Mustangs fans check off coach wish list
About 50 Mustangs fans attended a community input meeting on Nov. 29 to voice their opinions on the search for a new athletic director and head football coach for Marble Falls High School. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
Around 50 Mustangs fans attended a community input meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 29, to help district officials in their search for the next Marble Falls High School head football coach and athletic director.
“We realize this is a very important hire for our district, for the community, but most importantly, for our children,” Assistant Superintendent of Operations Stan Whittle told the crowd. “Our students deserve the very, very best.”
Those attending identified the type of experience, professional skills, and personality traits the new hire should possess.
Superintendent Dr. Jeff Gasaway likened the meeting to “building a wish list.”
“Our goal is to find candidates who meet a lot of these characteristics,” he said. “What we ought to do is aspire for the stars, and then we can go from there.”
Fans made it clear the next AD/coach should have a history of prioritizing strength and conditioning for athletes.
“It’s one of the keys for me,” Brett Carter said. “You can always tell who has a good strength-and-conditioning program and who needs a little bit more work. I would be curious to know what his philosophy is on that and what experience he has building that sort of program.”
Michele Boshears, wife of Marble Falls Independent School District Trustee Gary Boshears, made a case for the next coach to be heavily involved with the district’s younger football program.
“They need to have experience building a foundation from the youth to the high school,” she said.
Rey Salinas, a youth football assistant coach for Hill Country Elite, echoed that thought.
“Herman worked with our youth,” he said about former head coach and AD Brian Herman, who resigned earlier this month. “They were learning his (offensive scheme). If he would have had longevity, it would have eventually turned out better because the youth were picking up the Slot-T. Not only do we need a coach to invest in the high school (athletes), but the youth as well.”
MFHS head baseball coach Tyler Porter emphasized that the new hire should be engaged with all sports at the high school in their dual role as football coach and athletic director.
“They can’t be a football guy at the expense of other sports,” he said.
As of Nov. 29, about 90 people had applied for the job. The window for applications closes Monday, Dec. 4. Officials previously set a Dec. 18 deadline for a decision.
A committee consisting of Dr. Gasaway, Assistant Superintendent Whittle, MFHS Principal Patrick Hinson, and Marble Falls Middle School Principal Rudy Gonzalez is charged with interviewing the candidates.
“We’re going to be able to kick enough rocks over to find out who are going to be the top ones worth talking to,” said Gasaway, who will make the final recommendation to the school board.
Hinson encouraged fans to welcome the new hire with open arms once announced.
“I firmly believe we will be able to check a lot of these boxes,” he said, referring to suggestions from the community. “At the end of day, this is one guy. That guy has a lot of influence, but it takes a community of coaches and players and parents to support them.”