LBJ High School football kicks off practice with first-year head coach
AUSTIN, Texas - Texas high school football practices kicked off for the programs who skipped spring ball.
Practice is an extra special day for LBJ's first-year head coach Joe Rauls. FOX 7 Austin's John Hygh caught up with Coach Rauls at practice.
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JOHN HYGH: Alright Coach Rauls you've been doing this for a while. Now you're the man here. What makes you the man for this job?
JOE RAULS: I think that I'm great with young people. I'm doing it for the right reasons. And really man, sometimes it's not what you go out for. It's what people select you for. When they see you doing what you're supposed to do. I tried to follow Jahmal Fenner and the coaches I've worked under, and be loyal. And I think that the community took notice of that. And that's the reason I would say I was chosen, instead of did I pick this job.
JOE RAULS: When you become a leader of anything. You are a servant first. It's still my job to serve. It's not my job to sit around and look at other coaches and expect them to do it. I've been a delegator in a lot of things. But I want to grow our coaches. But also I want to make sure that I coach our coaches exactly the way we want it done.
JOHN HYGH: There's been a lot of success at LBJ over the years. Final four appearances, state final appearances. How do you keep that going?
JOE RAULS: I think the first thing is you get what you emphasize. So we're talking about raising the bar. That's our theme for the year. We've always had great teams. We've always had great players, great talent. But one thing that we haven't been able to do and stay there consistently. Is playing the championship games and winning them every year. And I think that's the step that we need to take.
JOHN HYGH: What are the expectations that you have on yourself for this first year?
JOE RAULS: I think expectations is to do the best that I can do. To make sure that I take those opportunities to tell those guys how much I care about them. The season, what happens on the field is going to be a bye product to what we do with those young men when the lights aren't on. And I think if we hold to that. Then success, the season is going to take care of itself.