Rhoten

"I had no idea what I was doing " said Rhoten "When I got Nashville, there were three coaches I learned pretty quickly that it was a lot of hard work We did it all, from painting the field and everything It was a real culture shock to me "

After being in Tennessee for nine months and both he and his wife (who is also a teacher) missing Texas, an opportunity came open for him to get a coaching position at Flower Mound Marcus in 1996. That first year, Marcus went 10-4 and followed that up with a 14-2 state championship in 1997

"That was pretty cool I was more of a scout guy and helping out with the grunt work " said Rhoten

He left Marcus and started coaching in Belton as offensive coordinator, where they went 9-2 the first year, but followed that with an 0-10 season That put the head coach on the chopping block and he told the assistants to start looking elsewhere Rhoten went to Paris Chisum

"That was my first taste of small school Texas football." said Rhoten. "My oldest girl Landry was in third grade and I thought that a school that size was where I wanted my child to grow up in. I like the feel of a small school."

While at Chisum, he developed a friendship with with Lance Angel, the former coach at Cooper Angel had tried to get him to come to Canton where he had just taken the head coaching position After initially refusing, when the offensive coordinator position opened up, he jumped all over it With his wife Kristi being from Canton, it was an easy sell

"It was a good move " said Rhoten "It was my dream place to be because she's from there and where we always called home "

While at Canton, he coached future NFL player Keavon Milton and was surrounded by really talented players. They started running the "Tony Franklin spread offense system" which is a fastpaced no-huddle offense that feels like you're watching a NASCAR race After Angel left after a 5-5 season, Rhoten became a lead man for the first time in his career as the athletic director and head coach at Canton in 2010

"We went 10-2 and got beat by Lindale and Carthage It was a stellar year" said Rhoten "Our quarterback threw for about 4,000 yards that year We were lighting it up "

During that time, Kristi's mom was diagnosed with cancer and underwent hospice in their house and she passed away in their daughter's bed

Rhoten said that even though he had the coaching position he had dreamed of, his family wasn't happy. "It was a real turbulent time with the family there and God was telling me to step back and prioritize. So I went to Waco Robinson to become the offensive coordinator. Me and my three have to be happy That's what it's about "

"It was just unbelievable " said Rhoten "Where we left off in year four in Canton, the kids in Robinson picked it right up in year one "

After being happy at Robinson for a couple of years, he decided to put in a resume at Whitewright in 2013 for the athletic director and head coaching position That year, Zack Hudson was also a finalist for the Whitewright job.

"I kind of felt like I was being called to continue the AD side of things." said Rhoten. "God was telling me to get back in to what I was supposed to be doing "

While at Whitewright, he soon felt that it wasn't the right fit After sending his resume out for several athletic director positions, he was offered one, but turned it down

"Through the last four or five years, I've just been led to believe that it's not really where you're at, but who you're with " said Rhoten "And (Zack) Hudson and (Kevin) Wilson and the leadership here is outstanding They are just good people and I just kept getting a pull to be here Logic just kept telling me to create some normalcy by staying put Give your family a home and everything here just felt right to us."

Rhoten will take on the role of defensive coordinator in football and middle school assistant principal. The administration side is new for him but he feels like it could be a great opportunity for him and his family Kristi was also hired by the district and will teach third grade continued on Page #10