New Tucumcari High football coach introduced

Tucumcari Public Schools introduced Doug South as its new high school football coach last Monday, and he said he intends to stick around for at least four years.

The district's incoming superintendent, Carl Marano, introduced South during a meet-and-greet last Monday at Rattler Gymnasium. About 50 students and parents attended.

Marano acknowledged the lack of stability with the high school football program, with South being the fourth Rattlers coach in four years.

The Rattlers' previous coach, Tarik Embrack, didn't return to the district after he was placed on administrative leave in January for unspecified reasons.

"We are excited to try to turn the page and move forward," Marano said, and he encouraged THS students to "play in as many sports as you can."

South also will be the dean of students in the middle school.

South gave a presentation on what he expects from his team. Noting that former Oakland Raiders coaching legend John Madden made only a few rules for his players, South said he had only five for his:

- Be at practice and be on time.

- Be a good teammate.

- Be a person that the school and community can be proud of.

- Be respectful of opponents, sideline personnel, coaches and game officials.

- Be focused, play hard and have fun.

South didn't waste time after introducing himself, instructing his assistant coaches - basically the same staff as last season - to work with quarterbacks and receivers.

The next day, South and his staff were scheduled to work with linemen. A football camp schedule for THS players also has been set up for much of July.

South didn't reveal his age, though a biography he emailed to the Quay County Sun stated he has more than 40 years of experience in athletics.

He earned his master's degree from the University of Idaho. His background includes coaching high school and junior college football in his native Southern California and other states. He also was head football coach for the Boise Generals semipro team in Idaho.

While working on his master's, he spent internships observing off-season programs at Concordia University, the Minnesota Vikings and the University of Minnesota.

According to his LinkedIn page, South also is a minister, with Bible credits from Charis Bible College.

South said in an interview before the meet-and-greet that he and his wife, Josie, of 40 years had retired to Yuma, Arizona, a couple of years ago. He coached a little youth football there, then heard about the Tucumcari opening from a friend at Zuni Public Schools.

"So I did that, these guys called, and one thing led to another," he said. "It happened quick because I put in (for the job) about two weeks ago on a Thursday. On a Tuesday, I took a Zoom interview. The next day, they checked all my references. It's been less than a week, basically."

South said he wants to bring stability to the football program.

"I know there's some bitter feelings from the players because they've had so many different head coaches," he said. "My goal is to be here four years to the freshmen coming in. They are going to know I'm going to be their coach when they're a senior, and I want to see them through and then I'll retire."

South talked about his philosophy on defense and offense.

"Our defense will be a zone blitz," he said. "It won't be real complicated, but we'll give different looks for it.

"Our offense, it will be a one-back set ... kind of a run-and-shoot. You can call plays in the huddle, but we're going to teach our quarterback reads and adjust the routes to what he sees. The reads won't be as complicated as college, but it's very quarterback-friendly."

The Rattlers finished 3-6 last season, which was their most wins since 2015.