With less than a week to go until the deadline to turn in applications for the first athletic coordinator and head football coaching job opening at Hays High since Lyndon Johnson was president, it’s clear there is much interest from many highly qualified coaches.

From the Hays coaching staff, head baseball coach and football defensive coordinator Doug Ragsdale, and longtime Rebel football assistant coach and Barton Middle School athletic coordinator Dale Posey have applied for the position.

Also among those who have expressed interest in the Hays job is Kerrville Tivy head football coach Mark Smith, who, along with All-State quarterback Johnny Manziel, knocked the Rebels out of the playoffs last season.

In addition, coordinators from two of the most highly successful programs in the area – Lake Travis and Westlake – are interested.

Offensive coordinator Matt Green, who helped lead Lake Travis to its fourth straight Class 4A state title, and Westlake defensive coordinator Matt Anastasio, would both bring a wealth of gridiron knowledge to Hays if they ultimately became head football coach and athletic coordinator.

Two other coaches with collegiate experience that appear to be perusing the Hays job are former Canyon High and Texas State University head coach Brad Wright, and former Auburn offensive coordinator and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga head coach Rodney Allison, who also quarterbacked Texas Tech in the late 1970s.

The annual salary of the new head football coach and athletic coordinator at Hays is likely to be around $85,000.

“I’m confident we’re going to hire a very good candidate,” said Jeremy Lyon, Hays CISD superintendent. “The applications are coming. The job will be open until the 18th of this month. Things are going exactly as we designed it.”

The interview committee is taking shape as well.

The three parents who will be on the committee are booster club members Paul Borreson and John Ayala, and Christie Pogue, a former school board member. The two administrative staff members will be assistant superintendent for human resources Carolyn Hitt and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction Kim Pool. Hays High principal David Pierce and an HHS teacher who has yet to be selected will also be on the committee.

“People are always going to second guess who we picked for the committee, but I’m very confident in the parents we selected,” Lyon said. “They are all committed to success of our football program and all of our other athletic programs.”

Hays High booster club president Larry Schaubhut will be on the paper screening team along with several school district employees. Their task will be to whittle the number of applicants down to approximately six to hand to the interview committee.

The interview committee’s job will be to recommend a candidate to Lyon.

“We will bring a football coach in here who has the intention of winning state championships,” Lyon said. “That’s the standard we’re setting. We absolutely want to have a program that competes for state titles year after year. I think the process we’ve put together will give us a perfect opportunity to bring in a coach like that.”

Lyon said he knows there will be some second-guessing along the way.

“After a process like this, someone will always walk away dissatisfied,” Lyon said. “There will be a lot of candidates and only one job. I’m sure someone will question the selection, but that’s just the way life is. I’m a former coach and I know Texas high school football and the football landscape. I’m very confident our committee will do quite well.”

Lyon added that although he welcomes input from anyone in the community about the football coaching and athletic coordinator vacancy, he said the interviewing committee was put in place for a reason.

“I very much encourage people to share information with me,” Lyon said. “But at some point this is a process where the candidate gets selected by the committee and the superintendent and we intend to stick to that process tightly.”

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