By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
Kevin Ledesma always kept his alma mater and his hometown close to his heart.
In 2011, Ledesma quarterbacked the Harlingen High Cardinals run to the fourth round of the playoffs and etched a permanent place in Harlingen lore.
Now, Ledesma will return to the program that launched both his playing and coaching career after a Harlingen CISD connection helped Ledesma land at Lyford.
“I was kind of looking around, and (former Harlingen High football coach) Israel Gonzalez ended up taking me with him to Lyford,” Ledesma said.
The outgoing Lyford head baseball coach and running backs coach with the football program eventually joined the Cardinals as a teaching assistant.
Ledesma announced Wednesday in a tweet that he had accepted a teaching position at HCISD’s Cano Freshman Academy. In the message, he thanked Lyford athletic director Israel Gonzalez and his staff and expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to coach the Bulldogs. Under Ledesma in 2019, Lyford finished 18-4 and 9-0 in District 32-3A title, and the Bulldogs earned their first postseason win in baseball since 1994 with a 4-3 bi-district victory over Falfurrias.
“Being a product of HCISD prepared me for the roles I took on at Lyford,” Ledesma said. “I feel like I’m going to bring that back to Harlingen High. Growing up, the ultimate goal was to be a leader, and being a part of that 2011 team that everybody talks about was a big part of that. Leaving is bittersweet, I liked it at Lyford; it was tough to leave there. But that’s what everybody dreams of, coming home.”
He said he was proud of what the Bulldogs accomplished in just two seasons.
“It was just one of those things, the mindset needed to be changed,” Ledesma said. “Anyone who inherits that group (at Lyford) is going to get an awesome group of kids.”
Ledesma will be the offensive coordinator for the Navy freshmen and a physical education teacher at Cano. He will continue to coach baseball as a varsity assistant under Armando Rangel.
“I talked a little with (Rangel) about the things we’ll be able to do,” Ledesman said. “We have a really good team coming back and it will be fun to see what we can do, and just to continue to grow as a mentor and leader.”
Though Ledesma was able to cement his legacy as a player, he hopes to be remembered similarly as a coach.
“(Harlingen High football coach Manny Gomez) introduced me today during our strength and conditioning, and talking with the freshman class, it was just great to be back home. Our goal is always to win a district championship.”