Two New Football Coaches Join Leakey ISD Staff for 2009-2010 School Year
by Leakey ISD Webmaster
October 01, 2009
9/23/2009-News Release-Leakey Independent School District-Fred R. McNiel, Superintendent
Two New Football Coaches Join Leakey ISD Staff for 2009-2010 School Year
Mr. Xavier Rangel and Mr. Derek Quarles recently accepted appointments to serve on the Leakey High School faculty for the 2009-2010 school year. In addition to their coaching duties both of these young men have teaching responsibilities in the area of math and social studies respectively. Both of these gentlemen were highly recommended when they were interviewed and hired and in the first few weeks of their tenure have proven to be dedicated, competent, and hardworking professional educators. We are proud to have them on staff and would like for all our friends and families to get to know them better. We are looking forward to their contributions to our school and community in the next few years! Please make an opportunity to meet and welcome Mr. Rangel and Mr. Quarles to Leakey ISD.
Xavier Rangel was one of more than forty applicants who applied for the head football coaching position when applications were solicited during the summer of 2009. The list was whittled down to eight finalists and Mr. Rangel was one of those finalists and was interviewed extensively by the Leakey ISD Site Based Committee (SBC). While there were other applicants with head coaching experience, Mr. Rangel impressed the SBC with his knowledge, enthusiasm and charisma! The SBC recommended his selection to the Leakey ISD School Board and he was unanimously hired by a vote of the School Board at their June Board meeting.
Mr. Rangel grew up in Lubbock where his retired parents, Jessie and Maria Rangel continue to reside. He attended Lubbock public schools and graduated from Lubbock High School in 1994. While attending this large 5-A school, Mr. Rangel was a starter on the varsity football and baseball teams. After graduating from high school Mr. Rangel enrolled in Texas Tech University and graduated in August, 2000 with a degree in Exercise and Sports Science with a minor in Math. Mr. Rangel has one sibling, a brother, Miguel, who also graduated from Texas Tech and who is a mechanical engineer in Dallas. Mr. Rangel currently has a steady girlfriend, Zenia Garcia, who teaches Spanish in the Dallas ISD.
After graduating from Texas Tech, Mr. Rangel taught and coached in four schools before accepting the coaching/teaching position at Leakey ISD. Those school districts were Post, Rocksprings, Lubbock, and Levelland. This is Mr. Rangel’s tenth year of coaching/teaching. Previously he served as defensive coordinator and head baseball coach at both Levelland and Rocksprings. Soon after being offered and accepting the Head Football coaching position, Mr. Rangel accepted the Athletic Director (AD) position after former Leakey ISD AD, James Crafton, resigned from the LISD faculty. Mr. Rangel’s hobbies include traveling and reading. When asked his impressions of Leakey and Leakey ISD Mr. Rangel stated: “It is a great community filled with good people” This outstanding young man has a bright future ahead of him and Leakey ISD is fortunate to have someone with his qualifications and ability on staff.
Mr. Derek Quarles was hired late in August after two-a-days had already begun. This young man did not coach last year due to the fact that he was chasing “big bucks” as an oil field worker in Utah. After the current economic recession crippled the U.S. oil industry, Mr. Quarles was laid off by Schlumberger Well Services. It didn’t take him long to determine that coaching and teaching school was what he really wanted to do! He had previously taught and coached for two years each at Denver City and River Road ISD. Mr. Quarles grew up in Amarillo, where his mom and dad still reside, and played varsity football on the Amarillo High School football team. He received a football scholarship and attended West Texas A&M University graduating in 2004. While at WTAMU, he was a three year letterman on the football team and was awarded the John Ayers Memorial Scholarship for leadership his senior year!
Mr. Quarles comes from a teaching family as his father is a teacher in the Amarillo ISD and both of his older sisters are also teachers. His oldest sister, Abi and her husband Clay live in Seminole, Texas. The other sister, Andrea and her husband, Tim, live in Seattle, Washington. Mr. Quarles also has a niece and a nephew, Nadine and Owen. While Mr. Quarles may be the baby of his family, he is a “gentle giant” and has very quickly earned the admiration and respect of his students and players.
Mr. Quarles hobbies include fly fishing on the Green river in the Flaming Gorge in North Eastern Utah and reading anything he can get his hands on! Asked his impressions of Leakey and Leakey ISD, Mr. Quarles stated: “I’ve never worked in a town this small before and I’ve never had this many good kids before” Leakey ISD is pleased and proud to have Mr. Quarles on staff and we appreciate his good attitude and work ethic. In the photograph above Mr. Rangel is seated on the left and Mr. Quarles is seated on the right. Please help us in providing a warm welcome to these two outstanding young men.