Michael Enriquez is beginning year two as the head coach and athletic director for his hometown of Karnes City.  His goal is to restore "Badger Pride Never Dies" to the hearts and minds of his athletes.  He is all in for love for family and love for your teammates.  This is the driving principle behind everything he and his coaching staff do for their athletes.  From the relationships with players and coaching staff to relationships with the community in general, Coach Enriquez personifies what small town Friday night football is all about!

Jose Aguirre, head football coach and asst. AD for Gatesville ISD, promised his family he would not move them all over the state if he could help it and right now they are happy to call Gatesville home for the 4th year in a row.  Coach Aguirre just finished his first year as the head man after leading the defense for the three previous seasons.  With a tough district once again to look forward to, he is counting on a well organized off season and strong work ethic to have his players ready for the challenge.  

Head football coach and boys coordinator for the New Braunfels Unicorns, Brad Molder, has only been the head coach here for 2 years and has already racked up 20 wins over 27 games.  Now the unicorns are dropping a classification from 5A-1 to 5A-2 and although their new district is a tough one, just like their old one, they once again will be battling to make a deep playoff run.  Coach Molder covers all the bases with his athletes, from character building to the physical toughness demanded from his bootcamp program.  These are some of the key reasons they are expected to maintain a high level of competitiveness in the coming years.

From the panhandle of Texas, to the metroplex and now to the hill country, Ben Speer has seen a variety of programs and worked for some strong leaders in Texas High School football (including my co-host for episodes 6 and 7, Mike Fuller).  These leaders have helped shape him into the coach and leader he is today for the Bulldogs.  With his family at his side they have made the moves necessary to accept his first head role in Burnet, taking over for the retired Bryan Wood, one of his long time mentors. Here he hopes to sink his roots deep in the town he has called home for the last 5 years. 

Coach Andy Howard can name drop with the best of them as he recalls the long list of great coaches he has worked for and with.  These opportunities have served him well in preparing him for his role as athletic director and head football coach for Goldthwaite ISD.  Having been in west Texas his whole life, the country setting of this community is the perfect fit for the cotton farmer turned coach.  The uncomfortable should be comfortable, as he likes to put it and hard work is just a way of life for him and the Goldthwaite Eagles. 

Pete Hart has spent almost 40 years positively influencing young men and women through coaching.  One of those young men was me.  My classmates and I were fortunate enough to have him arrive in Bridgeport our 8th grade year and follow us through high school.  Coach Hart has influenced and inspired many young men and women to go into the education field and many with great success, such as Carl Abseck of Lufkin and Jeff Riordan of Chapel Hill.  His passion, not just for the game of football, but for seeing students grow and develop into good people is noticeable to anyone who has spent time with him.  Thank you coach Hart, for all you have done for the young people of the north Texas area!

Jason Reynolds is in his second stint in Natalia ISD.  His first role in the district was the OC several years back before leaving for the OC job in Wichita Falls.  But as soon as one of his mentors vacated the big seat in Natalia, he jumped at the opportunity to return and take over as AD and head football coach.  Coach Reynolds and family are in year two back with the Mustangs and he and his staff are working hard to keep a solid foundation built on character and a positive culture.

John Penn has been officiating for over 30 years and is following in the footsteps of his father, Percy. He has a deep understanding of the game, which allows him to tolerate a lot of the things that go along with officiating at a high level of play.  This understanding allows him to see intense situations through eyes of the players and coaches which helps him manage and sometimes de-escalate potentially volatile situations.  Randy Jackson joins me for our second episode of the officials series.

Wayne Elliott has been officiating for 47 years, from the junior high level all the way to the NFL.  Currently he is the Executive Secretary for the Austin Football Officials Association and officiates high school and college games.  We discuss the differences in officiating at the different levels and the challenges of officiating in general.  Join me as we take a look at the game from a different set of eyes.

Jeff Riordan, head football coach and athletic director for the Chapel Hill Bulldogs, lives out his motto of Code Blue for his program.   With the backing of the district administration all the way to the top, they put character and life before all else and keeping priorities straight has led to high levels of success for the Chapel Hill program.