Bossier Press-Tribune Online

“I’d like to thank God first of all for blessing me with the opportunity to coach football.
“It’s a great game and I have the opportunity to mold young men through this game and that means a lot to me.
“Without the support of my wife and kids, I wouldn’t be here. The five of us have always tried to follow God’s will and we certainly believe that this new opportunity is in line with what he intends for our lives.
“Obviously, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to coach (Mitch) Downey and the Benton administration for entrusting me with this program. I feel like this is a unique opportunity for any coach.
“Usually, when you come into a program as a young coach there is a lot of work to be done. No doubt there is work to be done but there is already such strong community support, such a great tradition of success that it makes that path a little bit easier.
“I want you to know that I plan on coming in and working relentlessly to uphold the standards and expectations that have been set here at Benton High School.
“I will work diligently to make sure each young man who is a part of our program graduates and is prepared for both college and for life. It is my goal that each young man leaves our program a better man than when he began. We will instill values in each person involved in our program that will help make them better husbands, better fathers and better community leaders.
“For the football part, you can expect to see an exciting brand of offense and aggressive play on defense. We’ll probably throw the football a little bit more than Benton fans are accustomed to, but I can’t say that for sure until I’m able to get here and evaluate the talent we have on campus and see what we have coming up through the middle school and the younger ranks.
“To everyone who supports the Benton football program, my promise to you is that no one will work harder than I will to make this program a success.
“As I told the interview committee, after my faith and my family, Benton High School gets everything else.  I look forward to being a part of this great school and this great community. I look forward to meeting each of you and becoming part of the great Benton Tiger tradition.
“Today, I’m a Benton Tiger and I couldn’t be more excited.”