CORRECTION: The article previously stated Ragle’s district record was 11-22, who was incorrect. The story has been updated to read the correct record, 8-22. TexasHSFootball apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.
EUSTACE, Texas — Eustace ISD reassigned Heath Ragle, its Athletic director and head football coach, on Tuesday due to undisclosed reasons per a recent confirmation by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Insider Matt Stepp.
Reports Ragle was officially reassigned by the district surfaced after the positions were posted on the EISD employment site on Feb. 1. Through an open records request, TexasHSFootball found there were no disciplinary documents to substantiate his reassignment.
Superintendent Coy Holcombe declined to comment via phone or email when TexasHSFootball reached out to the ISD on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15. Ragle, according to a recent social media post, discovered the confirmation of his removal from the positions on the ISD’s job boards.
“[It’s] surreal feeling to see my job posted a day later,” the tweet read. “[It’s a] great example of how life can change instantly and you must have faith in the Lord’s plan.”
The reason or reasons for the reassignment or where Ragle will be assigned to have not been released by the ISD.
Per a 2013 report by the Athens Review, has Ragle was named head football coach and athletic director at Eustace ISD in the same year. He previously served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under former head coach Brian Herman, who was at the school for two seasons.
The Bulldogs were 5-6 overall in 2013 and made the playoffs for five consecutive seasons. It was, at the time, the longest such streak of any Henderson County area school.
During his five-year stretch as the Bulldogs’ sideline general, he finished 22-28 overall and 8-22 in district play. That included only four District 7-2A wins in the last 24 months. Eustace made the playoffs only one season — his first in 2013 — in his tenure and reached the bi-district round that season.
“I’m on contract until 2019 but I have no idea what I’m being reassigned to yet,” Ragle said. “To my knowledge, there’s nothing I’ve ever done wrong. I’ve always had good evals.”
According to staff statistics, Eustace’s varsity finished 6-4 last season and earned only its third winning season in 30 years. In 2017, the Bulldogs’ seventh (7-2), eighth (6-3), and junior varsity (7-3) teams also had winning records — erasing another 30-year drought.
Class 3A Eustace moved into District 6 after the early February realignment. No further knowledge is known about who will step into the roles during the interim. As of time of publishing, the dual-hatted position was still posted on the EISD employment page.
This is a developing story.
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