Who’s next?
That’s the question everyone associated with the Cedar Creek football program is asking.
Who will be the Cougars next head coach following the departure of Matt Middleton after one season with the program?
Crickets.
Not much news coming out of the Creek camp these days. Lips are sealed.
As they should be during this type of process.
However, as the Lincoln Parish Journal looks around the area and the Creek family – directly and indirectly – a few names come to mind.
Keep in mind, this is a speculation piece. Some of these names may be interested in the job. Some may not.
Here are five names the LPJ feels are worth mentioning when looking to the future of the program:
Dan Childress – the son of former Ruston High legendary coach Jimmy “Chick” Childress has Creek ties after serving as the head coach in 1995 after serving as an assistant for a year or two. Another plus is Childress’ wife Mary Bell is one of the top school administrators in the south.
Mark Ware – the current Cougars defensive coordinator is one of the best in the business in the state of Louisiana. He would be the most obvious choice from the current staff.
Damian Herron – a former assistant coach at Cedar Creek, he is an assistant coach at Red River High School.
Steven Ensminger – the former West Monroe High School and Louisiana Tech quarterback is currently the quarterback coach at Ruston High School.
Josh Willeford – another former assistant coach at Cedar Creek High School is currently an assistant coach at Parkers Chapel High School in El Dorado, Arkansas.
With a talented corps for the Cougars returning in 2022, the next head coach will inherit a team that is capable of making a run in Division IV.
However, as we mentioned in Thursday’s LPJ column, some challenges exist when trying to find the next Cougars head coach.
Only time will tell.
And how much time will it take? Spring football is still a few months away. So there is still time, but whoever the next head coach will be will want to get to Ruston and start game-planning for spring ball.
