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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