BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
After two years as head coach of Edinburg High football, Joaquin Escobar has been reassigned to a position at Harwell Middle School by Edinburg CISD. Escobar was made aware of the decision Friday.
“They called me in and told me they wanted to go a different direction,” Escobar said. “It is what it is. It’s part of the business, I understand that. I didn’t bat an eye. I had a job I had to get done, and I didn’t get it done. I don’t hold anything against anybody.”
Escobar’s stint with the Bobcats was his first as a head coach. The Odessa native finished with an overall record of 3-17, including a 2-10 mark in District 31-6A. Prior to his move to the Valley, Escobar was an offensive coordinator at Corpus Christi King.
“It was an awesome experience,” Escobar said. “They’re very loyal young men. They gave everything they had. It was great. My heart is full. I feel like we came in and did what we were supposed to do. We changed a lot of kids who were getting in trouble in class and helped them become better students and better men in the classroom.”
Though Escobar remains employed by Edinburg CISD, he says he plans to seek a head coaching job elsewhere and that he’s already been contacted by schools in the Valley and the San Antonio area.
“You’re always thinking something like this might happen when you’re a coach,” Escobar said of his reassignment. “I didn’t know about their decision at the time, though. You don’t try thinking about it too much because you don’t want it to affect the kids. That’s what it’s all about. Not me, not the administration. It’s about the kids, and that wouldn’t be fair to them.”
The news was confirmed by Escobar on social media.