SHS decision drawing near
<p>BY TYLER CLIFTON
</p>

<p>HERALD DEMOCRAT
</p>

<p>A school board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday night where
the Sherman Independent School District is expected to submit its
recommendation for the school's new athletic director/football coach,
Superintendent Dr. Al Hambrick said on Thursday.
</p>

<p>The number of applicants totaled 31, four more than the number
received since the previous board meeting on June 22. Several were
interviewed on Wednesday with more expected before the end of the day.
</p>

<p>"We are in the process of screening our applicants and are trying to
complete the (initial) interviews this week," Hambrick said. "We're
very hopeful on getting a decision made."
</p>

<p>Sherman assistant coach and defensive coordinator Jason Heath and
offensive coordinator Royce Slechta are the only two in-house
candidates who applied for the position and interviewed on Wednesday
morning according to a source who wished to remain anonymous due to the
issue's sensitivity.
</p>

<p>Callisburg's Jerry Bomar and former Canton, Baylor assistant and
Clovis West (Calif.) coach Gary Joe Kinne are two of the high-profile
names to be mentioned, but it isn't known whether or not they
officially interviewed.
</p>

<p>The same can be said for other candidates, a list according to an
unnamed source that includes Jeff Cleveland, Lonnie Judd, Leonard
McAngus, Dave Meadows, and Kurt Nichols as well as several other
applicants from at least four other states across the country.
</p>

<p>Cleveland, a former offensive coordinator at Wylie High School, led
El Paso Hanks to a 7-3 record in 2008. The Knights were 6-5 in 2007 and
reached the bi-district round.
</p>

<p>Judd, the offensive coordinator at Waco Midway, helped lead the
Panthers to the Class 4A Region I final a year ago before losing 43-42
to eventual state runner-up Longview.
</p>

<p>McAngus asked to be reassigned from Justin Northwest High School in
March and was 32-40 in seven seasons at the helm of the Texans, who
competed against the likes of Flower Mound Marcus, Lewisville Hebron
and powerhouse Southlake Carroll.
</p>

<p>Meadows was the head coach/athletic director at DeSoto, where he
made the playoffs all eight seasons he was in charge and advanced to
the area round in 2008 before losing to Skyline in the area round. He
has a career record of 271-99 in 32 seasons.
</p>

<p>Nichols most recently coached at East Central Oklahoma University
before being relieved of his duties last October. He was previously the
head coach at Cisco Junior College before making the move to Ada.
</p>

<p>There is an extreme sense of familiarity with Sherman High School,
as Nichols coached former Bearcats Patrick Hagan, Deveon McKinney and
Jeremy Scales at Cisco as well as another former Sherman trio of David
Alvarez, Daniel Inman and Matt Rome last year with the Tigers.
</p>

<p>Hambrick said the list will dwindle with second interviews taking
place if necessary. The next coach will replace Drew Young, who
announced his retirement on June 1 to accept the athletic director post
at Durant Public Schools.
</p>

<p>"We plan to make a recommendation to the school board on Tuesday
night," Hambrick said. "We're working hard on doing what's best for the
kids and having them a coach in place a month prior to their first
workout."
</p>

<p>Two-a-days begin for Sherman on Aug. 3, as the team didn't participate in spring practice.
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