Brownwood Lions athletic director Sammy Burnett on Wednesday announced that Dalton Hutchins is taking over as head tennis coach, replacing Crystal Blazek who has accepted the same position at Class 5A Victoria West to be closer to family.

Hutchins has lived in Brownwood since 2008 and been associated with the both the Howard Payne and Brownwood tennis programs during that span.

Hutchins started as as assistant head coach under Sally Brown at HPU, then moved over to Brownwood and worked as the assistant under Mark Davis. Hutchins then took over as the HPU head tennis coach once Brown retired, before returning to Brownwood to serve as the assistant under Blazek.

“When my son was about to be in middle school I saw an opportunity to go back to Brownwood and I wanted the opportunity to coach him,” Hutchins said. “I’ve coached under a handful of people and loved all my experiences at the different campuses. I learned a lot, and I feel grateful and blessed to have worked in tennis full time in Brownwood the last 15 years.”

Burnett said of Hutchins, “He has a ton of experience and when Coach Blazek accepted a job in Victoria, for me, this was a no-brainer. He’s very professional in everything he does, has a great relationship with the kids, and has a demeanor where he stays locked in. He’s calm and collected and he’s always going to be confident for the kids and he’s always going to bring support for them when they need it.”

Having more than 15 years of familiarity with Brownwood and the local tennis scene is a huge perk for Hutchins as he steps into his new role.

“Having those relationships with kids, earning their trust and their parents’ trust, goes a long way with kids buying into what you’re trying to do with your program,” Hutchins said. “They’re investing in the program, you’re investing in the kids, so there’s some give and take there. I’m not doing the job to be liked, but I do want to be respected and want the program to be respected. Brownwood athletics as a whole wants to be respected, and it would be great to get to a point where no one wants to play Brownwood in anything because we do hear programs now where you hear the name and you just know they’re good at everything.”

Blazek said, via text, of her time in Brownwood, “It was a tough decision to leave Brownwood but the coastal area is somewhere I’ve always wanted to be. Brownwood has been an amazing place for me and I am truly blessed to have coached the kids that have come through the program, the parents and faculty I have established a relationship with, and the community for being so supportive. I wish all the best for BISD.”