Snyder ISD announced the hiring of Lovington, New Mexico head coach Anthony Gonzales as the next athletic director/head football coach at Snyder High School, via its Facebook page.

Gonzales replaces Wes Wood, who departed in mid-April to take the same position at Merkel High School. The move will become official pending board approval on Thursday.

“I’m thrilled to announce that I have offered the position of AD/HFC to Coach Gonzales, and he has accepted,” Snyder ISD Superintendent Bob Rauch said in the posting. “He sets academics as a foundation for quality athletic success, is a proven leader, and has a strong background in physical training and building athletic programs. He and his wife, Jocelyn, an elementary school teacher, are looking forward to moving their family to Snyder. They have four school-aged daughters, and they are excited to be Snyder Tigers.”

Gonzales, a native of Boerne. has extensive ties to the State of Texas. Prior to coming to New Mexico he served as the defensive coordinator at Fort Worth Dunbar and he spent time as an assistant coach at Arlington Martin working under Bob Wager. Coach Gonzales has also been an assistant at Kaufman and Boling. 

Gonzales spent eight seasons leading one of New Mexico’s most storied programs, leading the Wildcats to a pair of Class 4A state championships in 2021 and 2023. He was named the New Mexico Coach of the Year in 2023.

"We are extremely excited for the opportunity to come back to Texas and be a part of something special," Gonzales said. "Lovington has been great to me and my family. My wife is from here so it's special and the credit for our success goes to the kids and my assistant coaches. It's bittersweet and we left it better than we found it."

Gonzalez posted a 48-40 record in eight seasons at Lovington (2020 was a shortened spring season due to Covid-19). After a 1-9 mark in his first season, he led LHS to the playoffs in every other season except 2020.

With the late hiring timeline, expect Gonzales to be on the ground in Snyder shortly after the SISD school board makes things official on Thursday.

"I want to get on the ground and get going," he said. "It's late so I'm ready to go right away. The kids need a routine and I want to get going as soon as possible."