Marble Falls golf coach resigns, interviews are starting

CAPTION: The 2022-23 Marble Falls boys golf team under the direction of Rick Blackington (right) had a banner year that makes this a great job for the next coach. File photo

The Marble Falls High School golf program is in search of a new head coach after Rick Blackington resigned last week to pursue another career.

Assistant athletic director John Berkman said Marble Falls Independent School District has posted the job opening and is accepting applications with interviews starting soon.

“We want to move quickly because of the timing,” he said. “With any job we have open, we want to get the best hire we can find. We want our kids to be able to come in and connect with someone in a quick way. You want the right people to come in and take care of the kids.”

At Marble Falls, the golfers plays a fall and a spring schedule with the District 24-4A tournament and the playoffs in the spring.

That’s one of many pluses.

The new coach will inherent a boys golf team that was 10th at the Class 4A state tournament in May after finishing as the District 24-4A runner-up and the Class 4A Region III runner-up. In addition, the Lady Mustangs were close to qualifying for the regional tournament as a team. The eighth-grade boys team won the district title in 2023.

“We have a top 10 golf team,” Berkman said. “Our golf job is a pretty good job.”

The golf program has had steady leadership and stability since 1991. That was when Lonnie Tackitt was hired as a golf, football and boys basketball coach. When he retired at the end of the 2020-21 school year, he was the head coach of both the boys and girls teams. He passed the clubs to Blackington, who had served as his assistant coach for some time. That continuity makes it an attractive job.

“Coach Tackitt was here for 30 years building a program,” Berkman said. “Coach Blackington was also part of that. He was his assistant for several years before taking over as the head coach. We have a strong program, a great program with tradition and recent success.”

Location is another attraction. Marble Falls High School is no more than 30 minutes from four different golf courses, which illustrates how Highland Lakes residents feel about the sport, Berkman noted.

“Not only are we in a community that values golf, we have a lot of people interested in golf and supportive of our program,” he said. “People who play golf regularly support our kids a ton. That’s what makes it a good job.”

Only three golfers — Madison Deberard, Coby Holley and Bode Moss — graduated in 2023.

“The good news is this program is in great shape,” Berkman said. “We have a lot coming back and have rising freshmen who are going to be good. Whoever continues that tradition for our Mustangs will not have an empty cupboard.”

Watch videos on Highland Lakes sports by going to Fierro’s YouTube channel and searching for The Broad Podcaster. Please like, subscribe and share.