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Slickarick

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4 hours ago, Slickarick said:

How did the younger groups do ? And what do they have coming back for Next year?

I believe their varsity was very young last year. Seems like I remember their junior high and JV teams getting several wins. I would not expect last year’s record to become the norm. 

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First of all, congratulations to Coach Meeks on his new position as AD/HFC of the Center Roughriders. I know that he will do a tremendous job as their new leader.

A little more than 3 years ago our district had approximately 125 applicants for this position, and Coach Meeks’ name rose to the top. In looking back through the historical data of previous Alto head coaches, most have either come to us with head coaching experience OR have earned the position by being a great Alto assistant and promoted. Coach Meeks was an OC at Tatum with no HC experience. BUT HE WAS ABSOLUTELY READY. His organization, work ethic, practice & game planning, high energy, love for kids & community, and ALL-IN attitude was evident from the very beginning. I tip my hat to the committee who did the work and recognized that he was a good fit for Alto.

Fast forward to now. The open position will be posted on Friday and we will be looking for our next leader. THE GUY will come into a good situation with plenty of support from the administration, board, community, and booster club. We were very young last season playing 9 sophomores much of the time. All starters from last season return with the exception of 2 graduating seniors. The JV team was the district champion. These boys are used to hard work and will be very motivated. From morning and afternoon workouts to strength & conditioning in the summer, they are accustomed to working and pushing each other...many as 7th graders since that first spring with Coach Meeks. The coaches have been phenomenal in their development. We want the next man to come in and build on this. We have great tradition and a community that has persevered through a lot over the years. From the loss of one of our beloved players on the football field to the devastating tornadoes that ripped our town and school apart, we have remained together.....a family. Friday night football in Alto is special. The community always rallies around our kids and it is 100% the place to be on Friday nights, whether we are home or away. The crowds are there.

It will be a pretty quick process. The job will be posted for 10 days and then interviews will begin. I believe the committee plans to hire the second or third week of March. There is no time to waste! Time is of the essence.

I am hopeful we get a great applicant pool and that THE GUY will rise to the top....that he will come in here with his hair on fire ready to lead our Mean Sting to the next level. Some of us who have players with one or two years left know we have to get it right. Our kids only get one shot at the high school experience. We have a great foundation and we are ready to build on it!

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1 minute ago, StingEmALTO said:

First of all, congratulations to Coach Meeks on his new position as AD/HFC of the Center Roughriders. I know that he will do a tremendous job as their new leader.

A little more than 3 years ago our district had approximately 125 applicants for this position, and Coach Meeks’ name rose to the top. In looking back through the historical data of previous Alto head coaches, most have either come to us with head coaching experience OR have earned the position by being a great Alto assistant and promoted. Coach Meeks was an OC at Tatum with no HC experience. BUT HE WAS ABSOLUTELY READY. His organization, work ethic, practice & game planning, high energy, love for kids & community, and ALL-IN attitude was evident from the very beginning. I tip my hat to the committee who did the work and recognized that he was a good fit for Alto.

Fast forward to now. The open position will be posted on Friday and we will be looking for our next leader. THE GUY will come into a good situation with plenty of support from the administration, board, community, and booster club. We were very young last season playing 9 sophomores much of the time. All starters from last season return with the exception of 2 graduating seniors. The JV team was the district champion. These boys are used to hard work and will be very motivated. From morning and afternoon workouts to strength & conditioning in the summer, they are accustomed to working and pushing each other...many as 7th graders since that first spring with Coach Meeks . The coaches have been phenomenal in their development. We want the next man to come in and build on this. We have great tradition and a community that has persevered through a lot over the years. From the loss of one of our beloved players on the football field to the devastating tornadoes that ripped our town and school apart, we have remained together.....a family. Friday night football in Alto is special. The community always rallies around our kids and it is 100% the place to be on Friday nights, whether we are home or away. The crowds are there.

It will be a pretty quick process. The job will be posted for 10 days and then interviews will begin. I believe the committee plans to hire the second or third week of March. There is no time to waste! Time is of the essence.

I am hopeful we get a great applicant pool and that THE GUY will rise to the top....that he will come in here with his hair on fire ready to lead our Mean Sting to the next level. Some of us who have players with one or two years left know we have to get it right. Our kids only get one shot at the high school experience. We have a great foundation and we are ready to build on it!

Congratulations to Coach Meeks! He has great things ahead of him, and he and his family will definitely be missed here in Alto! 
 

I am praying for our committee that will be going through the process of finding us a new coach! I am very hopeful that we will have lots of applicants and will find the perfect fit. Can’t wait for football season!! 

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1 hour ago, trueblue82 said:

I believe their varsity was very young last year. Seems like I remember their junior high and JV teams getting several wins. I would not expect last year’s record to become the norm. 

JV went undefeated last year. Then they had to grow up real fast and play varsity this year since 15 seniors graduated I believe.  a huge blow for a small school. So mostly sophomores this year playing on varsity. 

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8 hours ago, StingEmALTO said:

First of all, congratulations to Coach Meeks on his new position as AD/HFC of the Center Roughriders. I know that he will do a tremendous job as their new leader.

A little more than 3 years ago our district had approximately 125 applicants for this position, and Coach Meeks’ name rose to the top. In looking back through the historical data of previous Alto head coaches, most have either come to us with head coaching experience OR have earned the position by being a great Alto assistant and promoted. Coach Meeks was an OC at Tatum with no HC experience. BUT HE WAS ABSOLUTELY READY. His organization, work ethic, practice & game planning, high energy, love for kids & community, and ALL-IN attitude was evident from the very beginning. I tip my hat to the committee who did the work and recognized that he was a good fit for Alto.

Fast forward to now. The open position will be posted on Friday and we will be looking for our next leader. THE GUY will come into a good situation with plenty of support from the administration, board, community, and booster club. We were very young last season playing 9 sophomores much of the time. All starters from last season return with the exception of 2 graduating seniors. The JV team was the district champion. These boys are used to hard work and will be very motivated. From morning and afternoon workouts to strength & conditioning in the summer, they are accustomed to working and pushing each other...many as 7th graders since that first spring with Coach Meeks. The coaches have been phenomenal in their development. We want the next man to come in and build on this. We have great tradition and a community that has persevered through a lot over the years. From the loss of one of our beloved players on the football field to the devastating tornadoes that ripped our town and school apart, we have remained together.....a family. Friday night football in Alto is special. The community always rallies around our kids and it is 100% the place to be on Friday nights, whether we are home or away. The crowds are there.

It will be a pretty quick process. The job will be posted for 10 days and then interviews will begin. I believe the committee plans to hire the second or third week of March. There is no time to waste! Time is of the essence.

I am hopeful we get a great applicant pool and that THE GUY will rise to the top....that he will come in here with his hair on fire ready to lead our Mean Sting to the next level. Some of us who have players with one or two years left know we have to get it right. Our kids only get one shot at the high school experience. We have a great foundation and we are ready to build on it!

Great post. 

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7 hours ago, Slickarick said:

Anyone on staff that may continue to build or is this 100% outside hire?

Coach Meeks has assembled an awesome coaching staff over the last three years with high quality, hard working men who have been 100% vested in our kids. Every resume will get a hard look and be considered.

I am not going to speculate or throw out names here. That’s not me. The process begins today and we will see where it leads us. 

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I am sharing this message because we have one heck of a superintendent. She personifies the word “leader” and what she said could not have been put any better. Don’t come after her! 😂 She’s a hometown girl and not going anywhere. Lol She was a teacher at Alto Elementary, then middle school principal for over a decade and then the board (all men!) made the wise decision to promote her to superintendent. She has handled every curve ball thrown at her with grace, common sense, and the students’ best interest in mind. Her excellent leadership is second to none. 

The new athletic director will enjoy being part of her TEAM! Warning: Come ready to work!

I venture to say that much of what she said about Coach Meeks below could be said of HER!

Kelly West 2/26/2021: (worth the read)

Not Goodbye ..... Just See You Later 

All aspects of the coaching profession embody a collection of excitement, challenges, surging highs, deep lows, physically and mentally demanding work, and the constant anticipation for what lies ahead.

Coaches can have a profound impact on student-athletes, schools and communities in so many ways. 

Coach Meeks has been the true essence of leadership in his three years with us: Influencing our young student-athletes, bringing everyone together for a common cause, taking ownership of the program, and working with a purpose.

  • He has embodied honor, integrity and professional ethics.
  • He has served as a wonderful role model for our kids.
  • He has been totally committed to his job and has been unconditionally loyal to those he has served.

And during this past fall when wins were hard to come by, he found a way to rise above it all and stay the course. He never lost sight of the team's true purpose.

Courageous coaches always have a vision of those kids who are looking for guidance, support, inspiration and a game plan for success. Those are the really important things athletes can take with them and use as long as they live.

Great coaches know that the basic foundation of leadership is formed with respect and trust. Without leadership, your team doesn’t stand a chance. Eventually, it will crumble under the stress of adversity — and adversity is inevitable.

Young people will follow a leader whose vision inspires them and adds meaning to their lives. Athletes look to coaches as being a difference maker. Coaches can and do make a difference in their lives.

Coach Meeks,

One final word of appreciation from a mother of a child who was blessed to be coached under your leadership....

You have been important in so many aspects of these young people’s lives. For some, you have been the closest, strongest, most prominent representation of a parental figure some of them will ever know. You have been the first one they come to when they need advice, counseling or a shoulder to cry on.

As they grow into adulthood and hard times are facing them, they will likely call on you to give them the strength they need to see it through. And you may be the one they will forever thank for coming into their lives and providing the direction they so desperately needed.

To some, you may even be the one they will say saved their life. These young athletes want, need and crave structure and discipline with compassion. They yearn for positive role models. Sure, they may not admit it now, but eventually they will.

My son will always love you and this mother will always hold you in the highest of regards.

We wish you years of success on the journey ahead and thank you for the love and leadership you have shown to Alto ISD! 

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On 2/27/2021 at 3:17 PM, Stickstick said:

Alto needs a coach that will come in and view Alto as a long term job, not just a job that will get them their next job. 

I agree, but maybe that was a job Meeks had his eye on before it came open.

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13 minutes ago, TDJ89 said:

I agree, but maybe that was a job Meeks had his eye on before it came open.

Definitely. I didn't mean it as a knock on Meeks. If they can find someone who wants to come in and continue to build and that plans to stay a while, they could get back to being dangerous. I don't know how you can tell in an interview if a candidate plans to stay for a long time or not, but I would make it a point to try and find out. 

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On 2/27/2021 at 2:35 PM, BronCos2015 said:

Unrealistic expectations. They don't have the same athletes as past Alto teams. 

 

We always have high expectations around here. Lol “Unrealistic?” Depends on what you are referring to. District champs? Region champs? State champs? We are one year removed from our latest of 26 district championships. We have played for the region championship 12 times, won the region 4 times, played for the state championship 3, and won 2. We have 39 playoff appearances and 18 10-win seasons with 11 undefeated regular seasons.

I don’t think it is unrealistic to think we can compete for a district championship next year. The upcoming juniors and seniors were 10-0 when they were JV and undefeated junior high champs as 7th and 8th graders. Yes, our expectations are high because we have seen what they can do and how hard they are working. Win state next year? It would be one of the greatest turn arounds probably in Texas HS football history if that were to happen. I’d take it! Last season was tough but returning all but two starters is encouraging. We finally began clicking the last several games and have taken that momentum into the off season. With the help of an (undefeated in district) champion JV things are looking good for next season!

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1 minute ago, GreaseLightning said:

Money and support from admin make AD's jobs long term.... Don't show a good guy love and he's gone.......Just facts of life

Well.....maybe....but not in this case however. 100% support, love (as testified above), and even compensation. Coach Meeks was ready for a bigger school; that is what he has been associated with most of his life and this was a great opportunity. I don’t think there is one more thing we could’ve done to keep him. 🤷‍♂️ So what you said above may apply to some situations, but not this one. 

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7 hours ago, StingEmALTO said:

Well.....maybe....but not in this case however. 100% support, love (as testified above), and even compensation. Coach Meeks was ready for a bigger school; that is what he has been associated with most of his life and this was a great opportunity. I don’t think there is one more thing we could’ve done to keep him. 🤷‍♂️ So what you said above may apply to some situations, but not this one. 

Yeah I wasn't referring to Meeks.....He's a good dude. I am familiar with him and his situation. I was thinking of the next guy coming in

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2 hours ago, Stickstick said:

Good for them. It's always good to see a group who has it together. If you have a guy, go get em and get back to work. Good luck Alto, you earned a new fan.

 

Thank you sir! I commend the admin and board for the great job they have done in moving this process along.  

Last day to apply is Sunday, March 7th. Interviews will take place the early part of next week with 2nd interviews scheduled for Thursday I believe. If everything goes according to plan THE GUY will be hired on Friday at a noon board meeting.

Spring break is the following week and then we’ll hit the ground running the following Monday (3/22). These boys are working hard every single day (kudos to our coaching staff for the job they continue to do!).

Excited for our new coach to come in and lead.....we’re ready. Time is of the essence. LET’S GOOOOOO!!!!

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