Why did Todd Peterman leave Duncanville to coach football at Lake Worth?

Todd Peterman has been coaching Texas high school football for 33 years.

As a head coach, Peterman led DeSoto to its first state championship in 2016 in an undefeated season. He powered Duncanville to state titles in 2022 and 2023 as an offensive coordinator.

Peterman had other opportunities to become a head coach but remained at Duncanville as an assistant. He wanted to become a head coach again but patiently waited for the right opening.

In late March, an opportunity that was “too good to turn down” presented itself. Lake Worth ISD announced Peterman as the Bullfrogs’ next head coach and athletic coordinator.

Why did Peterman choose Lake Worth? He said his familiarity with administration and the location played a factor. He used to make 100-mile round trips to Duncanville and lives 15 minutes from Lake Worth High School.

“The number one thing is relationships,” Peterman said. “And I have relationships with quite a few administrators here. And I know we have the same thoughts and beliefs about how to build a successful athletic program.”

Peterman, during the last two years, served under an elite head coach: Duncanville’s Reginald Samples. He already had championship experience, but Samples reinforced his understanding of the mountaintop of Texas high school football .

“I’ve enjoyed watching coach Samples work,” Peterman said. “And seeing his psychology of how he deals with players and coaches. With teachers – the whole process. Not many people have won more games than him.”

Lake Worth, a smaller Class 4A program, has a drastically different environment compared to large 6A schools like Duncanville, DeSoto and even Brewer, where Peterman was a head coach from 2018 to 2021.

Peterman said the lessons learned at championship caliber Class 6A programs will translate to any level and emphasized the importance of discipline, practice planning.

Although “the process” is important, he acknowledged that talent is a necessity to reach the top.

“Championship programs have championship caliber players,” Peterman said. “And anyone who says otherwise is lying. Anyone that wins at a high level has great players. They just have discipline too.”

Lake Worth may not have five-star prospects like Duncanville, but they are also facing different competition. Peterman has seen success without five-stars earlier in his career, and the level of talent won’t change the Bullfrogs’ game plan.

“Four or five star players are a blast,” Peterman said. “There’s no question about it. Duncanville’s kids work 12 months out of the year and they’re very motivated. And that’s a similarity that I see here in Lake Worth. The kids want to be successful. … They want to be here, and they’re hungry.”

Peterman sees Lake Worth as a school with championship potential. He credited former head coach Jerry Prieto, now Dayton’s head coach, for building a strong foundation; the Bullfrogs made the playoffs in 2023 and, in 2022, won two playoff games.

With the coaching change, there will be growing pains and a transitional period before Lake Worth football can reach its full potential. Only two coaches from Prieto’s staff remain, and the others arrived in May.

The goals for August practice will be simple: get the players in the right spots, learn about tendencies and see which players have the maturity to be team leaders.

At the 4A level, some will play both sides of the ball, and Peterman will work to ensure those players are physically and mentally ready for the challenge.

“We’re going to build,” Peterman said. “It’s a huge turnover. We’re not going to be ready for a few more weeks. We’re just not there.”

Lake Worth has a tough non-district schedule that includes Panther Creek, Brock, Krum, Graham and Lake Dallas. The Bullfrogs’ have a trial by fire approach.

“We’re going to grow and get better throughout the season,” Peterman said. “We just have to hope that once we get to October 11th, our first district game, that we’ve grown up and gotten after it. I fully expect these kids to come out and fight.”

Look out for senior linebacker Jerimiah Gordon, who Peterman has been “really impressed” by.

“He has shown great leadership and he’s done a great job,” Peterman said.

Another team leader is quarterback Kevin Pointer Jr., the son of Kevin Pointer, who is the Bullfrogs’ linebackers and special teams coach. Peterman will attempt to use a high tempo, 80 play a game offense, which will involve a learning curve.

“He’s done a really good job coming in, learning a new system and getting going,” Peterman said.

Despite wanting to improve play on the field, Peterman’s main goal for the Bullfrogs doesn’t have anything to do with football. He made a promise to the Lake Worth school board, superintendent and principal to prioritize academics.

“We want 100% passing rate and 95% attendance rate,” Peterman said. “We’re going to focus on that first, and the football is going to come with it.”

In general, the Bullfrogs’ have less talent compared to the last few seasons, given only three offensive starters are returning. It may take a few years, but Lake Worth is set up for success if Peterman can replicate his success at Duncanville and DeSoto.