Time to go to work

DeSoto will re-hire football coach Claude Mathis on Monday after the DeSoto ISD board of trustees unanimously voted Saturday morning to allow Mathis' resignation on Jan. 17 to be rescinded. Mathis announced he'd be leaving DeSoto to become an assistant at the University of Houston at the team banquet on Jan. 15. After two weeks at Houston, Mathis had a change of heart and resigned at Houston.

After the Saturday morning announcement by the school district Mathis told TheOldCoach.com, "It's time to go to work."

Because DeSoto had already posted the new position, there were several administrative steps needed before he could formally return to DeSoto and the next to last step was the board vote to approve an action by the DeSoto ISD administration.

Mathis has been at DeSoto since the 2008 season and guided the Eagles to several high profile playoff runs. DeSoto went four rounds deep in the 2010 playoffs under the 37-year-old Mathis.

Mathis arrived at DeSoto from Austin LBJ coach Claude Mathis, where the former record-setting running back at Texas State revived a struggling program to reach the Class 4A Region I finals in 2007.

Mathis replaced Dave Meadows before the 2008 season and DeSoto made the playoffs each year under Mathis, being eliminated three times in the second round by Dallas powerhouse Skyline,

DeSoto had a 36-14 record in four seasons, making the state quarterfinals in 2010 before losing to Round Rock Stony Point in the Region II final and ending with an 11-3 record.

DeSoto, 10-2 last season with a second-round loss to Skyline, returns at least a dozen players for 2012 with experience including high flying running back Dontre Wilson.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Wilson made an impact as a sophomore and as a junior rushed for 15 touchdowns and 767 yards on 127 carries, added 256 yards and five touchdowns on 12 catches and gave his team another 1,000-plus yards in the return game.

The Rivals four-star running back and sophomore quarterback Desmond White will give Mathis and his staff a blazing start on offense.

Defensively the Eagles will be led by linebacker Taylor Young and cornerback Nick Orr.

Offensive coordinator Todd Peterman was the Interim head coach during the time of Mathis' vacancy. Peterman was instrumental in carving out the schedule during this realignment year.

Peterman, who is a native of Oklahoma and graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State, has been rumored as a candidate to replace Cody White at Denison. White recently resigned after five seasons as Denison's athletic director and head football coach to take the same position at Brentwood Academy in Tennessee.

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