Following an approval during a board meeting Monday night, River Road ISD formally introduced Aaron Wampler as the new athletic director and head coach in front of the media, administration and school board Tuesday morning.
Wampler ushers in a new era for River Road athletics after Bryan Welps served 14 years in that position before resigning in March.
“I think the biggest aspects that drew me to River Road was the community and the facilities,” Wampler said. “The people I interviewed with and have met have been professional and very helpful. That’s something I felt that was something myself and my family could get behind.”
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Wampler, 35, certainly isn’t a stranger to the Texas Panhandle. The Frenship graduate played college football for former head coach Don Carthel at West Texas A&M as a standout four-year starting defensive lineman. He spent several years at Caprock earning a promotion to defensive coordinator before landing his first head coaching job at Boys Ranch in 2020.
At Boys Ranch, Wampler made his mark as an up-and-coming football coach helping the Roughriders snap a long 49-game losing skid while leading Boys Ranch to the playoffs for only the second time in school history. Wampler then made his way to Clarendon. Though last year wasn’t what he expected for the Broncos, Wampler guided Clarendon to a 10-3 year in 2023 and a trip to the state quarterfinals.
Those accolades on top of the intangibles Wampler provided during the interview process was more than enough for superintendent Richard Kelley and a committee River Road put together to make the Wampler hire.
Kelley said he and the committee made up of River Road administration, as well as coaches and teachers on staff saw close to 30 applicants and interviewed six coaches over two weeks. In the end, the committee as well as Kelley loved everything Wampler brought to the table.
“We were sold on his energy and passion,” Kelley said. “We loved his vision and what he did in the his past programs. Coach (Bryan) Welps did a fantastic job and we’re grateful to him. I think coach Wampler is going to take what coach Welps has built and take River Road to the next level. What was noticeable about coach Wampler, is he never used the word I. It was always we. He’s the ultimate team player.”
Wampler is ready to hit the ground running getting a staff in place and bringing his positives to River Road. Wampler knows there isn’t any time to waste, and that work starts now.
“We’re getting started by working on our core values,” Wampler said. “We want to grow young men and women. The wins and losses come but it’s about growing teenagers into adults. I want to bring accountability for coaches and athletes, and we’re going to love each other. We’ll trust the big picture which is starting now, and the rest will take care of itself.”