BY GEORGE WATSON l AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

James Morton has been gone just over a week, and the Lubbock Independent School District is wasting no time naming his replacement.

A press conference has been scheduled for 9 a.m. today at Plainsmen Alley inside the Monterey Gym where the new head football coach/athletic coordinator designee will be announced.

Lubbock ISD Interim Athletic Director Melynn Hunt declined to give the name of the new coach, but a source told The Avalanche-Journal on the condition of anonymity that five candidates either interviewed or were contacted about the job — Snyder head coach Chad Rogers, Muleshoe head coach David Wood, Amarillo Highland Park head coach Bryan Gerlich, Brenham assistant coach Stephen Lee and current Monterey assistant Todd Pearson.

Hunt said the school district felt a move to fill the position needed to be made quickly, hence the quick hiring. The hiring will not become official until it is approved by the school board, which next meets on May 14.

Wood and Rogers said they were contacted about the position but both decided to stay in their current position.

“It was a tough decision,” said Wood, who led the Mules to the Class 2A Division I state championship this past season. “It’s a heck of an opportunity. I got a phone call about it last week. I told them I would think about it and call them back the next day. I came home, talked to my wife and we decided to stay here.”

Rogers, who interviewed for the same Midland Lee job that Morton left Monterey for last week, said he was also contacted by Monterey but declined an interview because it was too late in the school year.

“They just gave me a call to see and were really nice,” said Rogers, who is 70-30 in eight seasons at Snyder. “They knew I’d shown interest in the Lee job but I’m not out there pursuing a job. I just felt like it was too late in the year for me to go over there and pursue it for Snyder’s sake. I had told Lee that if they hadn’t decided by (last) Tuesday to just take my name out of the running.”

Gerlich, Lee and Pearson did not return messages left by The Avalanche-Journal.

Gerlich, the husband of former Texas Tech women’s basketball standout and current West Texas A&M women’s basketball coach Kirsta Gerlich, just completed his first season at Highland Park, leading the Hornets to a 4-6 record.

Lee is an assistant under Brenham coach Glen West. The Cubs went 8-5 last year.
Pearson has been an assistant under Morton at Monterey since 2002, serving as the coach for guards and centers.

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