Beyond the Lights: Football Across Texas

New head football coach for Hillsboro ISD, Leeland Hamilton, is making his debut in the head coaching ranks to lead the Eagles program. Moving to a mostly new district this year, he is excited about the opportunities this town and school district have to offer and more importantly, for what he can bring to this community. Coming from a large 6A program at Katy Morton Ranch, he will have to make some adjustments to the smaller numbers as he will work to 2-platoon his athletes as much as he can. Having connections at the NFL, college and high school levels, Coach Hamilton will have all the resources he needs to pull from to get his new program where he wants it to be.

Coach Larry Hill has been the head football coach in Smithson Valley for over 30 years. This kind of longevity is almost unheard of in todays coaching world. Growing up watching his father and his influence on young men and idolizing some of the greats, like Tom Landry, Bear Bryant and Darrell Royal, Coach Hill never second guessed his decision to enter the coaching profession. His commitment to excellence and his motto of "do what we do better than they do what they do" has established a strong winning tradition for the Rangers and himself personally, having over 300 wins as a head coach.

This is our 3rd time to talk with Coach Randy Jackson on the show. Coach Jackson has over 30 years experience from high school to professional. This episode kicks off our first in a series on in-season practice planning. We discuss his favorite way of scheduling the week's practices and specifics with daily breakdowns so you can get the most of out of your time on the field.

Head football coach and athletic director for the Brady Bulldogs, Jaron Roberts had been looking for the opportunity to get back close to he and his wife’s hometown of Comanche. That chance finally came when he landed the head job in Brady. In the last two seasons he has put up impressive records of 8-3 and 7-4. This next alignment they will be dropping down from 3A to 2A and with their Tough People Win (TPW) mentality, they hope to expand on the success of the last two seasons.

Head football coach and athletic director for the Jarrell Cougars, Alan Haire has been doing what he's doing long enough to know what is important and what comes second. From home visits to greeting kids at the door when they come in, relationships drive the atmosphere of his athletic program. Expectations are high for the cougars and hard work is an every day expectation for athletes and coaches alike. But this is what it takes to prepare young men for the real world outside of the school system and this is his priority. Being a master motivator every day is required to be a part of his athletic staff and this is what brings success to Coach Haire's program.

Michael Enriquez is beginning year two as the head coach and athletic director for his hometown of Karnes City. His goal is to restore "Badger Pride Never Dies" to the hearts and minds of his athletes. He is all in for love for family and love for your teammates. This is the driving principle behind everything he and his coaching staff do for their athletes. From the relationships with players and coaching staff to relationships with the community in general, Coach Enriquez personifies what small town Friday night football is all about!

Jose Aguirre, head football coach and asst. AD for Gatesville ISD, promised his family he would not move them all over the state if he could help it and right now they are happy to call Gatesville home for the 4th year in a row. Coach Aguirre just finished his first year as the head man after leading the defense for the three previous seasons. With a tough district once again to look forward to, he is counting on a well organized off season and strong work ethic to have his players ready for the challenge.

Head football coach and boys coordinator for the New Braunfels Unicorns, Brad Molder, has only been the head coach here for 2 years and has already racked up 20 wins over 27 games. Now the unicorns are dropping a classification from 5A-1 to 5A-2 and although their new district is a tough one, just like their old one, they once again will be battling to make a deep playoff run. Coach Molder covers all the bases with his athletes, from character building to the physical toughness demanded from his bootcamp program. These are some of the key reasons they are expected to maintain a high level of competitiveness in the coming years.

From the panhandle of Texas, to the metroplex and now to the hill country, Ben Speer has seen a variety of programs and worked for some strong leaders in Texas High School football (including my co-host for episodes 6 and 7, Mike Fuller). These leaders have helped shape him into the coach and leader he is today for the Bulldogs. With his family at his side they have made the moves necessary to accept his first head role in Burnet, taking over for the retired Bryan Wood, one of his long time mentors. Here he hopes to sink his roots deep in the town he has called home for the last 5 years.

Coach Andy Howard can name drop with the best of them as he recalls the long list of great coaches he has worked for and with. These opportunities have served him well in preparing him for his role as athletic director and head football coach for Goldthwaite ISD. Having been in west Texas his whole life, the country setting of this community is the perfect fit for the cotton farmer turned coach. The uncomfortable should be comfortable, as he likes to put it and hard work is just a way of life for him and the Goldthwaite Eagles.

Pete Hart has spent almost 40 years positively influencing young men and women through coaching. One of those young men was me. My classmates and I were fortunate enough to have him arrive in Bridgeport our 8th grade year and follow us through high school. Coach Hart has influenced and inspired many young men and women to go into the education field and many with great success, such as Carl Abseck of Lufkin and Jeff Riordan of Chapel Hill. His passion, not just for the game of football, but for seeing students grow and develop into good people is noticeable to anyone who has spent time with him. Thank you coach Hart, for all you have done for the young people of the north Texas area!

Jason Reynolds is in his second stint in Natalia ISD. His first role in the district was the OC several years back before leaving for the OC job in Wichita Falls. But as soon as one of his mentors vacated the big seat in Natalia, he jumped at the opportunity to return and take over as AD and head football coach. Coach Reynolds and family are in year two back with the Mustangs and he and his staff are working hard to keep a solid foundation built on character and a positive culture.

John Penn has been officiating for over 30 years and is following in the footsteps of his father, Percy. He has a deep understanding of the game, which allows him to tolerate a lot of the things that go along with officiating at a high level of play. This understanding allows him to see intense situations through eyes of the players and coaches which helps him manage and sometimes de-escalate potentially volatile situations. Randy Jackson joins me for our second episode of the officials series.

Wayne Elliott has been officiating for 47 years, from the junior high level all the way to the NFL. Currently he is the Executive Secretary for the Austin Football Officials Association and officiates high school and college games. We discuss the differences in officiating at the different levels and the challenges of officiating in general. Join me as we take a look at the game from a different set of eyes.

Jeff Riordan, head football coach and athletic director for the Chapel Hill Bulldogs, lives out his motto of Code Blue for his program. With the backing of the district administration all the way to the top, they put character and life before all else and keeping priorities straight has led to high levels of success for the Chapel Hill program.