By Brandon C. Williams
The Post Newspaper Editor
Texas City High School will look to fill its head football coach role after longtime head coach Leland Surovik stepped down to become the new athletic director for TCISD.
Melissa Tortorici said the position will be inline with the head football coaching job in La Marque that is currently held by Shone Evans.
Surovik posted a record of 59-50 in his 10 seasons at the helm of the Stingarees, taking them to the District 24-4A championship and a trip to the regional finals in 2013 behind the trio of current Carolina Panthers running back D’Onta Foreman, receiver Armanti Foreman and quarterback Andrew Allen. The Stings made the playoffs six times, most recently this past season when the team finished 10-2 and advanced to the 5A, Region III area round.
TCISD posted the head football coaching opening this past Friday. There is no clear timetable as to when Texas City will name the program’s 21st head coach.
The new head coach will have a team that will likely open the upcoming regular season ranked in the state’s top 25 in Class 5A. Texas City will return 42 players from last year’s team, including incoming junior running backs Caleb Bell and Rickey Green, who combined for 1,777 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns during the 2021 campaign while also returning 12 players who received all-district honors.
Texas City is not the only area high school who will have a new coach patrolling the sidelines come late August. Santa Fe announced the hiring of its new head football coach/athletic director on Monday night. Blake Ryder, who has spent the past several seasons as the defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach at Texas City, was reportedly one of the finalists for the position.
