Teaching more than just winning football games


DAWSON HIGH SCHOOL — The Texas high school football coaching profession nearly missed out on one of its leading practitioners.

Dawson High School head football coach Eric Wells has established an impeccable track record for success.

Yet following his graduation from Stephen F. Austin State University after a two-year stint at UTEP, Wells thought his calling was in another area before fate intervened.

"I was thinking about going to law school and becoming a lawyer," Wells said. "I come from a family that's been in the political arena. My mother is an elected official and my brother is a chief administrator for all of Harris County. I was actually working at a law firm when I received a phone call.

"They wanted me to be a graduate assistant at SFA so I did that," Wells said. "About a year after that Alan Weddell hired me to be an assistant coach at La Marque High School."

Not only was Wells going back to coach at his alma mater, he was joining a staff that included Tony Heath (Pearland), Leland Surovik (Texas City), David Suggs (Beaumont Ozen), Mark Kanipes (Santa Fe) and Larry Walker (Port Arthur Jefferson). All of whom would eventually become head coaches.

"The time I spent at La Marque as a young coach molded me into what I am today," Wells said. "All of us were in coaching for the right reasons – teach kids to do things the right way, not compromising your standards or the golden rule just to win a football game.

"I was taught the football part will take care of itself as a young coach. That's what I'm teaching my assistant coaches now. It's the same thing every year. Teaching the kids to do what's right and to believe in one another and making them realize that when they do things the right way, they're going to be successful. After that, football will take care of itself."

Wells places a premium on efficiency during his practices.

"We're going to find ways to run the ball successfully," he said. "Everybody runs variations of the same plays. What I learn from other coaches is how they practice certain plays. How do you keep tempo and still let the kids learn fundamentals.

"Success in the running game leads to success in the passing game," Wells said. "Being able to keep defenses off balance is our whole game in a nutshell."

Wells won two state titles (1995, 1996) as an offensive line coach at La Marque.

As an offensive coordinator at Pearland High School, Wells engineered a rushing attack that produced three all-state running backs and three of the all-time leading rushers in Texas high school football history.

Anthony Evans had 6,192 rushing yards and scored 66 touchdowns from 1997-2000 to rank No. 4 on the list. Foswhitt Whittaker is No. 6 with 5,717 yards and 51 touchdowns from 2004-2006. Brandon Roberson is at the No. 10 spot with 5,235 yards and 65 TDs from 2001-2003.

Since Dawson opened in 2007, the Eagles have made a tradition of competing for state titles under Wells' guidance, winning two regional crowns along the way (2009, 2011). Dawson fell in the first round for the first time in school history last season with a loss to Clear Brook.

Dawson will celebrate its 11th anniversary in 2017 while competing in District 23-6A. The Eagles were 8-3 overall and 5-1 in league play in 2016 and shared the 23-6A title with Alief Taylor while defeating cross-town cousin Pearland for the first time in three tries.

Dawson, Pearland, Elsik, Hastings, Alief Taylor, Brazoswood and George Ranch comprise 23-6A.

The early 2017 pre-season predictions has Pearland as the favorite to capture the 23-6A crown while George Ranch, Dawson, and Taylor are the other teams to extend their season in that order.

No mater what the prognosticators forecast -- coach Wells knows that the outcome of each game is decided on the field and the Eagles will be a team that will demand that each opponent bring their A game if they are going to compete with Dawson.

2017 Dawson Eagles Football Schedule
08/31    Thu    Oak Ridge           Away     7:00 p.m.        
09/08    Fri      Deer Park            Home    7:00 p.m.    
09/15    Fri      Summer Creek    Home    7:00 p.m.
09/21    Thu    Pas. Dobie           Away     7:00 p.m.
09/29 OPEN
10/05    Thu    George Ranch      Away     7:00 p.m.
10/13    Fri      Brazoswood         Home    7:00 p.m.
10/20    Fri      Pearland               Home    7:00 p.m.
10/27    Fri      Elsik                      Home    7:00 p.m.
11/03    Fri      Taylor                   Away     7:00 p.m.
11/10    Fri      Hastings               Away     7:00 p.m.