Sardinea leaving Daingerfield for Alief position

The Daingerfield Tigers athletic program will be looking for a new director, following the announcement that current Athletic Director Aric Sardinea will be leaving for a position in the Alief School District near Houston. Sardinea grew up in Markum, and is familiar with the Alief district. He will be taking a position as Head Coach at Alief-Elsik High School. “Going closer to home was a part of my decision. This was the first time my parents were not able to come see me play, so yeah, it was a part of it. I know the history of Alief, so that helped as well,“ Sardinea said. “The kids are real similar to ours here, and I’ll get to coach at the highest level of high school football in Texas. Every coach dreams of getting the chance to coach at the 6A level,” Sardinea added. The move has does not indicate that Sardinea has been unhappy in Daingerfield. “I have been extremely happy here, getting to carry on what Coach Bowman had started,” said Sardinea, adding that it will be the relationships he will miss the most. When asked what about what he would consider the defining moment in his time at Daingerfield, hwe quickly recalled the 2012 State Championship game. At the end of the game, when it was evidenced that the Tigers would not be coming back to win, Sardinea recalls how the kids reacted. “The game was over, really. We knew we wouldn’t be coming back, yet the kids continued to hold their heads up. They continued helping members of the other team up. Their sportsmanship showed me a lot,“ said Sardinea. He recalled receiving an email from a Navasota resident who had viewed that game, which told how she enjoyed watching the sportsmanship the Tigers showed, especially at the end of the game. Sardinea spoke highly of his staff in Daingerfield, crediting them for a portion of the turnaround during the past football season. “We opened the season 0-5, after going 1-9 the previous year. The coaches were big in keeping the kids going in the right direction,” said Sardinea. His core coaches’ character has helped shape the character of the athletes they coach. “We can be whatever we need to be: coach, daddy, mom, uncle; we are all those things,” said Sardinea, adding, “The kids have to believe in us, they have to trust us. Then, they will be willing to do what we tell them on Friday night.” Sardinea feels confident that his predecessor will be coming into a good situation as far as football. “The core coming back next year will be extremely talented. They will be young, but very talented,” he said. Sardinea’s resignation is effective Feb. 2, and Superintendent Sandra Quarles has already begun the process of forming the committee that will assist in finding his replacement.