Lots of Changes Within LGISD Athletic Department

Between departures, new hires, and role changes, there’s a lot going on within the La Grange ISD athletic department.

Here’s a roundup of some of the changes according to La Grange athletic director Kyle Cooper:

• Longtime La Grange boys track coach Rusty Cauthern is retiring. His replacement has been hired: Alec Hathcock, a former track and football player at Arizona Christian University.

• Longtime La Grange middle school girls athletic coordinator Rebecca Gerecke is retiring and being replaced by current LMS coach Melody McKee. Longtime LGISD teacher Lesley Roesler will fill now fill McKee’s former LMS coaching role.

• Robert Barber, longtime head baseball coach at La Grange, is staying in the district in other roles, but will no longer be head baseball coach. A search is currently ongoing to fill his job.

• Leps Powerlifting coach and football assistant Carlos Guevara, a LHS grad himself, has accepted a job to be the Paris North Lamar High School Offensive Coordinator. LGISD Athletic Director Kyle Cooper said he believes he’s close to filling the head powerlifting job.

• La Grange grad and longtime LG coach Katy Scott Williams is leaving LGISD to be the head girls track coach at Columbus. Cooper said he is trying to hire a new head girls strength and conditioning coach (which would be a new role at LGISD), who could also assist with girls basketball and track.

• Ginger Cooper will coach girls cross country in the fall and Cameron Hammontree will coach boys cross country, and they will continue to coach the spring distance athletes in track as they have been doing. Chris Westall had been the cross country coach. He will continue to coach and teach at LGISD.

• Leslie Coltrain, who has served as the girls athletic director, is also adding the title of Assistant Athletic Director to her responsibilities. Cooper said Coltrain will head up a concerted effort to host many more tournaments, track meets, etc. on LGISD facilities in the coming years as a way to generate more money for a department that is increasingly strapped for funds, Cooper said.

“Hosting events saves us money, generates money (in fees from visiting teams) and the other great thing about it is that it brings a lot of people to our community,” Cooper said. “It’s a great way to give back economically to this community, which supports us so well.”

Coltrain will continue to also be the head volleyball coach, but will no longer be the head girls track coach, another job LGISD is trying to fill this offseason.

Cooper added that retaining and hiring coaches at LGISD is tough at times because several surrounding school districts are offering significantly higher salaries than LGISD is right now.