By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Sports
By the time Captain Shreve principal Bryant Sepulvado goes home today, he hopes to have one thing off his plate: naming the school’s new head football coach.
Sunday evening, Sepulvado told the Shreveport-Bossier Journal that he and the rest of the five-person search committee will interview three finalists Monday. While not a certainty, the decision on who will get the job could be made by the end of the day.
The last three standing were among some 50 people who expressed interest, either by formally applying, or calling to inquire about the position.
“It always makes you feel good,” Sepulvado said about the interest. “If you’ve got a job nobody wants, that’s a problem.”
Two of the three candidates are from Shreveport-Bossier, while a third candidate is from outside the area. Not all three finalists have head coaching experience, while they all have been at least a coordinator in a Class 5A program.
“That’s big,” Sepulvado said of having coached in the state’s highest classification. “With the size of the school and the number of athletes, 5A is a different animal. I think to a degree that is important, but there are some guys at all level of ball that do a phenomenal job. Really, it’s more about the person than the school size.”
Sepulvado, who for seven years was the Gators’ head coach, values hiring someone with head coaching experience, but that isn’t a necessity.
“Honestly, if that was the criteria, I wouldn’t have been hired at Shreve. At some point, people who have paid their dues and done a good job deserve a shot, too. I kept the door open on both fronts.”
Adam Kirby left Shreve last month following two seasons as head coach to become the head coach at Magnolia (Ark.) High School. Since then, Sepulvado has been busy working through his list of applicants.
“When people apply, you start doing background and calling people. The great thing about it now is there’s so much film online. You can look at what they do schematically and how they run things offensively and defensively. You want to make sure they’re capable of coaching football, and that their vision represents the vision of the school. I want a spread-type guy who is going to open it up.”
But Sepulvado hasn’t been focused just on what a coach brings to the field.
“You really have to dig into ‘How do you fundraise? How do you interact with your players?’ I’m really looking for someone that is going to treat the staff and the players right. I’ve always said, even when I was a head coach, that I wouldn’t hire an assistant coach unless I wanted my son to play for him.”
Shreve is coming off a district title, finishing 7-0 in league play and 9-2 overall. The perfect district record was the first in school history at the 5A level. The Gators earned a first-round playoff bye before falling to eventual semifinalist Archbishop Rummel in the second round of the Select Division I bracket.
“There’s a whole lot that goes along with the job,” Sepulvado said. “I’m looking for somebody who checks all those boxes.”
Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com