Coaches of the Month Spotlights
Each month, the Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD Athletic Department will recognize a coach for his/her accomplishments in the classroom, on the field, and in the community. The recipient will receive a coupon for a free pizza courtesy of MOD Pizza. "Our coaches work hard on the field and in the classroom with our students and student-athletes," Athletic Director Brent Barker said. "We wanted to recognize them for their hard work and dedication to EMS ISD Athletics and thank you to MOD Pizza for sponsoring this."
November 2024
Football
Offensive Coordinator and Assistant Track Coach Shawn Sparks is the recipient for
the November Coach of the Month! “It’s a great honor,” he admitted when asked
about his feeling of being awarded the title. “It’s a good district and there
are a lot of good coaches in it.” 2024 marks Coach Sparks’s return to the
district, having led the Rough Riders before during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
However, those aren’t his only few years of experience. Coach Sparks has 28
years of expertise under his belt when it comes to coaching, and this season
has proved that fact. On the topic of Saginaw’s stellar, as of writing, 11-0
season, he had a lot of praise to give to the team. “We’re ecstatic, just fired
up. It’s beyond what you can imagine. We thought we had a chance to win, but
being eleven-and-zero is… That’s a little bit further.” Coach Sparks has helped
to lead the 2024 Rough Riders football team into history. Not only is it the
first time the Rough Riders have had a winning record this far into the season,
it is also the first time Saginaw has had a playoff victory in the history of
their program, having defeated the Azle Hornets in a nail-biting game to secure
them the title as the only team in Rough Rider football as Bi-District
Champions. “I’m hoping we can transition this attitude and this performance into
every sport,” he said, “with everything doing as well as we have done here.”
October 2024
Head Football Coach Mike Peters is the spotlight for
the October Coach of the Month! “It’s unexpected,” he admitted when asked about
his feelings on receiving the award, “and it is an awesome feeling to be
recognized in that capacity.” Coach Peters has a long history with Eagle Mountain
Saginaw, holding an assistant coaching position at Boswell in 2004 before
helping start the Rough Rider football program in 2005 where he served as the
offensive line coach, offensive coordinator, and head coach for ten seasons. He
took a short time away before returning to the position in 2022 where he now
leads the Rough Riders in their, as of writing, flawless season. “It’s been a
great season so far,” he expressed. “There’s been a big turnaround with a lot of
work put in, so to see us move in the direction that we intended has been
fantastic.” The Rough Riders are currently 8-0, the longest winning streak in
the history of the school and the program as a whole. With two games left in
the season, Coach Peters is excited for what is to come next. “I’m looking
forward to continuing to build up the program to a place that it’s consistent
with the competitiveness and have kids enjoy being here and playing the game and
reaping the benefits form all of the hard work they put in. That’s what we’re
trying to do and always will try to do.”
“Coach Peters in his second year has guided the Rough Riders to their best season and best start ever with an 8-0 record,” said Assistant Coordinator Vance Hughes. “The Rough Riders are sitting in first place in district 4-5A.”
September 2024
Assistant Football and Assistant Baseball Coach Daniel
Rojo is September’s Coach of the Month. “It feels great,” he admitted when
asked about the feeling of receiving the title. “I give all the credit to the
kids I coach and the coaches I work around.” As of writing, the Rough Riders
are flawless in the gameday execution, putting up an impressive four wins and
zero losses. Coach Rojo expressed great pride in the work ethic and the talent
that has been put on display by each and every one of the student athletes he
has worked with, citing that there were a lot of great things going on at
Saginaw in football and all of the other athletic programs that the school has
to offer. “I’m really looking forward to seeing these students and players grow
as individuals and leave this campus everyday as better people.”
“Coach Rojo is a vital member of our coaching staff at
SHS,” said Campus Coordinator Mike Peters. “He is an assistant football coach,
where he coaches our quarterbacks, and the varsity assistant baseball coach as
well. Coach Rojo is experienced and knowledgeable in his assignment. He does an
excellent job of adding value to every player he coaches.”
April/May 2024
Head Boys Soccer Coach Colin Yocom is the April/May
Coach of the Month. “I’m happy to be honored by this,” he said, “but I really
owe it to the boys, mostly.” With 24 total years of coaching experience under
his belt and being the former Regional Director of the Texas Association of
Soccer Coaches, Coach Yocom has been the head coach at Saginaw since 2010.
After playing for the Texas State University Soccer Club and the Tarleton State
University Soccer Club as a forward and outside midfielder, Coach Yocom coached
at a number of different high schools. He was the men’s assistant soccer coach
at Highland Park High School and Granbury High School, the latter of which he
help guide to a Bi-District Championship. Similar success followed his as the
head coach of Keller High School and Martin High School before joining the
Rough Riders, where he help lead to their first playoff win in 2010, building a
team in 2018 with the wins and district wins in school history, and a
bi-district championship in 2022 among several other notable achievements. “I’m
looking forward to the upcoming season,” he expressed. “We’re graduating 18
kids this year, but we’ve got three starters returning and a bunch of the JV
kids will be moving up.” Coach Yocom has guided over 40 players to play
collegiate soccer in DI, DII, DIII, and NAIA, as well as produced several
all-district, all-area, and all-region players duing his time as a soccer
coach. “I’m really looking forward to the challenge and trying to go back-to-back
to the playoffs.”
“Coach Yocom is a tremendous asset to our coaching
staff and our soccer program,” said Coordinator Mike Peters. “He has led the
Rough Riders soccer program for years and always fielded tough and competitive
teams.”
March 2024
Head Softball Coach Laura Williams is the March Spotlight
Coach of the Month. “It’s kind of surprising being named coach of the month,”
she laughed. “It’s enjoyable.” Coach Williams has almost two decades of
experience in education, teaching special education with a focus in history.
Before joining the Rough Riders, Coach Williams was head coach in Frankston, Texas,
where she led the Maidens softball team to the Bi-District Playoffs in 2014,
2015, and 2016. Her leadership has led the Lady Rough Riders to playoffs twice;
once in 2021 after a three-year gap in appearances, and again in 2022, winning
both the District and Bi-District Championships. “This season is not as good as
we had hoped for,” Coach Williams confessed, “but every day the girls
come out and work hard, and so moving forward we’re going to keep working and
doing what we need to do.” When asked about what she looks forward to for the
next softball season, she expressed her love for the season as a whole. “I just
love softball. I love being outside. The girls I have coming back are a
fun group to be with, great personalities, and so I’m looking forward to having
that time with them out in the sun and the wind and the cold and the rain.”
“Coach Williams does an outstanding job with our program and is a tremendous asset to our coaching and campus staff,” said Campus Coordinator Mike Peters. “Coach Williams is extremely positive and coaches with great energy allowing our players to grow and achieve at a high level.”
February 2024
Head
Wrestling and Assistant Football Coach Zachery Redden is February’s Coach of
the Month. “I’m excited,” he said when asked about how he felt about the honor,
“and glad to showcase all of the hard work our kids put in. This is all
possible because of them." Coach Redden was a student at Saginaw before he was
coach, being named a two-time Regional Qualifier and a part of the 2009
District Championship team for wrestling, and a member of the first playoff
team in school history while being selected as a 5A All-District Offensive
Tackle during his high school football career. “I thought this year was going
to be a rebuilding year for us [in wrestling],” he admitted, “because we lost,
on the boys’ side, five seniors, but there was not as much drop off as I
expected. We hadn’t been to State in the past two years, so seeing these kids
step up into their new roles and be a part of those 16 elite that get to go is
awesome to watch.” Redden has a long history of success as proof of his talents
as a coach. During his time with the Rough Riders, he’s coached a variable
number of District, Regional, All-State, and State Champions. “I’m looking
forward to next year. The goal, of course, is to make it back State, but I love
working with the athletes and seeing how they will further improve over the season.”
“Coach Redden
has made a tireless commitment to the SHS athletic program, and his effort
shows with the success of each of the athletes he coaches,” said Campus
Coordinator Mike Peters. “He is hard working and has a desire to see every
athlete succeed. He is an important part of our coaching staff and the faculty
at Saginaw High School.”
January 2024
Saginaw Assistant Football and Assistant Powerlifting Coach Hector Herrera is the January Spotlight Coach of the Month. “I’m honored,” he said about receiving the award. “It’s very rewarding.” Coming fresh off the second powerlifting meet of the season, Coach Herrera couldn’t help but praise the athletes for all their hard work and the progress they have made since practice began in December. “You can see all of the gains they have made since then, and they’re only going to get stronger and better as the season goes on.” He expressed an excitement for the upcoming district meet, admitting “I’m looking forward to seeing these kids compete watch them break through those barriers and become the best lifters that they can become, whether that be regionals, district, or even just the next meet.”
“Coach Herrera is an extremely valuable asset to our
program and has a great rapport with players, coaches, the teaching staff, and
our campus administration,” Campus Coordinator Mike Peters said. “He brings a
great attitude and a tremendous work ethic to our teams every single day.”
November/December 2023
Assistant Football and Track and Field Coach Harold
Johnson is the recipient for the joi month of November/December. “This is
astonishing,” Coach Johnson expressed. “I’ve never won anything like this
before.” He showed a lot of excitement for the upcoming track season and voiced
his pride in the football players, saying that they had grown a lot throughout
their rough season. “I think we’re just a year away from being able to get
those close losses to be wins,” he said optimistically. “We’ve come a long way
with how competitive the kids are and how they do on and off the field. With
track, too, we have a good mix of veteran returners and incoming kids with some
talent, so I’m excited to see how we will get that mix to work.” Coach Johnson
looks forward to working with the athletes and helping them become better
competitors every day, hoping to take the track and field team to regionals and
eventually state and admitting that he can’t wait for the next football season
to start too.
“Coach Johnson is an integral part of our coaching
staff and of the SHS campus,” Campus Coordinator Mike Peters said. “He brings
lots of experience, high character, and knowledge to the job and he is an
outstanding role-model for our student-athletes.”
OCTOBER 2023
Saginaw
Assistant Cross Country/Track Coach Dustin James is the October Spotlight Coach
of the Month. Coach James is in his first year as a Rough Rider and came over from Rough
Rider feeder school Highland Middle. This year was his first ever year coaching
Cross Country. “This is definitely unexpected,” he said. “I go out and do what I feel is
necessary and right for the kids, first and foremost making sure they are taken
care of. I like to make sure our student-athletes are performing at their best.
This is cool, and I’m honored that our administration thought of me,
because I feel like I go out and am the biggest cheerleader for our athletes.” The Rough Rider Cross Country team was young this year, especially on the girls
side; with six freshmen contributing at the district meet. Overall, there were
many PRs set, Brady Brooks advanced to Regionals for the third time; and is
one of the top runners in Rough Rider history. “For me, coming in with such a young team, we’re in it together and learning
together,” Coach James said. “It was awesome having this group of seniors,
learning from them, and overall watching everyone progress as the season went on.
Seeing their emotions as their times consistently dropped throughout the
season, was so rewarding for me as a coach. This group should be together for
the next three or four seasons, and I’m excited for what’s to come.” With track season just around the corner, the Rough Riders have already begun
training, and are looking forward to
competing for a district championship. “Coach
James has done an outstanding job in continuing the improvement of our
cross-country program,” Campus Coordinator Mike Peters said. “He coaches both
the boys and girls and has a great deal of knowledge and a tremendous work
ethic that has brought instant success to our team.”
SEPTEMBER 2023
AUGUST 2023
Saginaw Head Volleyball Coach Peggy Randolph is the recipient for
August. “It’s an honor to receive this award,” she said. “Our kids are working hard,
and I’m proud of where we are, and the direction we’re headed.” Saginaw Volleyball had a busy start to the season, playing 28 games from the
beginning of August leading up to the District 5-5A opener last Friday, Sept. 8. With three varsity returners from a season ago, the amount of games and extra
reps allowed them to find their identity and gain confidence as the district
slate looms. “We knew initially it could be a little rough,” Coach Randolph said. “In order
to gain experience, you have to get beat up from time to time. We have taken
our share of beatings, but our girls have great attitudes, come in every day
ready to work and we’re starting to see that growth from them.” While Saginaw came up just short in their district opener, the Lady Rough Rider
coaching staff is optimistic and believes that with their continued confidence
they can make a playoff run. They’ll look to move towards that goal this week
as they take on Wichita Falls Rider at home, and travel to Azle and Aledo next week. “Coach Randolph is doing a fantastic job in her first season as our volleyball
head coach,” Campus Coordinator Mike Peters said. “She brings a ton of energy
and a highly positive attitude to our program as well as our campus.”
