When Mark Stanley applied to be Hanford West’s new head football coach, he was taking the advice he had given hundreds of athletes through the years. And as summer passing leagues continue, he’s already enjoying his new job. Stanley, a longtime assistant at Buchanan High, is Hanford West’s new football coach and it fulfills a lifelong dream after 30 years of coaching. “You tell kids it’s ok to take chances,” Stanley said. “I didn’t want to end my career and have any regrets about not trying to be a head coach.” Stanley took a chance by applying for a head coaching job after always being an assistant. Stanley said Hanford West felt like a good fit. “I met with the administration and they seemed like good people,” Stanley said. “It just seemed like an opportunity of a lifetime. Stanley will also teach at the school and will commute from his home in Visalia after driving to Clovis for almost two decades. Stanley inherits a team that went 3-7 this past season and returns a solid core of its offense, including the team’s starting quarterback and one of its leading receivers. Stanley replaces Justin Fowler, who stepped down after the season citing a difference in philosophies with administration. Fowler still teaches at the school. Fowler was Hanford West’s first head coach when the school opened, then returned after stints at Selma and Mt. Whtiney. In Fowler’s second stint at the school, the Huskies went 14-28 in four seasons, making the Central Section playoffs just once while also posting back-to-back wins over rival Hanford in the 2012 and 2013 Dog Bowls. |