The Weatherford Kangaroo football team has a new head coach as Marshall Williams was officially announced on April 16.
Williams is coming from Lovejoy where he served as offensive coordinator the past two seasons, serving under legendary coach Todd Dodge. Before that, he spent four seasons as head coach at Keller Timber Creek where he made the playoffs in three of those seasons. He spent time as an assistant coach and coordinator at Southlake Carroll, Cedar Ridge and Brewer previously.
“I just think he’s really good at coaching kids,” Athletic Director Scott Curan said. “He’s got a resume that proves it. He’s been a head coach before at the 6A level. The last couple of years he’s been an OC underneath Todd Doge, who is one of the best to ever coach high school football. He was under Riley Dodge at Southlake Carroll who is another outstanding coach, so he has all the background and the resume to prove he is a good hire.”
Besides his credentials, Curran also raved about Williams’ ability to attract kids to want to play for him, which is important in an area as football rich as Parker County.
Williams’ attraction to the opening at Weatherford was an easy one according to him.
“It is an amazing community,” Williams said. “I grew up in the northern Fort Worth area my whole life and made many trips through Weatherford, had a lot of friends from there. I have a 10-year-old daughter that it was important to me my next stop would be my last stop for her. I’ve always believed Weatherford has a supporting community that loves all sports, not just football. I knew I’d have resources and backing to build a program that I believe Weatherford deserves.”
Williams is planning to operate in an up-tempo spread formation that he has been familiar in almost all of his coaching years. The more particulars on what specific formations and the balance between run/pass among other things will come as he figures out his personnel. Before that, Williams is also in the process of figuring out the rest of his football staff before summer starts.
With no spring football, it will be even more important, says Williams, for football players to show up to summer lifting, not just for the workouts but for on-field work the team is allowed through UIL.
“What we do this summer is extremely important,” Williams said. “Our strength and conditioning is a Monday through Thursday deal while UIL allows us four hours a week, so one hour every day after lifting to coach our kids. So attendance and buy-in for that will be essential.”
One of the things Williams is going to emphasize not just of his players, but of his coaches, is the feeling of togetherness it takes for everyone to go to battle in a football game.
“It’s not going to sound real tough, but we are going to be a program where the foundation is love,” Williams said. “I don’t think there is anything stronger in the world and I don’t think you can get the people in your organization to do the things you need them to do if you don’t value them with the relations through love.”
Williams started at Weatherford on April 17. Even on his first few days, he’s been able to join a couple of unprompted throwing sessions between players before and after school that he called the best parts of his days.
Williams is having a meet the parents night at 6:30 p.m. on April 27 in the Weatherford cafeteria. Ahead of his talk with parents, he wants to let them know he and his family hope to be here for a long time and wants what is best for all of the kids in the program.
“We are building the person,” Williams said. “We have to know the person before I know the player. I can’t get what I need out of a player until I know the person. We are going to establish relationships first.”
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