AMARILLO — River Road has found the school’s next head football coach and athletic director, and the Wildcats’ administration didn’t have to leave the Texas Panhandle to find the right man for the job.
RRISD tabbed Clarendon head coach and athletic director, Aaron Wampler, as the successor to Bryan Welps, who recently announced his retirement after two stints with the Wildcats. Welps spent more than 10 years at River Road during his separate tenures as head coach.
Following Welps’ retirement, though, Wampler will take over for River Road, continuing a coaching career that started and has remained in the Texas Panhandle. A Frenship High School graduate who played football under coach Don Carthel at West Texas A&M, Wampler has extensive football knowledge and experience in the area.
Now, the up-and-coming head coach will have the opportunity to impart what he has learned through his journey, to the student athletes at River Road.
River Road’s selection process
Wampler was selected from a pool of around 30 applicants located all over the state, ranging from acting head coaches and athletic directors to coordinators at bigger programs.
Despite competition for the role, Wampler’s track record at Clarendon, and his previous stops, were enough to make him a premier candidate for the position. In 2023, Wampler led the Broncos to a 10-4 record in his first year at the helm, ripping off 10 consecutive victories before falling to Sunray in the state quarterfinals.
Wampler was named the Amarillo Globe-News Coach of the Year for his efforts.
Prior to his time at Clarendon, Wampler was the head football coach at Boys Ranch High School, preceded by six years at Caprock High School. By the end of his time with the Longhorns, Wampler was the school’s defensive coordinator, strength and conditioning coach, and assistant baseball coach.
Wampler’s impressive record on the gridiron was helpful, but wasn’t the deciding factor for River Road’s administration. Instead, the Wildcats were hoping to find a coach who could help build the program’s footprint in the community and enrich the lives of student athletes.
“It wasn’t about Friday Night Lights,” River Road ISD superintendent Richard Kelley said. “It was about program development. It was about community involvement. It was about faith and family. It was about a lot of different things that come into play, to making a program a great program. Now, yes, Friday Night Lights are very, very important. Coach Wampler is a very skilled football coach and I’m looking forward to seeing what he and his teams can do on those nights.”
The Wildcats settled on these values after receiving feedback from parents and students in a survey sent out by the school district. Kelley also noted that the results of this survey showed that the community wanted an athletic director who would be involved with boys and girls sports, as well as River Road’s middle school athletics program.
Wampler’s vision
River Road’s new head coach echoed a similar sentiment to the school’s administrators.
Wampler said that the support from inside the school and the local community was what enticed him to take over for the Wildcats despite his status as an acting coach and athletic director. Like Kelley, Wampler is concerned more with growing River Road’s athletic programs off the field and helping his athletes learn valuable life lessons as they blossom into young adults.
As a former high school and college athlete, Wampler knows how to connect with his players, and can relate to their struggles.
“Having done it, you can kind of empathize with players and what they’re going through,” Wampler said. “From an X’s and O’s standpoint, helps to have more knowledge of the game. That’s something you’re always looking to grow. Entering it with a strong background, seeing different perspectives throughout all of my playing days sure helps. You kind of pick and choose what you like from different coaches and maybe some things that you don’t want to do here and there, but it all works together to shape the way you think and the way you coach.”
On the gridiron, Wampler has already started to prepare for his first campaign in purple and white. The former Broncos head coach said that he and his team will set goals, and work day-by-day to incrementally work towards those goals.
Wampler also noted that he wants his teams to be tough, both on the field and in their everyday lives. The team won’t put on pads until August, but the Wildcats’ new coach already has a plan on how to build the group’s toughness.
“You’re looking at it,” Wampler said, gesturing to the Wildcats weight room. “This weight room right here is a great start to it. Not just physical toughness, it’s got to be a mental toughness, it’s got to be an emotional toughness. It goes back to our core values, making sure that we’re well-rounded and making sure that we can handle whatever is thrown at us. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not one sure thing, but I think, a culmination of a lot of little, really intentional details will end up making us tougher.”
River Road went 5-7 in 2024, taking down Lamesa in the first round of the playoffs before falling to Vernon the following week. Wampler and his crew will look to improve on a solid campaign in their first year of a new era on Mobley Street.
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