GHS athletic department announces hirings on coaching staff

The Gonzales athletic department announced the hiring of several new members of the program’s coaching staff ahead of the 2025-2026 school year.

Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Lyndon Hamilton joined the Apaches in February after eight seasons at the helm of San Antonio Reagan, where the Rattlers advanced to the playoffs each year and won three district championships. With a full staff now in place, Hamilton is excited for his first full school year in Gonzales to get started.

On the football staff, the Apaches added Jake Wachsmuth as the team’s assistant head football coach. Wachsmuth will work with the quarterbacks and also serve as a track assistant, and brings 32 years of coaching experience to the table including 15 years at nearby Shiner St. Paul. Wachsmuth was the TAPPS 2A Male Coach of the Year in 2016, and has a total of 15 state championships to his name as a head coach (eight football, four boys track, two girls track and one girls basketball).

“I am looking forward to the opportunity at Gonzales,” Wachsmuth said. “I am blessed to be a coach and I am grateful to be in Gonzales. I know it will be a challenge but from the short time I have been working with the kids this summer, I see kids who want to be successful. The journey is what makes it fun. If it was easy it wouldn't be fun and it wouldn't be meaningful. I look forward to seeing these kids attain the success we all know they can reach.”

Will Heyward will be the football program’s defensive coordinator and will also be an assistant boys basketball coach and an assistant track coach. Heyward, who is a Seguin High School Hall of Honor Inductee (2012) and was an all-conference football and track player at Texas State, has experience coaching at Seguin and Del Valle High School. As an athlete, he participated in NFL mini camps with the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints, and played in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders, B.C. Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“I grew up in Seguin and was raised in the country,” Heyward said. “When I got the phone call to come coach in Gonzales, I felt I would be valued and appreciated for my hard work. It was simply the right fit for me and my family, and we are excited to get started.”

Samuel Friedman will also join the football staff after coaching football, powerlifting baseball and basketball at McAllen Rowe High School from 2016-2025. Friedman will head up the offensive line and work as the team’s offensive coordinator, while also serving as the Head Boys Powerlifting coach.

“I've been working with the kids since June and I'm so excited to work with this talented, hard-working, humble group of student-athletes, as well as with this amazing coaching staff that Coach Hamilton has put together,” Friedman said. “Coach Hamilton has a clear vision on teaching not just the sport but the lessons beyond the game such as accountability, discipline, and how to respond to setbacks.”

After playing football at Texas A&M Kingsville and then working as a graduate assistant from 2023-2025, Clay Englehardt is joining the Apaches as an assistant on the offensive side of the ball working with the tight ends/h-backs, and will also be an assistant for the baseball team.

“This will be my first high school coaching job, and I couldn't be more excited to get started,” Englehardt said. “I'm looking forward to adding energy, discipline, and attention to detail to our special teams unit. It’s a great opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute to the strong football culture here at Gonzales. I’m proud to be part of a staff that values hard work, accountability, and the development of student-athletes on and off the field.”

Shafer Glasscock will take over the Gonzales baseball program as head coach, and will also serve as the running backs coach in football. Glasscock was the head baseball coach at Electra High School last year, and also played collegiate baseball at both Vernon College and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

“I’m excited to join the staff and community to build positive relationships and grow the school in every aspect,” Glasscock said.

Coach DeOnte Washington will be working with the high school football program this year after serving as a junior high football coach in Gonzales last year. Washington will take over the defensive line unit and also continue to work as a junior high basketball and junior high track coach for the Apaches.

“I’m eager to continue to learn, develop and grow our youth here in Gonzales to their highest potential,” Washington, who played college football at Independence Community College and Texas State University, said.

Coach David Kypuros returns to Gonzales after working with the Apaches last season but will take on a new role as the Head Girls Powerlifting Coach. Kypuros, who played college football at Texas A&M Kingsville, will also be the outside linebackers coach in football and work as an assistant track coach.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue my journey at Gonzales in these expanded roles,” Kypuros said. “My background in athletics has shaped my coaching approach, and I firmly believe that sports have a unique power to transform lives. I’m eager to help our athletes develop not just their skills but also their character .I’ve lived a big part of my life by the saying ‘Do it for those who can’t.’ Whether it’s overcoming personal adversity or putting in the extra work for the team, I want our athletes to understand that they’re capable of much more than they might think.”

Brady Keane will take over as the head boys basketball coach and head golf coach after spending the last five years as the head basketball coach in Bandera ISD. Keane took over as sixth head coach in six years in Bandera, and nearly tripled the team’s combined win total in five years. In 2022, Keane was named the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 4A Region IV Coach of the Year, and in 2023 he helped lead the Bulldogs to their first playoff win in nine seasons.

“Gonzales has a rich tradition of success in basketball dating back to the 1974 state championship team under Coach Hill, and the 20-year run of dominance that followed under Coach Salazar,” Keane said. “I’m excited to be a part of a community that loves basketball, and it’s been a blast to work with our student-athletes in the gym all summer. Coach Hamilton has the athletic program as a whole moving in the right direction, and we’re looking forward to hitting the ground running.”

Jacob Paez will be Keane’s 1st assistant coach in basketball and will also work with the junior high football and high school baseball teams as an assistant. Paez was first a student manager for the basketball program at Texas A&M Kingsville before joining coach Omar Gonzales as a graduate assistant coach.

“I am 22 years old and have been waiting for the opportunity to serve as a full-time coach,” Paez said. “Sports have been involved in my life since I was three years old, and I just can't stay away from something that has been there for me through the ups and downs. Sports have been my way of life and I want to give back the knowledge and skills that have supported me along my journey and have helped create who I am.”

Jenna Lamb will take over as the head volleyball coach for the Lady Apaches, and will continue to work with the track program as an assistant. Lamb has worked in Gonzales ISD since 2012, serving as the head girls soccer coach, an assistant volleyball coach, an assistant track coach, an assistant basketball coach, an assistant softball coach and an assistant tennis coach over the years.

“I am a hometown local, who chose to come back to my community to serve with purpose,” Lamb said. “I played at the high school and collegiate level, and I have also coached in successful programs and I am passionate about the sport of volleyball. I am excited to take over the program and grow it to its fullest potential. My goal is to build upon current strengths within the program and empower our women athletes to embrace change, encourage innovation, adapt to challenges and strive for excellence on the court as athletes and off of the court as individuals. My aim is to cultivate a program that meets and exceeds expectations, leaving a lasting and positive impact on the Apache Athletic Program.”

Alex Matanic will be the new head girls basketball coach after spending the last four seasons as an assistant football, basketball and track coach. Matanic will continue to work as an assistant track coach and will also be a junior high assistant football coach.

“I am excited and thankful for this opportunity to coach our girls and help them grow both on and off the court,” Matanic said. “We have had a lot of participation in the gym this summer and the future is bright for the girls basketball program.”

Gonzales native D’laine Easley will return to the sidelines as a coach this year, working with the junior high volleyball and girls basketball programs while also serving as an assistant softball coach. Easley worked as a coach from 2017-2024 in Gonzales, and was a coach for the Gonzales Revolution Volleyball Club in 2024-2025.

“Gonzales is where I grew up, where I graduated, and where I played sports,” Easley said. “This community means a lot to me and my hope is to help make this athletic program better than it was. We have great kids who are ready to buy in, and it’s up to me as a coach to help build confidence in themselves, commitment to the program, and to create a sense of ownership to their success.”

After attending the Texas High School Coaches Association Clinic and Convention last week and meeting together as a staff on Friday, the Apaches will continue to hit the ground running over the next few days. Volleyball hosted tryouts on Aug. 1-2, football practice started on Monday, Aug. 4 and cross country will travel to its first meet in Victoria on Aug. 9.