Thorndale Opens

After five successful seasons leading Thorndale, head coach Scott Hawkins has decided to return to Liberty Hill to take an assistant role on Jeff Walker’s staff.

Hawkins was on staff at Liberty Hill from 2013-2014 before being hired in the spring of 2015 at Thorndale. After going 1-9 in Year 1, Hawkins’ teams advanced to the playoffs the next four years, including the area playoffs each of the past three seasons.

With Hawkins’ departure, Thorndale joins rival Thrall as attractive small school job openings in Central Texas.

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Mark Soto To San Antonio Johnson

San Marcos head coach Mark Soto was named to the same position at San Antonio Johnson of Northeast ISD on Monday.

Soto took over a San Marcos program that had won just one game in the previous two seasons and returned them to the playoffs in Year 3.

The Rattlers best season in Soto’s tenure was in 2017 where, as a 6A program, they posted an impressive 10-2 mark. Soto replaces Ron Rittiman, who was named the head coach at Alamo Heights.

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Donna ISD Moves Donna DC to HC at Donna North

Longtime Donna assistant Juan Cuevas finally gets his shot to be a head football coach as Donna ISD named the Redskins defensive coordinator the head football coach at Donna North High School.

Cuevas, who has been on staff for the past 23-years, takes over one of the state’s most difficult jobs at Donna North. The Chiefs are in the midst of a 24-game losing streak. Since the school opened in 2014, they have not had a season where they have won more than two games.

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Michael Farda Returns Home to Texas

A familiar face will be back on the sidelines in the DFW area in 2020 as Michael Farda, Jr. returns home to his native Texas where he will take on a major rebuilding job as the head coach at Carrollton Turner.

Farda, who was the head coach at Maypearl for two years in 2010 and 2011, has spent the past four years as head coach at Hinkely High School in Aurora, CO, which is the equivalent of a large 5A-Division I school.

Hinkley was in a rebuilding state when Farda arrived and after two years and just one win, HHS rebounded to post a 6-4 mark in 2018 and a 7-3 record last year.

Coach Farda faces a similar rebuilding job at Turner, where the Lions are mired in a 25-game losing streak.

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San Antonio McCollum Opens as Uzzell Departs for Lake Belton

San Antonio McCollum head coach Matthew Uzzell resigned his post last week and will take a role as an assistant at Lake Belton High School, which begins varsity play in 2021 with an outlaw schedule.

Uzzell had spent just two years at his alma mater posting a single victory, before coming back to McCollum, where he graduated.

Uzzell was an assistant on staff at Trinity University. All indications are that Harlandale ISD will promote from within and possibly look to bring back a familiar face.

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Rockwall Promotes Offensive Coordinator Trey Brooks to Head Football Coach

Rockwall ISD promoted offensive coordinator Trey Brooks to the position of head football coach of Rockwall High School on Tuesday, replacing Rodney Webb who departed to take over at Denton Guyer less than two weeks ago.

Brooks was the coordinator of one of the state’s most explosive offensive units a year ago as Rockwall advanced to the state semifinals in Class 6A Division I. He was named by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football as the Dairy Max Built By Chocolate Milk Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2019 season.

Brooks, who earned his degree from Texas A&M, arrived in Rockwall in the spring of 2013 with Coach Webb from Mesquite Horn. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2015 when former offensive coordinator Cody Moore left to start the program at Denton Braswell. Brooks started his coaching career at Terry Middle School in Mesquite ISD before making the jump to Horn High School.

Rockwall ISD Athletic Director Russ Reeves decided Brooks’ success and continuity in the system were major factors that separated him from the other applicants in the pool.

Brooks inherits a much younger Rockwall squad for 2020, but the ‘Jackets still have one of the state’s top signal callers in QB Braedyn Locke, who threw for over 4,200 yards and an incredible 53 touchdowns as a sophomore.

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Pflugerville Weiss Hires Steve Van Meter

Steve Van Meter is coming out of retirement to take over as the head coach of Pflugerville Weiss High School. He takes over a program that saw former head coach Tommy Aultman move to a position within the Pflugerville ISD athletic department. Aultman led Weiss to a 9-3 season in 2019, which included a trip to the 5A-Division II area round, after going 0-10 in its first season.

"We had a great pool of applicants and we would have been happy with any of the finalists," Pflugerville ISD athletic director Todd Raymond said. "Coach Van Meter's got a proven track record, he's won almost 200 games and he's familiar with the area from his team at Hutto. We think with his track record and experience he'll keep the great momentum we have going at Weiss."

Van Meter, an innovator in the spread offense, is a 25-year head coaching veteran with stints at Friendswood (1992-2011) and Hutto (2013-2017). He has a career coaching record of 186-101-1. He helped Hutto thrive at the 5A level as the Hippos posted and 11-3 mark in 2014 and finished 11-2 in his final season.

Van Meter announced his retirement in the winter of 2018 but there was no doubt he was itching to get back into the game as his name had been linked to a few jobs the past two seasons.

Weiss will make the move up to 5A Division I where the Wolves will compete in District 11-5A with Austin Anderson, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Manor, Pflugerville and Pflugerville Hendrickson.

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A Third Harrell Joins the Head Coaching Ranks

Another member of the Harrell family is now a head football coach as Athens offensive coordinator Clark Harrell was named head coach at Class 3A Division II New Diana on Monday after the New Diana ISD School Board approved his hiring.

Harrell played his high school ball for his father, legendary head coach Sam Harrell, who has led Ennis to three state championships. Harrell signed with Tulsa and transferred to Abilene Christian after his redshirt freshman season.

After finishing up his degree from Abilene Christian, Clark Harrell got into coaching and has spent time as an assistant at Colleyville Heritage, Graham, Sweetwater, Sealy and Athens.

His brother Zach Harrell is the head football coach/athletic director at Athens and his other brother, Graham Harrell, is the current offensive coordinator at USC.  

Clark Harrell takes over a New Diana program that posted a 6-5 record a year ago and lost in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

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Matt Stepp is the Texas High School Football Inside for Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Find him on Twitter: @Matt_Stepp817.