Lyle Valdez, a former assistant coach and trainer at Wyoming Indian, will be the new head coach at St. Stephens.
Valdez confirmed his hiring via telephone Sunday to wyoming-football.com.
Valdez takes over for Melvin Blackburn, who led the Eagles during their first two years of varsity football since 1965. The Eagles went a combined 0-16 the past two years.
Valdez spent about five years, off and on, helping with the football and basketball programs at Wyoming Indian as both a coach and trainer. He said his primary coaching focus areas at St. Stephens will be tied to technique and to building the players’ confidence.
“I just hope we can get these kids to win, and (learn) how it feels to win,” Valdez said Sunday. “Once that happens, maybe we’ll get more kids to come out to enjoy the game of football.”
Valdez, who works as a substitute teacher and teacher’s aide in Fremont County, will be joined by assistant coach Keenan Groesbeck.
Valdez is one of two new head coaches in Wyoming’s six-man ranks, joining Lee Kremers in Kaycee. Other new head coaches in Wyoming this fall are Todd Weber in Worland, Jason Ferrarini in Kemmerer, Ryan Nelson in Lusk, Mykah Trujillo in Wind River and Aaron Papich in Burlington.
–patrick