The one who’ll take the reins for the West Plains Wolves was in the building the whole time.
Early Monday evening, the Canyon ISD school board voted unanimously to select Jeff Lofton as the next head coach for the West Plains football program. Lofton, the school’s assistant head coach during the first four years of the program, takes over for Adam Cummings, the school’s first head coach who resigned in April to become the CISD executive director of schools and leadership.
Lofton was a key component of a staff which built a successful program from scratch, leading a program which didn’t exist in the spring of 2022 to four straight playoff berths, getting at least to the second round every year. After nine years as the head coach at his alma mater, Idalou, Lofton agreed to come north and become the top lieutenant to Cummings on the sidelines on a staff which produced what looked like overnight success.
To sustain that, staying in-house with a head coaching hire this late in the school year seemed like the most prudent move for CISD. Lofton and Cummings, who are both South Plains natives (Cummings is from Lockney) had a relationship which went back far beyond the start of the West Plains program, and when the chance came, Lofton was eager to let his interest in the job be known.
“Being close to (Cummings) and being the only guy on staff who had been in his shoes before I had been his sounding board at times,” Lofton said. “You’ve got to have somebody in your corner who’s been through it and I was thankful that he relied on me. As we started talking about this, the only thought in my mind was I don’t care who interviews, I want to fight for this job.This is something which is so special I will not let this job be taken over by somebody from outside.”
Already being in place was a huge factor in Lofton’s favor when the job came open. Naturally, the job attracted huge interest near and far for somebody looking to move to the next level.
That’s to be expected for a program which has had the meteoric success the Wolves had enjoyed. The highlight of their young history was reaching the Class 4A Division I state semifinal and losing to eventual state champion Celina in 2024.
CISD athletic director John Peterson knew Lofton was the right person to take over the program as soon as the job opened.
“When something has a good culture and such a pedigree of success, looking internal is something we pride ourselves on at Canyon ISD,” Peterson said. “As we went through the interview process that just stood out to me. There’s no one with the character (Lofton) has and the passion and love for Texas high school football. It really separates coach Lofton from any of the other candidates.”
Lofton had a highly successful tenure at Idalou prior to coming to West Plains, where he suddenly wasn’t the top dog on the sidelines. He settled for being the right-hand man for Cummings.
It wasn’t calling the shots, but Lofton knew he was part of something special.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity under his leadership to help him put his stamp and legacy onto a program,” said Lofton of his relationship with Cummings. “I was blessed to come along for the ride and he did such a good job of hiring such a great staff. I learned a lot being on this staff. Even after 25 years I learned a lot from this staff.”
Lofton said he and Cummings were on the same page so often it got to the point where they were finishing each other’s sentences in practice. He said he would like to keep as much of the coaching staff intact as possible.
It’s perhaps poetic that in his first year as the head coach at West Plains, Lofton will be coaching his son Cash, who will be in his last year next fall as a senior. Cash plays fullback and linebacker.
“I didn’t want to be that overbearing dad who couldn’t find the line,” Lofton said. “After it was all done he’d want to know what did I think. He loves the Xs and Os. When we get home he wants to watch film before we go to bed.”
There might be another Lofton who enters the coaching profession by that measure. If so, he will come by it honestly, as Jeff Lofton’s overall knowledge of the game is what most won over Peterson.
“One thing that kind of set him apart was that he was on the defensive side and he was on the offensive side and he was the special teams coordinator,” Peterson said. “He truly understands what that culture of West Plains football is. We can’t wait for him to put his spin on the next chapter of West Plains High School.”
The first few chapters have been entertaining reading, and that might be the biggest mixed blessing Lofton will face when two-a-days start next summer.
This will be the first season the Wolves will be without a stellar group of seniors who made their mark from the moment they stepped on the field four years ago. Graduation will take away stalwarts like Reid Macon, Kane White-Tinsley, Kaden Hooker, Boston Ladd and Keegan Collins among others, leaving huge shoes to fill on the field.
That, and the departure of Cummings, leaves a definite void. The best news for Lofton is that at least a foundation and some tradition is there.
“Two years ago we graduated 30 and I think we’re graduating around 30 this year,” Lofton said. “These kids are going to step up. I’m excited to see these guys get on the field. Yeah, we’ll be young and we’ll have to learn a few lessons, but the way they attack workouts is second to none.”