Evidently, the Texas high school football coaching carousel does not take holidays off as Nevada Community High School announced Dustin Blann as the new head coach of their football program on Monday.
Blann comes over from Terrell High School, where he served as the assistant head coach the past season. He will replace Jeremy Turner at Community, a 4A, Division II school, as Turner will now serve in an AD only role at the school. Turner led the Braves to a 5-6 record last year and a playoff berth where they were defeated by eventual state champs Texarkana Pleasant Grove in the first round.
“Not only did he impress us with his knowledge of the game but he is a man [that] exhibited the Traits of a Brave which are generous, humble, passionate, and wise,” Community ISD superintendent Dr. Roosevelt Nivens said. “These are the traits we expect all employees and students to exemplify and he clearly stood out amongst every other candidate.”
Blann has worked all across the state of Texas. He was the receivers coach at Lake Highlands before taking the offensive coordinator job at Fort Worth Polytechnic in 2007 when fellow Lake Highlands coach Marvin Sedberry, Jr. was hired there as the head coach. Blann has served as Sedberry’s right hand man since, following him to Baytown Lee (2009-2014), Garland Naaman Forest (2014-2018), and the past season at Terrell.
“Coach Blann has been the most loyal and dedicated assistant I have ever worked with,” Sedberry said. “We have coached all across Texas and he’s been a key piece in all of our programs. Players love to work hard for him and trust him.”
Community has made the playoffs each of the past two years under Turner but has not won a playoff game since 2008.
This season Blann will look to build on their offense which averaged 33.5 points per game last year.
“He has a great offensive mind and [is] one of the best game planners in the state,” Sedberry said. “He has a knack for attention to detail and is always well prepared. [He] has made every program better.”
Although Community starting quarterback last year Parker Simpson has graduated, the Braves still return plenty of talent for Blann to work with. Starting running back Tyson Neighbors, who is also a Kansas State baseball commit, is back after putting up 1,522 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground last season. First team all-district tight end Sean Outlaw returns as does impact wide receiver Ty Simpkins, giving their new quarterback plenty of talent to throw to.
On the other side of the ball, Outlaw is a threat at defensive end and earned a first team all-district mention at that position as well last season. Linebacker Paul Testa, who could be an option at quarterback for the Braves, and rising sophomore safety Quinton Hall also both return after being named first team selections last year.
“I am excited to see how he molds our young men to be productive positive influencers and change agents as they become fathers, husbands, and the next leaders of our world,” Nivens said.
Blann will get an early idea of what he has at his disposal when last year’s state runner-up Pottsboro comes to Community to open the season on August 28th. Blann will aim to take the team to the playoffs for the third year running as the team looks to break their 12-year playoff victory drought.
