This Week in Texas High School Football: January 24

Realignment The big day is Thursday, February 1 and of course we’ll have full coverage and reaction from what is by far the biggest day of the off-season. The UIL has already released the classification breaks and the enrollments of all member schools and we took the liberty of crafting our own statewide mock realignment for 6A-2A at the link below (For Texas Football Insiders Only): http://www.texasfootball.com/mockrealignment Peterman resigns at DeSoto Thursday afternoon DeSoto HFC Todd Peterman resigned his post effective at the end of the school year. It ends a three-year run in which the Eagles posted a 32-8 record, including a 16-0 mark and the 2016 state championship. In a much-publicized public meeting, the DeSoto ISD board strongly considered not renewing Peterman last April but decided against it after the news was made public. I chatted with Peterman Thursday afternoon before he spoke to his team. “I want everyone to know I am doing this on my own, no one in DeSoto ISD forced me out or asked me to resign,” Peterman said. “I just felt like at this time it’s better for me and my family to resign now so I can pursue other opportunities and allow DeSoto ample time to find my replacement.” Schmid steps down at The Woodlands Just an hour before the DeSoto news broke, another major coaching change was taking place down in the Houston area as Mark Schmid announced he would be stepping down as head coach at The Woodlands. Schmid, who led The Woodlands to the 2016 state title game, spent the last 30 years at TWHS, 14 of that being as the head football coach. A pair of openings at Pasadena There are now two openings in Pasadena ISD after Dwayne Lane at South Houston was named head football coach at Clear Creek. Lane departs South Houston after five seasons and now that job is open along with Dobie which opened in December after the resignation of Mike Norman. A Southlake Stunner Southlake Carroll head football coach Hal Wasson was placed on paid administrative leave according to a press release from Carroll ISD Wednesday afternoon. The move comes after rumblings of possible issues in the football program started up Monday afternoon before a school board meeting that night which had an agenda item related to “High School Athletic Personnel.” The CISD board met in executive session for three hours and emerged with no action, but rumors continued to circulate for another 36 hours until the press release. The reason for the paid leave were left vague in the press release, but we do know the investigation is being conducted by Carroll ISD’s Assistant Superintendent, Athletic Director Darren Allman and the CISD Human Resources Department. The review is centered around UIL rules culture of the football program and ensuring employees’ understanding and compliance with district policies, practices and guidelines. CISD has been in contact with the UIL about the review and according to the press release, paid leave is standard procedure. Wasson has been at Southlake Carroll since 2007 posting an impressive 121-25 record and leading the Dragons to a state title in 2011. This review is certainly a surprise to most, considering the Dragons by most accounts over-achieved in 2017. I will be very surprised if Wasson returns to the sidelines in Southlake in 2018, even if the review turns up nothing that would raise a red flag or give cause for termination of employment, you’ve got to think that the relationship between Wasson and his superiors in administration is severely damaged. Joe Lepsis to New Braunfels Canyon Wylie East’s Joe Lepsis, who is the only coach the school has ever known, announced to his team on Monday that he had accepted the head football coach post at Class 6A New Braunfels Canyon. Lepsis, joins back up with his former offensive coordinator at Wylie, Casey Whittle, who is now the principal at Canyon. Lepsis has been a mainstay in Wylie as he opened up Wylie East’s varsity program in 2010 and prior to that was a longtime assistant at Wylie High. Hiring delays in Edinburg The process for hiring a new head coach at Edinburg North has hit a couple of snags the past week or so and the Cougars remain without a football coach. The hire was originally supposed to be made last week at a board meeting, but due to the ice storm that hit Texas the board meeting was postponed and moved to Tuesday night. The board met Tuesday and per the McAllen Monitor, ENHS baseball coach Damian Gonzalez was presented first and he did not receive the necessary votes for approval. Then current QB Coach Raul Salas was presented and again he did not garner the needed votes from the ECISD school board to be approved as a hire. The board adjourned without making a decision and they will reconvene on January 30 to try and approve a hire. It’s unknown if Gonzalez or Salas will be presented to the board or if a new name will be presented for approval. In a bit of odd irony, the president of the Edinburg CISD school board is also the Athletic Director/Head Football Coach at nearby LaFeria ISD. Amarillo names Chad Dunnam Monday night Amarillo ISD named Dumas head coach Chad Dunnam as its next head football coach replacing Mel Maxfield. Dunnam has had excellent success at Dumas including a 25-8 record the past three years and he brings a more wide-open offensive style to the table for AHS who has run the Wing-T offense recently. Dunnam’s spread offensive attack still retains many of the physical traits that have become a hallmark of Amarillo football. With Dumas opening up don’t be surprised if defensive coordinator Aaron Dunnam is the leading candidate to take over from his brother with the Demons dropping to Class 4A. Lubbock High hiring timeline set I spoke to Lubbock ISD Athletic Director Mike Meeks on Sunday afternoon and he advised me that the application process for the vacant head football coach position at Lubbock High would remain open until February 2 and then interviews would begin shortly thereafter. Expect a hire to be made at the February board meeting which takes place right at the end of the month. Chris Ross returns to Texas After two years as the Director of Program Development at Boise State, Chris Ross is back in Texas High School Football as Monday night he was named the new head football coach at Red Oak. Ross is best known for a seven-year stint as the head coach Cedar Park, but he also had stops at head coach at Wichita Falls High and Prosper in addition to a stint as Leander ISD Athletic Director. Red Oak has had its struggles the past few years but the addition of Ross, plus moving to 5A Division II may be a shot in the arm for the Hawks faithful. Navasota sets a timeline Navasota ISD has set a timetable for the process of naming a replacement for HFC/AD Patrick Goodman who stepped down shortly after the season ended. NISD will accept resumes until February 2 and the first round of interviews will start on February 12. A group of finalists will have a second round of interviews starting February 19 and the new coach should be named the last week of February with a start date of March 5. Hayes retires at Palestine Westwood After a 34-year run that included twenty years as a head coach, Kevin Hayes announced his retirement.  Hayes spent the last four years at Palestine Westwood and after two strong seasons in 2014 and 2015, his squad won just one game the past two years. Hayes is best known for a 16-year stint in Teague where he served as the head football coach and athletic director from 1994-2009. Muleshoe has its man On Monday afternoon, Muleshoe ISD named Plainview defensive coordinator Lee Walker as its next Head Football Coach/Athletic Director, as first reported by the Amarillo Globe News. Walker emerged as the top guy out of a pool of 90 applicants and this will be his first gig as a HFC/AD. Mueller resigns and Grape Creek moves quickly San Angelo Grape Creek will be on its third coach in as many seasons after Justin Mueller resigned his post after just one season. Mueller was arrested earlier in the off-season for domestic violence, however the charges were later dropped. GCISD wasted little time in promoting defensive coordinator Tanner Thiel to the position of HFC/AD on January 22. Bruni Tabs former Baylor QB as head coach Bruni is hoping this time they got it right as for the fourth straight year they’ll have a new leader on the sidelines. This time its former Baylor QB and Aldine MacArthur star Odell James who heads to far South Texas to try and get some stability in Webb County. James, who most recently was an assistant at South Oak Cliff, will be in his first head coaching gig. Coaching Clinics With the off-season starting that means it’s also clinic season throughout the state of Texas,  here’s a listing of clinics from around the state, if we don’t have you clinic listed e-mail it to us at matt.stepp@texasfootball.com January 26-28: DFW Coaches Clinic, Embassy Suites, Grapevine https://www.coachesclinic.net/ January 27: Texan Drive Coaches Clinic, New Caney HS, New Caney February 9-11: Lone Star Coaching Clinic, Hilton Conference Center, College Station www.lonestarclinic.com February 15-17: Nike Coach of the Year Clinic, Winstar Casino, Thackerville, OK https://www.nikecoyfootball.com/clinics/view/45/dallas-red-river   February 16-17: Hill Country Football Clinic, Admiral Nimitz Museum, Fredericksburg http://www.hcfc-blc.com February 16: Four States Clinic, Texas High School, Texarkana May 5-6: Best Little Clinic in Texas, Wingate Hotel and Conference Center, Round Rock http://www.hcfc-blc.com June 12-14: Angelo Coaches Clinic, San Angelo http://www.angelofootballclinic.com/index.html July 22-25: 2018 THSCA Convention & Coaching School, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio http://www.thsca.com/convention