Killeen Chaparral is in search of a new head coach after the departure of head coach Alan Haire, who informed his team this morning that he has stepped down to become the athletic director/head football coach at nearby Jarrell High School. Haire replaces Jarrell head coach Marty Murr who recently announced his retirement.

Murr, who took over at Jarrell in 2021 guided the Cougars into Class 4A and in 2022 shocked the entire state as he led JHS to a regional semifinal appearance in their first season as a 4A program. Murr retires with a career mark of 110-70, he led San Augustine to three consecutive state semifinal appearances from 2017-2019.

Alan Haire, who started up Killeen Chaparral’s program in early 2022 after a successful run at nearby Salado is an experienced hand with a track record of success in Central Texas with strong runs at both Lago Vista and Salado, he has a career record of 137-108, after a 1-9 varsity debut at Chaparral in 2022, the Bobcats improved to 3-7 in 2023 and were in the playoff hunt until Week 11.

Haire will bring his Slot-T offense to Jarrell, so there may be a bit of a transition for the Cougars considering the timing of the move, while Killeen ISD will have a decision to make on how they approach 2024 with the Bobcats. Chaparral has some talent on hand and they are in the high-growth corridor of Killeen ISD, does the district go with an interim for 2024 as CHS makes the move to 5A-Division I or do they go out and try to find an outside candidate in mid-June? This will be something that bears keeping an eye on as we approach the 2024 season.