Top cat

Trust me, I absolutely hate agreeing with OldSchool, especially in matters involving HD, but he is right. I was a part of the first of those Barbay teams, and while we had a big turnout for 2-a-days, we ended the season with 16 players on varsity. I was also a part of a senior class that had 50 people in it, which means that we almost double the amount of senior boys you are saying are available today. That alone makes his point. Barbay and Slack also coached at HD when our enrollment made us a 2A (new 3A) school, and we were able to compete at that level. Slack ushered us into 1A (new 2A) when we were one of the biggest 1A schools in the state of Texas. Frankly, if there was a chance to return to glory, that was our chance. Those teams Slack had in our first two years of 1A were loaded, and we just missed our chance. I do not know how to verify your Finney summer numbers, but I find it hard to believe that Finney turned out 50 kids in his first year at the helm. Maybe the second year because the excitement over the close playoff game with Alto had grabbed a few outliers, but not that first year. Apart from the transfer of the Lavallais boys, that first year team was in deep trouble. Finney did a great job, but I also remember him dealing with several undisciplined knuckleheads that I believe Hodges would not allow to play for him. I have a cousin who was a JV player during the Finney years, and I remember him not having a game that often. The reason wasn't that we didn't have a team, it was because the other schools we were competing with didn't have a team. The Sabine Passes, High Islands, and Colmesneil's of the world couldn't get the numbers together to have a team. Truth is, the enrollment of those schools in 2012-2013 is close to what we are fielding now.
My question now shifts to your comment that there is and always will be interest in coaching at HD. I agree with you, there are always guys looking for that first head coaching job and they will apply. I ask you to go back in time with me to the resignation of Russell Roberts. We are talking 1997 (or somewhere in there). I was finishing up my freshman year, and I was very interested in who they were going to bring in to steer the rest of my high school career. They hired a defensive coordinator from Alto named Randy Copeland, and that was an excellent hire. He was a great coach, a better man, and led the only team out of HD to win a playoff game in recent history. He also hired Darrell Barbay to be on his staff, and that proved profitable because after two years when Copeland took the job at Arp, his predecessor was waiting and willing to take the reins. Barbay was the coach my senior year, and it was great. Barbay was there for several years before leaving for Anahuac, and the powers that be hired home town boy Joe Slack. This was a very anticipated hire and most everyone was excited about it. It didn't go as well as planned and he eventually moved on allowing for the hiring of Josh Finney. Finney came to HD because of his relationship with the Huckaby family and because, by most accounts, he had worn out his welcome in East Texas and needed a fresh start. He was/is a great coach and brought instant credibility to the program, but due to family tragedy (which only expedited the exit because everyone is aware he was trying to get back to ETX), after two years he was gone. After that there was a groundswell of support drummed up for the returning Coach Hodges and after missing out on the job when Finney was hired, he was handed the keys to the vehicle, and we are now two years in.
This is why I recounted all of that. You have to go all the way back to the exit of Russell Roberts to find the last time that someone with no ties applied and made the conscious decision to move their family to HD to pursue coaching football here. That guy was Copeland (although some could argue that he might have been persuaded by Lucky Gamble to accept the HD job that Gamble accepted, then turned down for Alto, when Roberts was hired) and since then it has been a slow progression to get to the place we find ourselves now. When both Finney and Hodges were hired, the finalists were not guys with pedigrees, they were guys looking for that first shot any way they could get it.
My point is, if Hodges leaves, what is our plan to get a better coach? This is a guy who was been a head coach before, been a coordinator at high level schools in the triangle. A guy who has history with the town and really desires to be invested in the kids and community. Who replaces that? There are no Randy Copelands or Darrell Barbays knocking on this door anymore. We will start from scratch with the next guy and just pray he is better. Giving Hodges the time he needs is what I truly feel is the answer, not running him out of town for the next guy.
Also, I hear there is an old coach from the 80's talking about coming back if this job opens. I know that some people truly love him, but he is not a better option than Hodges. These are just my opinions and I do not mean to be offensive or upset anyone but I just think that the approach being taken against Hodges is not fruitful, and this petition could really be something that comes back to bite the entire community and the football program.

Couple things.  I highlighted the areas I want to address.
You see....if this group of high school players had to use 6th graders in Junior High...then there is no surprise at all that there isn't a JV team.  Why would there be?  If they had to use 6th graders in JH...then there weren't enough kids.  By the way...the former "regimes" that you speak of are the staffs that had 6th graders playing football.  What happened...kids didn't want to play for those guys?
Next: Largest band?  Ever think that may be the reason the football team numbers are down?  I sure know that makes sense to me.  How many kids were in band when the football team had these 50 players or so?  Hmm..And also...isn't HD's enrollment like the lowest it's ever been?  You guys dropped in division...so the enrollment is definitely down.
Lastly:  28 out of 89?  That's 31%...that's probably as good or better than any school in the area for certain.  How many do you expect to play?  89 boys...if 50 played that's over half.  You can count the schools in the state on 1 hand where half of the boys in the school play football.
You guys better be glad you have Hodges....just how long do you think the list is of people that want to be there?  The UIL has granted you a chance to make the playoffs with that team...and you have a coach that wants to be there.  Well...did anyway.  Who knows with all this petition crap.  Not sure I'd hang around for that.  Anyway...better leave well enough alone.

I am not sure about that. Almost everyone I have spoken to on the topic are supporters of Hodges. Lots of people like the way he is leading the program, and simply believe that it will take more time. I keep asking one question that no one can answer. If Hodges is run out of town, will HD be able to find anyone better? At least Hodges wants to be in HD, and it feels like he has an investment in the community. HD won't be able to go out and land another coach like Finney. Case in point, look at the other finalists when Hodges got the job. It will always be a first year head coach that doesn't intend to invest, and may not even be able to coach. The reason the band is so large is because our band director has chosen to invest and build relationships in the district and with the kids. No one tried to run him off when during his first few years when the band was small and unimpressive. That is the reason for the band's success, and will also be the reason for further football success. If we keep a two year revolving door on the position, and keep running off coaches because they don't run the offense we think they should run, we will never achieve the level of investment that it takes to build a program. At the end of the day, after all of this petition stuff, Hodges may choose to leave for his own good. When that happens, I am really hoping the next guy is a home run. If not, lots of people may be looking back and wishing they would've left the man alone.

well...well...well...
Look who's back.  It's a funny thing...I actually knew you'd come back around as soon as I saw the district alignments.  I actually think HD will get out of this district.  Whether or not they win it I have no clue.  Honestly, every school in the district has the potential any given year to be the worst team in football.  So who knows.
I am with AAW though...didn't you guys organize a petition to run Hodges out of town?  

Someone should report this to PACA (Parents Against Coaches Association). 

Just for everyone's information on here it was Bobcat 55 that started the petition and it is only about 3 people trying to push it because they don't like where the coach is playing their kid are they want to bring their highschool coach back. The majority of the community is very satisfied whith what this AD has done with the  program and the direction it is going in