Columbia's Randy Lynch to take over at Sweeny [Archive]

Roughneck93

03-16-2016, 05:43 AM

NEW TOP DOG: Lynch will take over the Sweeny football program

By JOEL LUNA (https://thefacts-dot-com.bloxcms.com/users/profile/Joel%20Luna)joel.luna@thefacts.com 3 hrs ago
(joel.luna@thefacts.com)
For the past 18 years Randy Lynch has been a part of Columbia-Brazoria ISD and Sweeny ISD in some coaching capacity, and for the past six, he has been a coordinator and head coach for the Columbia High School football team.

But as of today, Lynch will return to Sweeny and the Bulldog nation as the new athletics director and head football coach.

The Columbia Roughneck athletics director/head football coach had a tough choice in hand.

“This was probably the toughest coaching decision that I’ve had to make in my career,” Lynch said. “It was very tough, because I told the kids today, and it was probably one of the toughest days in my coaching career. Having to address those young men that have worked their tailend off this entire offseason — doing everything that we asked of them, was the hardest part.

“We try to teach football here but also life’s lessons. I told them that one day they will come across a cross roads and they will have to decide which way they want to go, that was the situation for me. It was very difficult.”

Lynch wrapped up his fourth season with the Roughnecks having reached the playoffs each year. In 2015, Columbia was 2-3 in District 12-4A Division I and 7-4 overall, and fell to Navasota (52-16) in the bidistrict round. He was 29-17 overall at Columbia.

Prior to taking over the top job for the Roughnecks, Lynch was the offensive coordinator under Leland Surovik for two seasons. Before that, Lynch was at Sweeny coaching football and track and field.

Knowing the Bulldog program played a big part in his decision, Lynch said.

“I’d been there for seven years and I enjoyed my time there,” he said. “It was kind of like here, a small school district where the kids get an opportunity to play multiple sports. The facilities are top notch as far as 4A, the fact that the community was so good to me seven years ago.

“They were supportive of the athletic programs and still are. When they approached me about the job, they asked if I would look into it and explore those opportunities.”

Lynch will take over for coach Joseph Olguin, who stepped down a couple of weeks ago to take an administrative position with Sweeny ISD.

The Bulldogs were 1-4 in District 12-4A Division II and 2-9 overall. Sweeny made the playoffs last season, where it lost to Giddings (35-7) in the bidistrict round.

“I know last year was a tough year on them, and for me I am coming in and bringing in a lot of energy to the program and (want to) generate some enthusiasm for the program,” Lynch said. “They had a tough year and we have beaten them five of the last six years, but I think it is a situation where the energy that I bring will help lift the program. I will try to get more kids out for the program, that is one of my main goals. I want to get participation up and play some ball and have some fun.”

With the Battle of the Bernard always circled on the calendars of Columbia and Sweeny fans, it will be interesting when the 2016 season opens and the Bulldogs visit Columbia for a non-district contest.

“I’ve been in this rivalry for the past 18 years out of 24 in my coaching career and I’ve been on both sides,” Lynch said. “That first game next year at Griggs Field is going to be tough. I am going to have to change the terminology because some of it has been the same for the past six years. So I am going to have to change some things and probably make more adjustments, more than anybody.”

Columbia will start a search right away, and the job will be open to outside applicants — which hasn’t happened in many years.

“To be honest with the Columbia job, it has been an inside job for the last 16 years,” Columbia-Brazoria ISD Superintendent Steven Galloway said. “As far back as Dean DeAtley, the job has been given to someone inside every time.

“To be honest with you, I am going to tell you what the community is telling me — losing an athletic director/head football coach to Sweeny hurts a little bit,” he said. “It is a pride thing and we understand that. Given that several members of the community have approached me and said, ‘We would like for you to open it up to see what happens,’ by that I mean, open it up to outside applicants. They are not against anyone inside, but they said that we have not opened it up in 16 years, so they’d like to see that. As of right now that is the plan.”

Columbia is in the midst of a six-year run of making the playoffs, and Galloway said he wants that trend to continue.

“We have several people on the inside to take over the job, but because Randy went to Sweeny it changes the politics,” Galloway said. “I am just being honest, the community was honest with me and I am being honest with you, it changes the politics when you lose your head football coach to Sweeny.”

Lynch becomes the 19th head football coach at Sweeny since 1947.

“Randy is a good person, he’s good people and will be a good role model for our team,” Sweeny ISD superintendent Randy Miksch said. “I think coach Olguin did a good job, but Randy brings creditability there.

“He’s done an outstanding job at Columbia and we had him for seven years and knew the type of person that he was.”

Lynch becomes the fourth coach in the last six seasons for the Bulldogs since Tommy Zajicek’s retirement in 2009. Sweeny is 37-31 over the last six years.

“He is going to bring some stability to the program and he knows this, that we want a well rounded program not just the football program,” Miksch said. “I think he’s done a good job there, making things happen in all sports and that is important. To me, at the end of the day I want them to be good representatives of the program along with the kids to represent us well in the community. Because those are the things that carry on for the rest of your life.”

The only way Lynch was going to agree to take the job at Sweeny was if he had the title of athletics director, which was vacated by Brett Miksch.

“Brett did step down, and he made a move, because he wanted to get back more with the kids,” Sweeny ISD Superintendent Randy Miksch said. “It is a good move for him too. But overall this is a positive move for our district and this will be good.”

Mark that calendar, Sweeny visits Columbia for the season opener, Sept. 2.

http://thefacts.com/sports/article_854ec7e1-67df-5a7f-8648-27f4add9c8ab.html