Mineola football will have a new man in charge in 2017 and he’s a familiar face for those around the East Texas town. Luke Blackwell is a 1995 graduate of Mineola and has been back at the school since 2008, serving as the track coach and the defensive coordinator and assistant coach of the football team. After being named the new head coach of the Yellowjackets earlier this week, Blackwell is excited to put his own stamp on a program that’s meant so much to him.
“It’s really exciting for me being a hometown guy and having this opportunity to step in here where we’ve had some success recently and try to build on that and see if we can keep things going in the right direction,” Blackwell said, “It’s an exciting time for us.”
Blackwell takes over a program that got over the hump and won the Class 3A Division I state championship in 2016. That elusive state title was the first in program history after losing in the state title game in 2014 and falling in the semifinals in 2015. It also may have been the spark that the team needed to break through.
“I think going through what we did the previous two years really helped us,” Blackwell said, “We used both of those games as motivation to go to work and try and do a little bit extra and prepare us down the road. We had a great group of kids and they wanted to find a way to win it and so we’re really proud of them as well.”
It’s a very different program that Blackwell is in charge of now compared to when he was a student more than 20 years ago. After just two playoff appearances between 1990 and 2007, the Yellowjackets have become a consistent playoff contender and now a state championship caliber program.
“There’s been a shift in the culture. For a long time, we didn’t have a lot of success and we struggled from year to year and the last couple of years have really helped us lay a foundation of building a culture of high expectations.”
That shift can also be credited to former head coach Joe Drennon and his staff. Before taking the job at Hallsville last month, Drennon compiled a 75-33 record in nine season, including a 40-7 mark in his last three years.
“He’s a top of the line guy and a top of the line coach,” Blackwell said of Drennon, “I’ve been fortunate to work under him for the last nine years and I’ve benefitted a lot from that. He’s a family guy first, a program guy and he’s all about being the best we can be in everything we do.”
As for what 2017 might hold, Blackwell said his team will look pretty different, given the fact that 18 seniors are graduating. The Yellowjackets will have to replace several impact players from a title team, but he’s excited to see what the future has in store for his program as he takes over.
“We do lose a lot but we’ve got a lot of younger guys coming back that have been with us for the last couple of years,” Blackwell said of his 2017 team, “We’re hoping that the culture and mindset that has been developed will carry over and help us out next year.”
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