Citizen Staff Writer
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
GEOFF GRAMMER
ggrammer@tucsoncitizen.com
Former Catalina Foothills and Douglas football coach Mark Brunenkant has been hired as the new coach at Flowing Wells High School.
Brunenkant will replace three-year coach Mario Piña, who stepped down from the head coaching position in January, but Piña isn’t leaving the program.
“Mario is still a big part of the program,” said Brunenkant, who was offensive coordinator at Flowing Wells the past two seasons. “I have nothing but a lot of compliments to him for wanting to do what he feels is best in his eyes for Flowing Wells.”
Brunenkant, who coaches softball at Foothills and also teaches at the school, had a 48-45 record in nine seasons at Foothills from 1998-2006.
Before the Falcons reached the playoffs last year under coach Matt Johnson, Brunenkant was the only coach to lead Foothills to postseason play. He was also 12-18 at Douglas from 1995-97.
Piña, also the Flowing Wells girls tennis coach, posted just a 9-21 record in three seasons as Flowing Wells head coach, but saw the team’s win total improve each year. His first season (2006), the Caballeros went 1-9. The team went 3-7 in 2007 and was 5-5 last fall, its first nonlosing season since 2002.
Flowing Wells last postseason appearance was under coach Glenn Posey in 2001.
“There was a lot of good football history at Flowing Wells and it’s a program that is starving for that history to come back,” Brunenkant said.
“We’re going to try to keep improving the program like it has been the last couple of seasons. We need to start being competitive more consistently.”
Brunenkant said there is a talented group of kids coming back at Flowing Wells, but acknowledges consistent success will only come from increasing the numbers of kids coming out for football.
“We need to increase the interest and get those kids who don’t know they’re football players yet,” Brunenkant said.