ball. The defensive line on an interception will go and simulate a block on the quarterback to show it is their job to keep him from making the tackle. Eventually, all players end up in the end zone to celebrate.
In case the fumble can’t be scooped and scored, the closest player to the ball falls on it with correct positioning. The rest of the defense sprints to the guy recovering the ball, gets around to protect the other team from jumping on, and points with enthusiasm that we recovered the fumble. As with the other drills, the rep is either confirmed or denied by all coaches.
The drill is started the exact same way as the other two. On the snap, the coach can drop back and pass or run the stretch. A coach located behind the defense will instruct which rabbit will get the ball. If it is stretch, the ball is fumbled to the ground, and the defense will perform a scoop and score. If it is an interception,
Pursuit drill has been very effective in shaping the foundation of our defense. It has made a difference in tackling, creating turnovers, and mitigating mistakes that arise during the game. It also has provided the team an opportunity to lead, follow, and be able to move onto the next play. For us, it is the ultimate team drill.
Have you checked out our All-New 4-L's (LISTEN, LEARN, LOVE & LEAD) Curriculum?
Coach Stephen Mackey of 2Words Character Development along with our THSCA I.D.E.A. Committee (for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Awareness) have worked together to generate a library of short video lessons for coaches to use as a tool when addressing issues of racial injustice and social unrest. Check out the lessons we already have available at www.thsca.com/4l and look to access even more this coming spring through your THSCA Member Portal Account.
8 Lessons Available Now...
• What to do when your impact is not what you intended?
• How can we teach youth better interaction with law enforcement?
• How can we support our student-athletes in times of injustice and re-direct anger?
• Removing fear from difficult conversations
• Creating a space in which students and coaches can listen to one another
• Making diversity a strength
• Why does the language you use matter to the integrity of your program?
• How can you host an honest conversation with your team about social injustice and racial equality?
