Tony Salazar announced as Westlake High School head football coach

Tony Salazar announced as Westlake High head football coach

Reigning three-time state champion Westlake promotes Todd Dodge's longtime defensive coordinator Tony Salazar to head football coach. FOX 7 Austin's John Hygh has more.

WESTLAKE, Texas - Reigning three-time champion Westlake officially promotes Todd Dodge's longtime defensive coordinator Tony Salazar to head football coach. Dodge led the Chaparrals to a perfect 16-0 season and the school’s third-straight championship title last season and had announced before the season started that he was retiring.

"There's absolutely no one better to be the next football coach for the Westlake Chaparrals than Tony (Salazar). He is ready, one of the most intelligent football coaches that I've ever been around. He deserves this like no other," Dodge says.

Salazar says he feels "blessed and humbled and honored to be a part of this program and to be front and center and to continue on the legacy and tradition that Coach Dodge established here at Westlake High School."

Westlake quarterback Cade Klubnik named Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year

5-star quarterback and Clemson commit Cade Klubnik is the first player from Westlake to win the award and is also one of three finalists for Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Westlake has had some dominant defenses over the years and Salazar most likely could have been a head coach at several other places. Salazar says his friendship with Dodge tops the list of why he wanted to stay. "I love coming to work every single day and then were was some unfinished business," Salazar says.

"In 2015 we had a chance to sneak up and win a state championship in our second year and we came up just short. In 2018 we came so close again in the semifinals and so there was some unfinished business, there was wanting to see something through," Salazar says.

"And then we won the first championship in 2019, then I wanted to see the next one through and then at that point in time, Coach Dodge expressed that it was his last year, there was no turning back, we were guns ablazing to try and get three and make history and obviously that was the driving factor of being here," Salazar adds.

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MORE HEADLINES:
Westlake High School's Todd Dodge named National Coach of the Year
Westlake's Cade Klubnik named Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year
Westlake takes aim at third straight title in coach's final season
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