By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
LYFORD — The Harlingen CISD school board on Tuesday approved the hiring of Israel Gonzalez to be the next athletic coordinator/football coach at Harlingen South.
Gonzalez spent the past four years at the helm of the Lyford Bulldogs’ program, where he went 27-15 and made four consecutive playoff appearances. Gonzalez led the Bulldogs to a district championship and a bi-district title in his first season in 2017. Lyford was 6-2 in 2020 and reached the area round for the second time under Gonzalez.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to go back home. Can’t wait to get to Harlingen South and hit the floor running,” Gonzalez said. “Being from Harlingen, when the job became open, it was something that piqued my interest. Lyford has been nothing but outstanding. Great place to be, so a lot of prayer was involved, and we made a decision we felt was best for our family, and we’re excited about the opportunity.”
Gonzalez is an alumnus of Harlingen High and spent 10 years on the Cardinals’ staff, including two as the offensive coordinator, before heading to Lyford. He is replacing Brian Ricci, who was reassigned in December following a 2-4 season for the Hawks. Ricci was 17-32 in five seasons at Harlingen South.
Gonzalez said the particulars regarding when he makes the transition “will be worked out in the next couple of days.” When he moves to South, he said he’ll evaluate the program and create a game plan that revolves around a strong work ethic to get the Hawks back on the right track.
“We’re going to work hard, that’s the basis of every great program,” Gonzalez said. “Getting the program rolling in the right direction has a lot to do with setting the standards for your program and getting the kids to understand that you’re in it for the right reasons and that you will support them.”
Harlingen CISD athletic director Robert Davies said there was a strong field of nearly 50 applicants for the position, but Gonzalez “checked all the boxes” when it came to the experience and caring approach they were looking for. Davies credited Gonzalez’s time with Lyford for getting him ready to handle the responsibilities of a Class 6A program.
“He knew that if he was ever going to have a chance to have a job like the one he just got tonight, that he had to go away and learn and grow. He was brave enough to go and do that at Lyford,” Davies said. “He led a very successful program, did a great job, and an opportunity came up for him to come back and be here at Harlingen South, and we’re very, very excited to get him back and look forward to the great things he’s going to do there.”
When reflecting on the past four years with the Bulldogs, Gonzalez said what sticks out for him most was the kids he got to coach and how welcoming and supporting the entire community was.
“The kids at Lyford are a special breed. They’re very hard working, very respectful. From the moment I got here they bought into the system we were teaching,” Gonzalez said. “There’s no doubt I’m going to miss the kids and the community, they were supportive from Day 1 through today. I love the community of Lyford and have a tremendous amount of respect for the administration. Whoever lands at Lyford is going to be a lucky person.”