Published: June 29, 2009 07:42 pm      

Hubbard football makeover

Joe Heckathorn named new coach after Mayo resigns

Hubbard hired Joe Heckathorn as its new football coach and athletic director on Friday, that after Clay Mayo resigned the same post earlier this month.

Heckathorn, 30, was the offensive coordinator at Class 5A Haltom the last two years. His father, Mike Heckathorn, is the head coach at Oakwood.

Joe Heckathorn was approved by the Hubbard school board on Friday.

“Year one, I want a positive step in every sport,” Heckathorn said. “The girls in the past year have been real successful. I want to keep that going, and get the boys going again, where they’re competitive in all sports. I want to get it back to where it used to be.”

Mayo said he resigned his position after not receiving a contract extension in the spring for the 2010-11 school year, he said Monday.

Mayo resigned to take the defensive coordinator position at Bogata Rivercrest High School, a Class 2A high school near Paris.

Mayo, who went 7-13 in two seasons at Hubbard — including 2-8 last season — said disagreements with the school board and the fact he didn’t get an extension led to his resignation. Most high school athletic director/football coaches work on a two-year contract that is extended at the end of each school year.

Mayo said he didn’t get a contract extension, even though he was recommended by the superintendent and principal, both of whom have since left the school.

Hubbard approved a new superintendent, Randy O’Brien, on Friday.

Mayo will miss certain things about Hubbard.

“The staff and the kids,” he said. “We had everything going well. When you only have 14 or 15 players, you’re not going to be very good. We weren’t very good but our kids played as hard they could. The hardest part is leaving kids behind.”

Heckathorn started his coaching career at Tarkington, where he played for his father. He then took an assistant’s job at Kaufman before going to Kingsville, where he was hired by Scott Hafley, who took Heckathorn with him to Haltom.

“I’ve wanted to get into a small school for awhile,” Heckathorn said. “This is a good fit.”“