Fort Bend Dulles promotes OC
After former head coach J.L. Geist departed to take over at San Antonio Clark, Fort Bend ISD stayed inside to find his replacement as offensive coordinator Shane Byrd was promoted last Friday to become head football coach at Fort Bend Dulles. Byrd will likely keep much of the same pieces in place from last year’s Vikings squad that posted an 8-3 mark.

Temple-to-Magnolia pipeline continues
On Thursday, Magnolia ISD announced that Temple OC Craig Martin would be named new head football coach at Magnolia High School. This continues the pipeline that’s been built in Magnolia from the Mike Spradlin coaching tree. Spradlin, who became the athletic director in Magnolia ISD in early 2015 after a stint as the HFC/AD in Temple, immediately brought Temple DC J.D. Berna to be the head coach at Magnolia West HS. The HC at Magnolia was Sterling Doty, who had ties to Spradlin from his days as an assistant at Abilene Cooper under Spradlin. Spradlin left MISD in late January to get back on the sidelines as head coach at Rockwall-Heath, causing MWHS head coach J.D. Berna to be promoted to the district AD job. Berna promoted his offensive coordinator, Blake Joseph, to the role of head coach at Magnolia West at the end of February. Martin, the district’s newest coach spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Temple and was hired originally at THS in 2011 by, you guessed it, Mike Spradlin.

Waller has its guy
Look for Waller to name its next head football coach early next week when the district returns from Spring Break. All indications are a current head coach from a very successful program in the Houston area will get this gig.

Marble Falls makes a change
After two seasons as head coach at Marble Falls, Michael Birdwell will not return to the sidelines at Marble Falls for a third season. Birdwell, whose contract was up in June of this year, was not given a renewal. The district and Birdwell agreed to part ways and the job was posted on Monday. Marble Falls has not made the playoff since 2010 and finished 5-5 last season.

Wichita Falls Hirschi hires Antonio Wiley
After finishing up interviews on Friday, Wichita Falls ISD announced on Tuesday that Lewisville defensive coordinator Antonio Wiley is taking over as the next head football coach at Hirschi High School. Wiley coordinated a Lewisville defense that was key in the Farmers 2018 turnaround posting a 9-3 record. Wiley, prior to his stint at Lewisville, was the defensive backs coach at Lake Travis and was on the staff of the 2016 state title team. Wiley also brings with him his son Antonio Wiley, Jr. who was a second team all-district defensive back as a sophomore at Lewisville High.

Houston Yates goes to the alumni base
Houston Yates after a winless season filled with turmoil and off field issues decided to go to one of their own in hiring Yates alum Padriac McGinnis to lead the program. McGinnis had spent the last six seasons as head coach at Fort Bend Hightower posting a 38-27 record.

Longview Spring Hill down to three
It appears Longview Spring Hill is nearing a decision on the hiring of its next head football coach. The three finalists are being brought in on March 18 for the final interview and a decision will be made by the school board last night. The three finalists include a current East Texas HC, a current East Texas assistant coach with head coaching experience and a former DFW area head coach.

 

With Spring Break in the rearview mirror it’s time to start looking ahead to Spring Football across the state. Class 5A and Class 6A schools have the option to participate in spring practice and if they elect to do so they start fall camp a week later than 4A and below programs and 5A/6A schools that elected to not have spring ball. Schools that also choose to have spring ball also only have one preseason scrimmage instead of two. Below is a list of dates for spring football games across the state, if we are missing one send to matt.stepp@texasfootball.com!

May 8: White Settlement Brewer, 6:00pm at Brewer HS

May 14: Katy Cinco Ranch, 6:00pm at Cinco Ranch HS

May 14: Cy-Fair, 7:00pm at Cy-Fair HS

May 14: Round Rock Westwood, 6:00pm at Westwood HS

May 14: Laredo United: 6:30pm at Krueger Field

May 15: Tyler John Tyler, 6:00pm at John Tyler HS

May 15: Odessa Permian, 6:30pm at Ratliff Stadium

May 16: Allen, 6:00pm at Eagle Stadium

May 16: South Grand Prairie, TBD at SGPHS

May 16: Keller, 7:00pm at Keller ISD Stadium

May 16: Keller Central, 7:00pm at Keller Central HS

May 16: Keller Fossil Ridge, 6:00pm at Fossil Ridge HS

May 16: Odessa, 7:00pm at Ratliff Stadium

May 16: Pearland, 7:00pm at The Rig

May 16: Granbury, 6:00pm at Pirate Stadium

May 16: Crowley, 6:00pm at Eagle Stadium

May 16: Frisco Lone Star, 5:00pm at Lone Star HS

May 16: Alvin Shadow Creek, 6:30pm at Shadow Creek HS

May 16: Austin Westlake, 7:00pm at Westlake HS

May 16: Fort Bend Hightower, 6:00pm at Mercer Stadium

May 17: Alief Elsik, 6:00pm at Crump Stadium

May 17: Tyler Lee, 5:30pm at Lee HS

May 17: Burleson Centennial, 6:00pm at Centennial HS

May 17: Lubbock Cooper, 5:30pm at Pirate Stadium

May 17: Weatherford, 6:30pm at Kangaroo Stadium

May 17: Red Oak, 7:00pm at Goodloe Stadium

May 17: McKinney, 6:00pm at Poe Stadium

May 17: Leander, 7:00pm at Bible Stadium

May 17: Lake Travis, 7:30pm at Cavalier Stadium

May 17: Katy Seven Lakes, 6:30pm at Seven Lakes HS

May 17: El Paso Montwood, 6:00pm at Montwood HS

May 18: Cypress Bridgeland, TBD at Bridgeland HS

May 18: Frisco Heritage, 7:00pm at Heritage HS

May 18: Pearland Dawson, 10:00am at Dawson HS

May 18: Willis, 7:00pm at Yates Stadium

May 20: Houston King, 6:00pm at Crenshaw Memorial Stadium

May 21: Forney, 7:00pm at City Bank Stadium

May 21: Wylie, 5:30pm at Wylie ISD Stadium

May 21: Austin Reagan, 6:00pm at Nelson Field

May 21: Mesquite, 7:00pm at Hanby Stadium

May 21: Mission Veterans Memorial, 6:00pm at Veterans Memorial HS

May 21: Rockwall, 7:00pm at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium

May 21: Pasadena Dobie, 3:00pm at Dobie HS

May 22: El Paso Pebble Hills, 6:00pm at Pebble Hills HS

May 22: Clear Brook, 7:00pm at Clear Brook HS

May 22: Frisco Centennial, 5:00pm at Centennial HS

May 22: McKinney Boyd, 7:00pm at Boyd HS

May 22: Cedar Hill, 6:00pm at Longhorn Stadium

May 22: Arlington Lamar, 6:00pm at Cravens Field

May 22: Sachse, 6:30pm at Sachse HS

May 22: Belton, 5:30pm at Belton HS

May 22: Frisco Lebanon Trail, 6:00pm at Lebanon Trail HS

May 23: Haslet Eaton, 6:30pm at Eaton HS

May 23: San Angelo Central, 6:00pm at San Angelo Stadium

May 23: Colleyville Heritage, 6:00pm at CHHS

May 23: Arlington, 6:00pm at Arlington HS

May 23: San Antonio O’Connor, 5:00pm at O’Connor HS

May 23: Waco Midway, 5:00pm at Panther Stadium

May 23: McKinney North, 6:30pm at McKinney North HS

May 23: Frisco Memorial, 6:00pm at Memorial HS

May 23: Lancaster, 6:30pm at Humphrey Tiger Stadium

May 23: Midlothian, 6:30pm at MISD Stadium

May 23: North Forney, 6:00pm at City Bank Stadium

May 23: El Paso Eastlake, 6:00pm at Eastlake HS

May 23: Klein Cain, 7:00pm at Cain HS

May 23: Arlington Martin, 7:00pm at Martin HS

May 24: Waco, 6:00pm at Waco HS

May 24: El Paso Del Valle, 5:00pm at Conquest Stadium

May 24: Cedar Park, 7:30pm at Cedar Park HS

May 24: South Oak Cliff, 6:00pm at Kincaide Stadium

May 24: El Paso Amercias, 7:00pm at Americas HS

May 24: McAllen Memorial, 6:00pm at Boxer Hernandez Stadium

It’s officially clinic season in the state of Texas and if you have coaching clinic information that we are missing below by all means send it our way! You can e-mail it to me at matt.stepp@texasfootball.com or reach out to me on twitter @Matt_Stepp817

May 3-4: I-45 Clinic, The Woodlands

May 3-4: El Paso Football Clinic, El Paso

June 11-13: Angelo Football Clinic, San Angelo

June 13-14: Dos Amigos Clinic, Eagle Pass

July 21-23: 2017 THSCA Coaches Convention & Coaching School, Houston

 

The Texas 7-on-7 Qualifying Season kicks off on April 27 with a Division I State Qualifier in Frisco, for the full schedule and information on 7-on-7 in Texas go to http://www.texas7on7.org

 

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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.