Head Coach Matt Monzingo Takes Comal ISD Athletic Director Job
From the Comal Independent School District web site.
Head Coach Matt Monzingo
“Matt Monzingo has been named the new Comal ISD Athletic Director effective at the end of May. Monzingo takes over for Jim Rodrigue, who passed away after a short illness in April. Monzingo has been the head football coach and athletic coordinator at Canyon Lake High School since it opened in 2007 and previously held the same position at Pflugerville Connally High School from 1996-2007.”
Canyon Lake Head Coach Matt Monzingo will be stepping down after 31 years of walking the sidelines.
“I told the football team yesterday,” Coach Monzingo said. “I have left three high school jobs and this one was a very….very tough thing to do.”
Coach Monzingo brought Canyon Lake up in a very….very quick manner. The Hawks won after just their second year and had a winning record and into the playoffs.
In the last four years Canyon Lake has made great strides, see if you can take these numbers in.
Def. Points
Year Off. Points Allowed Difference
2008 72 464 -392
2009 216 231 -015
2010 281 278 +003
2011 353 264 +089
Canyon Lake after starting in the hole by being eight games under .500, will now go into this next campaign needing just one win to reach the .500 percentage mark.
Last season the Hawk squad had three games scoring over fifty points, which put into perspective, gave the offense an average of 35.3 points per game.
A home record of 13-7 and road record of 7-13…the 1-2 record in the playoffs gives Coach Monzingo an overall record of 21-22.
Wins that will go down as marquee wins were plenty. The ReSporter would like to highlight the Top 5 wins in Monzingo’s reign.
#1. Sealy (2011) was the big dog that had had their way with Canyon Lake the year before winning 33-6. The win was complete as that game still ranks as one of the worst offensive games in the Hawks history even after counting their first year. (which The ReSporter does not have records)
Fast forward to the next year and you have a huge 38-34 see/saw victory which the offense had the best rushing game ever. Zach Henshaw ran up and down the field as this game had a Hawk offensive line that completely dominated this Sealy defensive team.
The game was an instant classic as both teams would not be denied in the second half. It was a back and forth affair and if you went to the concession stand, then you might have missed a score.
Henshaw finished with 297 yards rushing and with the help of Belcher and Covarrubias the offensive line contributed to 370 yards on the ground.
Neither team turned the ball over and nothing was left on the field after the clock sounded, ending the game.
#2. Blanco (2009) was the second win ever and the opening win for the ‘09 season. The home crowd would not see a loss that whole year and this win gave this Hawk team a sense of ‘we can beat anyone’ motif.
Quarterback Ross Wagliardo and receiver/defensive back Eric Nelson took matters into their own hands and handed Blanco a defeat and turned the tables on a team that had won the previous year, 63-0.
The 21-14 game was also dominated by a defense that would come to the rescue throughout the season.
Defensively, Canyon Lake only gave up one drive for a touchdown as the first Blanco score was a result of an interception return to paydirt.
The Hawks won the game in the fourth quarter as on two pass plays to Nelson and Christian Pena from Wagliardo.
Canyon Lake threw for over 300 yards, as Drew Riccio, Pena, and Nelson had 23 of the catches controlling the clock and the score for the shocker game putting the Hawks on the map.
#3. Burnet (2010) first playoff win for Canyon Lake was a sweet victory. The ReSporter spent the whole game in the pressbox behind the Burnet Radio play by play tandem.
The ReSporter will have to admit….listening to these two announcers as the game got close to the end of the game was vintage… ‘what just happened as the clock reached 0.00?’
Once again, Zach Henshaw and the offensive line totally controlled the Bulldogs from the get go. As all the Hawk points were scored in the first half, the defense held on for a win that no one but the fans on the visitor side of the stands knew had a chance for the victory.
This game was also a victory for a team that had been outclassed in the previous two encounters against their former district foe.
Up to that point in the history for CL, the rushing game had their best game reaching 293 yards on the ground with Henshaw (243) and Eduardo Covarrubias (63) yards.
Henshaw also scored all the touchdowns as Canyon Lake went into the halftime locker rooms up 27-7.
#4. Liberty Hill (2009) game was another payback game after being pasted the year before, 56-0.
Liberty Hill started the game with one of their patented rushing drives and pounded the Hawks all the way down the field taking a quick 7-0 score.
Little did anyone know, that would be their only score of the game. The win by CL kept Liberty Hill out of the playoffs which made the game even sweeter.
The Hawks also got timely turnovers and figured out Liberty Hill’s offense allowing Canyon Lake to score two times in the second half to pull out the win.
Nelson caught a 77 yard touchdown from Wagliardo with two minutes left in the third quarter that gave the Hawks the momentum to pull out the game.
Todd Pippin was the other recipient of a 13 yard pass play with nine minutes left in the game, still leaving way too much time for a win.
Credit the defense with this victory as they held on for the victory as the fans rushed the field afterwards.
#5. Navarro (2011) was the last of what The ReSporter would call in the top five wins.
Navarro was an eye opener the year before as they came to the Hawks home and ran all over the field. (literally) Without having all the records from the first year, the Panthers have as far as The ReSporter knows the most rushing yards ever…over 500 yards on the ground.
That game put a question mark on last year’s Hawk team as they were riding a five game winning streak and this would also be the first district game.
An electrical problem delayed the game over an hour to make things even more out of kelter.
Canyon Lake won this game in the fourth quarter as Henshaw’s touchdown with under a minute left in the third quarter finally put the Hawks ahead for good, 21-20.
Navarro controlled the clock again, but Canyon Lake controlled the scoreboard as the defense had enough stops to allow the Hawks to get separation.
Matt Magness was also a key ingredient as with two catches for 72 yards with one going for 62 yards from Quarterback Branson Belcher for a score.
The win would be the sixth in a row allowing CL to win a total of eight games for the season.
Coach Monzingo was the master builder for this club and the foundation has been set for more games like this in the future.
“I told the players that I was sorry we did not win the district,” Coach Monzingo ended. “But we were still champions!”
The ReSporter has learned that the position will be filled hopefully by the end of the school year.
Thanks Coach Monzingo for having your footprint in the makeup of Canyon Lake Football…that should allow whoever comes after you some good footing to step into the future.
