Bulldogs hand head football job to Hess

"Prepared" is an adjective some use when describing Zack Hess.

That trait will be on display this fall when Hess mans the sideline for the South Callaway Bulldogs.

Hess was officially named the fourth head football coach in South Callaway history on Thursday. He succeeds Tim Rulo, who was named the head coach at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City in March after seven years at the helm for the Bulldogs.

Rulo assembled a record of 66-19 at South Callaway, highlighted by a Class 2 runner-up finish in 2014, five state playoff appearances overall and three district titles.

Hess informed and addressed a handful of returning players in South Callaway's auditorium on Thursday afternoon.

"Consistency is the key," Hess told the room. "We have something special here and we want to keep it going."

A familiarity with the Bulldogs' recent run of success gave Hess the edge in an applicant pool that was both deep and qualified, according to South Callaway athletic director Tony Brandt.

"We just felt like with where our program was, we wanted to keep a lot of those same things that have been established," Brandt said. "A lot has gone into building that program, those guys have been a part of it, so we felt like he was going to be the best fit for us to continue the football program."

Hess - an Eldon native - joined Rulo's staff five years ago, spending the last two seasons as the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator. Under Hess' tutelage, South Callaway defenses have allowed a suffocating 7.2 points per game.

"I have no head-coaching experience, but our defense has been blessed to have some good players and we were able to put together some great defenses the last couple of years, so we took advantage of that for sure," said Hess, prior to speaking to his team.

Though he noted his lack of experience leading a team, Rulo and Brandt have no doubt that Hess' time as an assistant has properly nurtured him for the task of directing the Bulldogs.

Years in Rulo's system properly groomed Hess for the position.

"He's a great coach of coaches and his philosophy and his program we want to keep that going, and it's just been a great experience to work with Tim," Hess said.

Hess' football acumen - honed for three years at School of the Osage before arriving at South Callaway - and attention to detail were major factors in Rulo's endorsement during the search for his replacement.

But it is Hess' ability in molding athletes on and off the field - something Rulo puts a high premium on - that both Rulo and Brandt found the most impressive.

"His development of coaching and caring and loving the athlete I think is huge," Rulo said Thursday. "I've watched Zack develop that in a huge way and I think that'll set him up for success at South Callaway."

"I think (Rulo) was impressed with the applicant pool that we did get, but he felt like Zack was a good candidate, again, with the non-X's and O's part of the program," Brandt added. "The character development, the positive coaching, the things they've brought here, Tim feels like Zack can carry forward."

Hess will do that with a coaching staff also well-versed in the culture created by Rule, with a couple of alterations.

Hess will remain as defensive coordinator and will continue to coach inside linebackers, while assistant Tucker Bartley will move from instructing the running backs to become offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Assistants Chad Hector and Nick Trammell will continue coaching the offensive and defensive lines, respectively. Will Brandt will lead the receivers, Bobby Butvin will coach defensive backs and Tyler Necaise will guide outside linebackers.

Daniel Burns, from Scotland County in the northeast part of the state, will step in for Bartley to coach the running backs as the lone outside addition to Hess' staff.

"If it's not broke don't try to fix it, right?" Hess said. "We have a great program, a great system in place; we don't need any major changes.

"We'll have to make some minor ones, I'm sure, but no, we're just going to keep plugging away."

Bartley - a South Callaway graduate - doesn't just see Hess as a logical successor to Rulo. He sees him as the best option.

"Yes, I think it was the natural pick, but I also think it was the best pick," Bartley said. "We've obviously been fortunate enough to have a bit of success and everyone wants to keep that going.

"I think it is a natural pick to make sure we get better and keep improving. Ultimately, we made it to the state championship last year, but we didn't win one.

"That's the ultimate goal."

Hess is pleased and, appropriately, ready to get the chance to get the Bulldogs there.

"We've got our coaching staff in place, we have great facilities, great leadership at the school, so to be the guy, there's a lot of responsibility," Hess said. "But we're excited about that and excited about the direction the program is going."