Alvarado ISD announced the hiring of Weatherford athletic director/head football coach Aubrey Sims as the new athletic director/head football coach at Alvarado High School on Friday morning.

Sims replaces Casey Walraven, who departed to take over as head coach at Hutto.

Sims, an Alvarado native, returns to his alma mater with a long track record of success as he’s posted a career 154-91 record in 21 seasons as a head coach with stops at Grandview, Snyder, Iowa Park and Weatherford. He took Iowa Park to a state semifinal in 2018 and led Grandview and Iowa Park to regional final appearances.

“It has taken me 28 years to do this, but my dream when I got into coaching was to come home and lead Alvarado to a state championship,” Sims said. “This is really a great opportunity. The learning curve won’t be too steep because Casey (Walraven) was my offensive coordinator for seven years so the terminology is the same. I really feel like it is a perfect fit and I’m just really honroed.”

Sims departs a Weatherford program that struggled in 2025 with a 1-9 record, but things are looking up for the Kangaroos, who have a strong group of incoming sophomores who have lost just three games in two years.

“I am so thankful for the opportunity to come to Weatherford," he said. "They allowed me to get closer to home a few years ago when my dad had some health issues and this town and community has been so good to my family.

Sims will officially start at Alvarado after board approval on March 16.  

Sims has been serving as Weatherford’s athletic director/head football coach, but there’s a chance Weatherford hires a separate athletic director and then hires the football coach as the assistant athletic director when the position posts.