David Biddler and family. Photo courtesy of David Biddler.
Alums and former coaches from Lake Highland High School lead football, basketball and other athletic squads at schools all over Texas. Now you can add another name to the list. David Biddler (’95) has been named head football coach and athletic director at Booker High.
Booker is a small town in the Texas Panhandle where junior high and high school students share one building and the total population is fewer than the number of students at LHHS. Biddler’s wife, Amber, grew up in Booker, and school officials recruited him away from Richardson ISD’s Apollo Junior High, where he coached basketball for 17 years.
“We used to play Lake Highlands Junior High and Forest Meadow all the time,” recalls Biddler, who has assisted with Booker’s football team but primarily served as golf and basketball coach since joining the school six years ago. He also works as a basketball official, including at last year’s 1A state championship in San Antonio. That put him on the floor of the Alamodome to watch his Wildcats win the 6A title. Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.
Biddler played basketball, not football, during high school, but when he played quarterback at LHJH, his coach made a lasting impression. On Friday nights, Jim Ledford coached the offensive line for LHHS under the legendary Mike Zoffuto. On Thursdays, Ledford led the LHJH team. Ledford later left Lake Highlands to become the head coach at Madisonville High School before returning to become the winningest coach in Berkner history.
“Coach Ledford was my mentor for many years, and he always said, ‘You’ve got to love up on ‘em. You’re a role model as well as a coach, and not every kid has it easy. Do your best to be there for them, because you never know what’s going on at home.’ I learned a lot from him — in fact I called him to see if I should take this job. He said I should do it. I feel pretty blessed.”
Ledford retired in 2021 but stays connected to many of the coaches he worked with over 39 years in the game. He says he looks forward to seeing what Biddler can accomplish.
“I have no doubt he will have success as a coach, because he loves kids, and they love him. His people skills are second to none. The community will love his positive energy not to mention his competitiveness. His opponents better have their big boy pants on when they face Dave’s team, because he will make them play for a full 48 minutes and he won’t take any prisoners.”
Ledford and Biddler both tipped their hat to the special Wildcat program they grew out of — and the leaders it produced.
“Coach Biddler is just like all the other guys that graduated from LH and are now head coaches,” Ledford says. “Every one of those guys have the same characteristics — they had a great support system at home, loved their teammates, were infatuated with sports, possessed awesome integrity and did everything with passion.”
“Dave’s just a great guy with a competitive spirit, and that will be conveyed when you see his athletes on the field,” continues Ledford. “I can’t wait to see his teams be successful both on and off the field.”
Booker will transition from 11-man to 6-man football in the fall, which creates challenges — and opportunities — for their new head coach. For at least 20 years their enrollment has hovered around 100 students — right around the cutoff between 1A and 2A. Biddler says he’s ready to get started.
“There’s not a lot going on in a small town on Friday nights, so football games are big. Everybody at the post office and the café knows you and says hi. It’s safe and fun for your kids, and that’s pretty special.”
LHHS alums still coaching include Stoney Pryor (football, College Station High), Reid Heim (football, Denton Guyer), Dave Handal (football, Tomball), Kent Laster (football, Waco University High), Brett Sawyer (football assistant, Muhlenberg College), Anthony Hicks (football assistant, Frisco Heritage), Lynn Jensen (assistant director of athletics, Bishop Dunne), Kent Ackmann (boys soccer, Princeton).
Wildcat coaches still in the game include David Gunn (football, Paragould High), Kenny Wheaton (offensive consultant, Harding University), Che Hendrix (football, Boerne), Jason Wilson (baseball, Allen), Ed Barry, (football and track, Shelton), Paul Maturi (football assistant, Jesuit Dallas), Royce Slechta (offensive coordinator, Jesuit Dallas), Don Woods (defensive coordinator, Jesuit Dallas), Todd Holmes (athletic trainer, Jesuit Dallas), Gary Taylor (track and field, Sunnyvale), Pete Grieder (wrestling assistant, Bishop Lynch) and John Bandy (stadium manager, Kimbrough in Plano).
