NEWS
 PHOTO
BY JEFF BERGER
Hondo’s new head football coach and
athletic director Randy Graf
talks to the off-season athletic class on Tuesday.
Board names Graf AD, football coach
By Jeff Berger
Anvil Herald Publisher
The Hondo Independent School District Board of Trustees voted Monday
evening, Jan. 25, to hire Randy Graf as the district’s next athletic
director and head football coach.
After a lengthy search to replace P.J. Wells, including interviews
with ten prospects, Graf, the AD and head coach at La Pryor for the past
seven seasons, was given unaminous approval by HISD trustees.
A 1980 graduate of Pearsall HS, Graf was an assistant coach in Hondo
for one school year, 2002-03, before taking over the reins at La Pryor.
“I enjoyed my time in Hondo when I was here as an assistant,”
said the Owls’ new AD. “The tradition and the chance to coach here
again is what led me to put in my application.
“Our main goal is for Hondo students to be successful in everything
they do and have a strong overall athletic program,” he continued. “If
the kids are having fun, they’ll be successful. Sometimes school and
athletics may be all a kid has, so it’s important to try to make
athletics as positive an environment as we can.”
La Pryor steadily improved each year Graf was the head coach. The
Bulldogs won two games in 2003, followed by win totals of three, four,
four and five games through 2007. LP made the playoffs in 2008 as
District 30-A tri-champs with an 8-4 mark. The Bulldogs’ best showing
came in the 2009 season when they reached the third round of the
playoffs. The Bulldogs finished 11-1, losing only in the regional
playoffs to eventual semifinalist Ganado, 29-28, in overtime.
“The key to winning at La Pryor,” Graf said, was support and
patience. “Both the administration and fans stayed patient while we
built a winner. Then, it didn’t hurt to have a tremendous run of
athletes the last couple of years. La Pryor will still have a strong
team next year, so the next head coach will have plenty to work with.”
Other finalists for the Hondo job included Les Davis, New Braunfels
Canyon; Chris Ellis, Iowa Park; Robbie Garza, Lytle; Scott Immel,
Fredericksburg; Russell Joy, Mason; David Neuman, Cleveland; Mike Rabe,
Ganado; Jeff Rochat, Hondo; and Bret Sawyer, Richardson Berkner.
In all, there were 117 applicants for the Hondo position.
The district search committee brought its recommendation before the
board on Monday. After a 52-minute executive session, which included
about a 25-minute interview with its candidate, the board voted 7-0 to
offer a contract to Graf, a 1985 Southwest Texas State graduate with a
degree in accounting.
The new coach visited each of the HISD’s athletic periods on
Tuesday visiting briefly with each group.
His first full day on the job will be Monday which will also be one
of the busiest days of the year for coaches in Texas since that is
realignment day for the University Interscholastic League.
The board voted to put Graf on a two-year contract which will include
the remainder of the current school year and will extend through the end
of the 2011-12 school year pending his release from his contract at La
Pryor.
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