Football: New Andrews coach gets to work on building first team

ANDREWS Jeff Cordell took the job as the Andrews athletics director and football coach in February.

He really got down to work on Monday.

Cordell was on the field for the first time when two-a-day practices for the football season began for all schools that did not have spring football.

"It's great to finally get out on the field and start coaching because it's been a long time," Cordell said. "We worked on defense in the second practice and (today) we'll work on the offense. They have to get used to the way that I coach and the way that things are structured."

Cordell had a chance to see some of his players during athletic periods during the second semester of last school year, but Monday's workouts at the Mustang Bowl were the first glimpses that he had of returning letterman and others who are trying to earn starting jobs on the varsity.

"The first thing we did was test them, physically," he said. "And, except for a couple of players, everyone passed, so that showed me they were working in the offseason."

Cordell comes to the Permian Basin from Greenville, where he was 6-14 in the last two seasons. He guided Gainesville to a 36-5 mark, including a 3A state championship in 2003 and another trip to the 3A title game in 2005.

Cordell also coached at West Texas A&M in Canyon in 1997-98, and his wife is from Lamesa.

"When I was at West Texas A&M, this was part of the state that I recruited," Cordell said. "When I came for my interview around Christmas and we met a lot of people in town and we saw the new athletic complex, this was a place that I wanted to be.

"I'm excited to be here and be a part of the tradition of Andrews football. We have a great group of kids out here. Anything that you ask them to do, they are going to get it done."