BALLINGER — I never understood how or why we began judging high school coaches on wins alone. It’s as if that mindset gradually trickled down from the pro ranks (where it’s justifiable) to college athletics (where I grudgingly understand it) to secondary school, where it starts to look silly.

That’s right, silly. 

Nonetheless, since my arrival in the Big Country in 2006, I’ve seen good coaches let go, because someone didn’t think they had won enough.  I’ve seen coaches earn the first playoff wins at their schools in decades, only to be shown the door when someone thought the bar had been raised. And in many cases, I’ve seen the purpose of high school athletics forgotten entirely. 

Let’s hope the community of Ballinger escapes all of the above.