SAN MARCOS, Texas — John Walsh is laying the foundation and setting his plans in motion to make a new football powerhouse in Central Texas.
"I really like the building process," said Walsh, who's in his second season at San Marcos High School. "I think I got the blueprint. We're gonna be a physical program. We're gonna be a confident program. And we're gonna have a great time doing it."
It's a big undertaking, but Walsh has built a winner before.
He started the Denton Guyer program from scratch when the school opened in 2006 and turned it into a perennial power, with four championship appearances and two state titles during his14-year tenure.
“I was able to mess up a lot and do a whole lot right, stayed there long enough to know what was right," Walsh said. "The principles of the program are the same."
He brought that experience to San Marcos when he was hired in May 2020. His first priority was building relationships.
“I think I can coach some football. I think I know offense. I think I know special teams," Walsh said. "But the success that we've had as a program under my leadership is built on relationship building.”
Relationships build trust. Trust builds a successful program.
It's why Walsh said his favorite aspect of coaching is being together with his players — on the field, in the locker room or wherever he can keep strengthening the bonds.
“He's a natural leader," said Daniel Pearson, San Marcos football booster club president. "We see his interactions with the kids and the parents and the level of professionalism that he's brought. It's a breath of fresh air to this city.”
Making those connections is also why he gets involved with everything from youth programs to the high school booster club.
“What do we do to get the town excited? You get into town, you get into the community. You meet people,” Walsh said.
And ultimately he hopes to put a winning team on the field. The Rattlers won just twice in Walsh's first season, something he expects to change this fall.
"I get accused of being cocky, but I call it confidence," Walsh said. "It feels like we're a little more down the road than year two. It's because the kids bought in so quick."
They believe in the pedigree that Walsh brought to the program.
“He’s a winning guy. He’s a winning head coach, he's won his whole life," said San Marcos junior quarterback Isaiah DeLeon. "If we just do what he's doing, and do it right, then we could win just the same.”
Following a leader who's committed to the people is what it takes to build a winning team.
“It keeps me young, I'm fixin’ to be 50, but I don't feel 50. I feel 28, still," Walsh said.