Two Central Texas schools are looking for new football coaches, while another one has hired a new leader in the offseason coaching carousel.
Hutto football coach and boys athletic director Will Compton stepped down as the Hippos football coach and started a new job within the district on Jan. 14.
Compton is the next district athletic director after being the football coach since 2022.
“I am truly excited to serve as the next Athletic Director for Hutto ISD and appreciate Ms. [Jeni] Neatherlin, the Hutto ISD Board of Trustees, and school community for giving me this opportunity,” said Compton. “I fell in love with Hutto ISD the day I stepped on campus and look forward to moving all our programs forward as we continue to grow as a District. Athletics builds character and I’m confident our success on the field, on the court, and in the classroom will continue to produce great members of the Hutto community.”
Compton replaces Brad LaPlante, who had the job since 2018. LaPlante is taking the same position at Montgomery ISD. Incidentally, Compton replaced LaPlante as the head football coach as well.
A news release says the district will begin a search immediately for a new head football coach/boy’s athletic coordinator.
Compton was 13-18 in his three years at the helm and guided the Hippos to the playoffs in 2023 — losing to eventual state champion Duncanville.
Compton has previously coached at Buda Johnson, La Marque, Refugio and Tyler. He was the head coach of Bryan Rudder from 2014-16.
Anthony Wood announced he will retire at the end of the school year, leaving a vacancy as the head football coach and athletic coordinator at Round Rock Westwood.
He’s been at the helm since 2005 and won 90 games guiding the Warriors. Westwood was 2-8 this past season but was 7-3 in 2023 but failed to make the playoffs.
Westwood went to the playoffs six times in his tenure and a 10-2 mark in 2011 was the most wins in a season.
Wood started coaching at Irving MacArthur before going to SMU to serve as a graduate assistant under Phil Bennett, working with quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Jared Shaw has been hired as the new football coach and athletic coordinator at Bastrop Cedar Creek.
He has a tall task ahead as the 5A school is 1-39 since 2021 and has lost 35 in a row dating back to a win on Sept. 30, 2021.
Shaw, who took over on Dec. 19, was the offensive coordinator and assistant head football coach at Copperas Cove.
A native of Pflugerville, he’s had coaching stops at Lockhart and Killeen Ellison as well. Shaw played football at Howard Payne University, where he was a wide receiver.
“My family and I are thrilled to join the Cedar Creek campus and community,” said Shaw. “Our goal is to leverage athletics as a powerful tool to equip student-athletes with the skills they need to succeed in all areas of life.”
Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.
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