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Thursday, March 27, 2008

Giles Signs Contract With Estancia as Athletic Coordinator

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
    Joseph "Dusty" Giles confirmed in a recent telephone interview that he signed a contract on March 14 to be the Estancia High athletic coordinator and football coach beginning the 2008-09 school year.
    Giles, 32, will replace retiring Athletic Director Mike Draper, who is in his fifth year at the school. Draper, whose last day is June 30, also was the Bears' football coach from 2003 to 2005.
    Giles is enthusiastic about his pending arrival in Estancia. The coach had an 8-3 record in both 2006 and 2007, while coaching the Class 1A Escalante football team.
    Giles guided Tierra Amarilla's Lobos to the state playoffs both years and earned a District 1-1A title in 2006. His team was the district runner-up in 2007.
    "I'm real excited about the opportunity (to coach at Estancia)," said Giles, who played for perennial gridiron power Artesia in the state championship game in 1992 and graduated from the Eddy County school in 1993. "But I'm learning that some people take it personal when you leave, change jobs."
    Giles will be classified as an athletic coordinator at Estancia instead of an athletic director because he does not have a master's degree. He said he earned a bachelor's degree in general studies in 2001 from West Texas A&M University where he played football for the Buffaloes.
    Athletic directors/coordinators come and go sooner or later. And football coaches— even more so— tend to play musical chairs.
    The job changes in the competitive field are common. So, the veil of secrecy surrounding the exit of former Bears football coach Richard Walker and the school's pursuit of Giles, not necessarily in that order, is rather odd.
    Most high schools, such as Manzano and Moriarty, merely send out a news release announcing or confirming coaching changes. The principal or athletic director, usually the AD, will readily note how many applicants there are, whether the outgoing coach resigned, and will delineate the reasons why the new coach was selected.
    But Carolyn Allen-Renteria, the Estancia Municipal School District superintendent, did not return the Telegraph's repeated phone calls seeking her comment. Walker, who led the EHS football team the past two seasons, also did not immediately return phone calls.
    Draper and EHS Principal Doreen Winn previously said they could not comment. They referred questions up the leadership ladder.
    Walker had an overall record of 6-16, 0-6 in District 3-2A, during his tenure with the Bears. Estancia enjoyed a Cinderella season in 2006 when the Bears snuck into the Class 2A state playoffs and, with admirable pluck, advanced all the way to the semifinals.
    Estancia— at 1-8, 0-3 in 2006— did not qualify for the postseason this past fall. The Bears' sole victory was a 27-0 win at home against Laguna-Acoma on Sept. 7.
    Giles said he will stay at Escalante through the current school year. He said he hopes to start Estancia's summer football program in June as he simultaneously accomplishes a turnover with Draper.
    "Coach Draper definitely will be a help to me as I get started," said Giles, who will be a rookie athletic coordinator. "He's a good man."
    Giles, who also spent four years as the wide receivers' coach under Artesia coach Cooper Henderson, is champing at the bit. He said "it depends" when it comes to the offense what his Estancia squad will use come this August.
    "I ran a spread offense my first year at Escalante, but I found out quickly that was hard to do with a 5-(foot)-5 quarterback," he said. "I think our tallest kid at Escalante was 5-8, 5-9. Estancia, I think, will have some bigger kids, so we might do a spread.
    "Have you seen (Las Cruces) Oñate?" the coach continued. "We might do a flex-bone, a triple option. But right now, I'm thinking about using the spread."
    Giles' family— wife, Michelle; 5-year-old son, Brendon; and 18-month-old son, Austin— will accompany him. The coach said they are considering living in Moriarty or Edgewood so that he and his spouse can split the commuter travel time after she gets a job in Albuquerque.
    Giles assured the Bears' football fans of one thing.
    "We'll come out, work hard," he said. "We'll get after it. We'll be prepared."
    Harold Smith can be reached by phone at 823-7104 or by e-mail at hsmith@mvtelegraph.com.