MWISD Ends Search for New AD/Football Coach;Only 1 AD for Both Boys and Girls Moving Forward
By Amy Bearden / Mineral Wells Area News
A special meeting of the MWISD Board of Trustees will be held on May 4th at 12pm to meet in closed session to finalize the contract to hire a new athletic director and head football coach for the district.
Superintendent Dr John Kuhn will be making a recommendation for the position to the board and the candidate and his family are expected to be at the special meeting to accept the job.
Mineral Wells Area News could not confirm with the district who Kuhn is recommending, but sources very close to the situation say the hire will be 35 year old Cody Worrell, who spent 12 years coaching under his dad Chad Worrell, 10 of that in Brock.
Chad Worrell is credited with starting the Brock Football Athletic Program in 2011 and in 2015 won the 3A High School State Football Title alongside his son Cody Worrell as an Assistant Coach where they spent 10 years coaching together.
Cody Worrell most recently followed his dad to El Campo High School in 2021 where he would coach under his father again after they Brock. There they won two district championships, however, in an unexpected change, Worrell Sr. took a job as the AD and Head Football Coach at Burleson ISD in March of 2023, reportedly to be closer to his family.
It’s no surprise Cody Worrell would look to move closer to home with dad after coaching down south for two years. He intended to coach in Burleson with his dad again next year and had already signed a contract with the ISD there, but when the Mineral Wells job opened, he knew he was ready.
Cody Worrell has never held a head coaching position before and Dr. Kuhn said it wasn’t much of a weighted factor in the decision when they were looking at candidates.
The candidate I will be recommending hasn’t held a head football coaching position before. That said, the “Profile of an Ideal Candidate” compiled by our steering committee didn’t list that as a high priority. They were looking instead for someone with experience in successful programs and in turning around a program.
Superintendent Dr. John Kuhn
“The candidate I plan to recommend to the board does have years of experience as a highly successful, highly productive offensive coordinator. He has been a state champion both as a player and a coach and has led teams to all-time school scoring records as an offensive coordinator,” stated Kuhn.
MWAN inquired about the athletic director position and asked if the role would be divided again between male and female sides. Tony Raffaele had been managing the girls side before his resignation earlier this year and former head coach Seth Hobbs managed the boys side. Kuhn said there will only be one athletic director moving forward.
Kuhn responded, “If the recommended candidate is approved by the school board, he will serve as AD and head football coach. We won’t have a separate AD for girls moving forward. Instead, the MWISD AD will be supported by a girl’s athletic coordinator. Currently, MWHS head varsity volleyball coach Kimberly Branch is serving in that role in an acting capacity.”
MWAN will be at the board meeting and will bring you any updates we receive.
