Interim no more: Nowell named Mexia football coach, AD

The Mexia ISD School Board of Directors voted unanimously Monday night to remove the interim title and make Aaron Nowell the head football coach and athletic director for the Blackcats moving forward.

Nowell had been the interim coach and AD since August when former coach Brady Bond resigned. He originally had been hired as the team’s defensive coordinator last June.

“I’m elated, I really am,” Nowell said Tuesday morning. “I have a hard time putting it into words what this opportunity means to me, personally, for my family. I’m really excited about the challenge ahead of us.”

Nowell was named interim coach just five days before the football team’s season-opener. He guided the Blackcats through some rough waters with the late coaching change. They finished with a 2-9 record, but played hard no matter what the score was and came up big in their most important game of the season to qualify for the playoffs.

Nowell’s vision for the athletic program is for every team to experience success.

“Overall, to me, the shape of the ball and playing surface might change, but being the AD, I want to see everybody succeed and play at high levels and play deep into their seasons,” he said. “I think that makes for a better overall school environment and obviously the kids have a lot more fun winning than they do losing.”

While the interim tag was still on his job title, Nowell went about leading the offseason program with the hope of staying on as the Blackcats’ head coach. He instituted a program of lifting weights that is already starting to pay dividends.

“It’s been going really, really well,” he said. “Fourth period, fifth period, girls and boys athletics, we’re in the weight room doing the right work and preaching technique. And you’re starting to see kids’ numbers change. They’re getting stronger.”

Nowell said he met with Mexia ISD superintendent Ryder Appleton on a few occasions to talk about the prospect of remaining as Mexia’s football coach and athletic director.

“I had a couple of meetings with Mr. Appleton. He felt confident in me and took that to the school board,” Nowell said. “We had some (school) closures for COVID and ice and that postponed the meeting a couple of times. That prolonged it a little bit. During the season when I got the interim tag, I said there will be a time for that conversation.”

Nowell has been a football coach for 17 years. Mexia is his first head coaching job. He was hired as the team’s defensive coordinator last June, a position he had held at Waco Midway for four years prior to arriving in Mexia. He helped Midway to a Class 6A, Division II state championship his first year there in 2017.

Nowell is a high-energy coach brimming with intensity. Shortly after he was hired last June, he described his coaching style.

“I coach loud. I coach hard," he said then. "But at the same time, I'm probably their biggest supporter. If you're going to get on a kid about this, that or the other, then when they do it right you better be just as enthusiastic loving them up and celebrating with them. That's just kind of how I was brought up. My position coaches were like that in high school. And that's what works for me. It’s going to be loud all the time.”

Shortly after the season ended in November, Appleton spoke highly of Nowell.

“Coach Nowell has done a phenomenal job, demonstrating leadership skills from the day he was hired,” Appleton said then. “He stepped into the role of Interim AD/Head Football Coach at a difficult time in our season. As an instinctive self-starter with intrinsic motivation, Aaron exhibited tremendous determination and heart for our student athletes, qualities that I think everyone could agree our children need from their role models.”

Nowell said’s he’s enthusiastic about leading the Mexia football team and athletic program.

“I’m extremely fortunate to be here,” he said. “We have a great administration. I’m fortunate to work with two administrators at the high school and junior high level. I’m excited about the future of Blackcat athletics.”