Nowell resigns as Mexia football coach/AD

Mexia head football coach and athletic director Aaron Nowell resigned from his position Wednesday, Dec. 14, after two seasons at the helm of the Blackcats.

Nowell confirmed his resignation in a text message to The Mexia News late Wednesday afternoon.

Mexia will have its fifth coach in five seasons for the 2023 campaign.

Nowell came to Mexia as defensive coordinator in June 2021 and was named interim head coach when Brady Bond, who hired Nowell, resigned a week before the regular season began.

The interim tag was dropped after the 2021 season.

Nowell had an overall record of 5-17 at Mexia. The Blackcats were 2-9 in Class 4A in 2021 and finished with a 3-8 record in 2022 after dropping to Class 3A.

The ‘Cats qualified for the playoffs both years They lost to Gilmer, ranked No. 2 in the state, 71-16 in a 2021 bi-district game. This past season, with a drop to Class 3A and a number of returning players, Mexia closed the gap. They finished fourth in District 8-3A, Division I, with a 3-3 record and lost to District 7-3A champion West, 21-0, in a bi-district game.

One change Nowell made to the Blackcat athletic program was putting a greater emphasis on weight training. He hired a strength and conditioning coach, David Emery, in May 2022. Mexia is believed to be one of just a few, if not the only Class 3A school in the state with a strength and conditioning coach.

Nowell has coached for 18 years, but Mexia was his first head-coaching job. He came to the Blackcats after a four-year stint as defensive coordinator at Waco Midway, where they won the Class 6A, Division II state championship in 2017.

Nowell is part of the Joey Maguire coaching tree, having served as an assistant coach when Maguire was the head coach at Cedar Hill High School. Maguire is now the head coach at Texas Tech University.