SAN ANTONIO — Editor's note: The above video was originally published on August 25, 2019.
Mark Soto, head football coach at San Marcos High School the past eight seasons, has been hired to the same position at Johnson in the North East ISD.
The NEISD Board of Trustees named Soto, 47, the Jaguars' new coach at a meeting Monday night.
"I'm living on cloud nine right now," Soto said after being informed by Johnson principal Gary Comalander via phone that he had gotten the job. "I'm pretty pumped right now. I've got so much going through my head right now."
"I'm just very happy to be going to such a prestigious school. It's become one of the prominent schools in the city and state with its academics and competitiveness on the playing field."
The NEISD board also named Kelly Parker the district's new athletic director on Monday night. Parker will succeed Karen Funk, who is retiring in June. Parker has been an assistant NEISD athletic director since January 2016.
Soto succeeds Ron Rittimann, who resigned last month after 12 seasons as the first head football coach at Johnson. The newest NEISD high school, Johnson opened in 2008.
Rittimann went 74-59 at Johnson and led the Jaguars to the playoffs eight times, including the state semifinals in 2013, and one district title. The 2013 team went 12-3.
"Coach Rittimann did a great job with that program, building it and building something that's sustainable," Soto said. "We're walking in there and going to enhance what they've been doing with some of the ideas I have that I've learned along the way going through different programs that have had some winning coaches.
"It's going to be fun and mix it up with those kids. I know they're great kids. It's a great community. The administration is fired up. There's a very good energy level in that school and I'm looking forward to getting into it."
With the state's public schools shut down by the coronavirus, Soto said he planned to introduce himself to his new players sometime Tuesday with a Zoom meeting.
"Things are different right now, so we've just got to roll with the punches and adapt," Soto said. "It's no different than what we do coaches all time. We've got to have Plan B, C and D. You've got to adapt. Everybody's in the same boat right now."
A 1991 Judson graduate, Soto went 35-49 in his eight seasons at San Marcos and led the Rattlers to the playoffs three straight years (2015-17). His 2017 team recorded San Marcos' first 10-0 regular season since 2000. The Rattlers lost in the first round of the playoffs.
San Marcos finished 1-9 in each of the past two seasons. Soto was also athletic director of the San Marcos school district.
"I'm going to miss the kids and the coaches at San Marcos," Soto said. "They did everything I asked them to do and then some. They've got so much zeal about them and they want to be good that try so hard. And they achieve when it really comes down to it. They're a bunch of stand-up kids and a stand-up community."
A former linebacker at Judson, Soto played college football at Missouri Valley College and earned his bachelor's degree in 1995 at the school in Marshall, Mo. Soto also a master's degree in education from Texas State.
Soto, who played under legendary coach D.W. Rutledge at Judson, was an assistant football coach and defensive coordinator for the Rockets under coach Jim Rackley from 2005 until he left for San Marcos in March 2012.
Soto started his coaching career at Poteet High School in 1995. He was also an assistant coach at Seguin (1997, 1998 football seasons), Corpus Christi Calallen (1999), Holmes (2000, 2001) and Laredo United (2002, 2003, 2004).