New Burnet MS boys coordinator to teach, mentor

CAPTION: Mark Zeigler (second from right) is the new Burnet Middle School boys athletic coordinator. His wife, Krista Zeigler (second from left), is a Burnet High School counselor, while daughter Emery is entering the seventh grader, and son Corbin will be a fourth-grader. Courtesy photo

Burnet Middle School has a new boys athletic coordinator with vast experience coaching children and teenagers on every level.

Mark Zeigler took over the role before the end of the school year after spending the last year in the Highland Lakes.

Zeigler served as the Odessa Ector Junior High boys coordinator before moving up to the Odessa High School football staff as the linebackers coach and boys basketball varsity assistant coach.

From there he served as the defensive coordinator and softball head coach at Houston Sharpstown High School then went to Levelland High School as the defensive coordinator and boys track and field head coach.

But once Zeigler became a father, he decided a career change was in order.

While all those roles speak for themselves, Burnet High School football head coach Ben Speer noted Zeigler’s time spent in youth sports was equally impressive, which illustrates coaching never left him.

Zeigler coached children in grades pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade for the 10 years he was out of the education system. Those sports include football, basketball, volleyball and summer track.

He founded the Crawford County Coyotes, a youth baseball program.

“They didn’t have a youth organization, and we created one,” Zeigler said. “I ran that for four or five years.”

The reason the family moved to the area is so it could be closer to Zeigler’s mother, who also lives in the Highland Lakes.

Even after the move here, he didn’t return to the education system immediately, opting to pursue employment elsewhere. But he didn’t stop coaching. Instead, he got involved with the Burnet Youth Football League.

And when he saw that Burnet Middle School was searching for a boys athletic coordinator, Zeigler decided it was time to return.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I’ve been here for a year. I would like to be apart of making that better for the youth. I want to help mentor the coaches – that’s the reason I want to do it. I plan on being around for another 10 years.”

And he wants to remain at the middle school, he added.

All those credentials and the desire to stay on the Burnet Middle School campus made him the ideal choice for this position, Speer said.

“His knowledge, experience and expertise. That was a no-brainer for us,” he said. “It’s a chance to really (mentor) young coaches. He wants to be down there in the program.

The athletic department also had other changes.

Kimberly Payton is the girls basketball coach.  

Burnet Middle School and tennis coach Brandon Cunningham is joining Speer’s football staff and BMS coach Carter Carruthers will join the high school boys basketball staff.