Hutto ISD formally named Alvarado head coach Casey Walraven as the next head coach at Hutto High School on Tuesday.

Walraven replaces Eli Reinhart, who departed after one successful season to become the offensive coordinator at Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

Walraven comes to Central Texas with impressive credentials as he holds a 99-58 overall record in 14 seasons as a head coach all in Johnson County. The Alvarado native has led his alma mater for the past four seasons. After a 5-6 record in his first season, the Indians posted a bi-district title in 2023 and advanced to the Class 4A Division I regional finals with a combined 25-2 record the past two seasons.

He said that dreaming big and attacking a new challenge combined with what he feels is an elite administrative group were big factors in his decision to look into the Hutto opening.

“I’ve got some familiarity with the administration," Walraven said. "Pretty much every coach in Texas knows Ms. Neatherlin (Hutto ISD Superintendent Jeni Neatherlin), then the athletic director Will Compton is a former head coach who is very well respected. Combine that with an area that has fast paced growth, I wanted to dream big and get into a situation where I can attack a new challenge at the highest level of football in the state. My wife’s job is flexible so it made sense for us as a family and there’s the added bonus of a talented group of kids that know how to win.”

Prior to coming to Alvarado, Walraven spent five seasons at Class 5A Cleburne where he kept the Yellow Jackets quite competitive, which is something that program has struggled to do in recent years. Walraven got his shot to be a head coach at Grandview where the Zebras two area round playoff appearances in 2012 and 2013 and in 2015, Walraven guided Grandview to a 12-1 mark and a regional semifinal appearance.

Walraven says the move was a tough one as he leaves his alma mater and hometown after a tremendous run.

“Hutto as a community and a school district has high expectations," he said. "They want to do big things and we have a vision that’s aligned. Leaving Alvarado is among the toughest things I’ve ever had to do. The kids and coaches gave everything to put Alvarado back on the map. It’s where I’m from, so obviously this place will hold a special place in my heart. I could have retired here, but I’ve always preached to my kids to dream big and chase your dreams and this is what I’m doing. I want my kids to see I’m not afraid to dream big and go attack something, even though I know this may be tough for them to understand in the moment.”

The new Hutto head coach said he hopes to get started as soon as possible as he knows there’s plenty of work to do.

“I’ve got to get in there and get to know the kids, build relationships," he said. "I’ll be their third head coach in three years, so I need to build trust and let them know I believe in them. Building relationships is the No. 1 part of being a coach and that’s what we’ll do. Obviously I’ll need to evaluate the staff and meet all the stakeholders. There’s a lot of great things happening in Hutto and I’m ready to be part of it."

Alvarado is expected to begin its search for a new head coach immediately. Considering the Indians recent success it won’t be a huge surprise if Alvarado looks to make an internal hire, but there’s also several Alvarado alums coaching in the DFW area who could be looking to come home and keep things going in a program that’s won three playoff games in each of the past two seasons.