In his coaching career, Dusty Ortiz was an assistant at nine high schools before he became a head coach. During his constant travels and moves he thought about what it would be like to be in charge of one of the best high schools in Texas.
This turned out to be just a thought. Not a dream.
“I thought about what it would be like at Aledo or Southlake, but what is the challenge there?” Ortiz said. “I wanted a challenge.”
In his first two head coaching jobs Ortiz got what he wanted. While the definition of success has differed, especially in his first stop, Ortiz and his players have been up to the challenge.
His current job is at Carrollton Creekview, where he has changed the culture to winning quickly. After failing to win a game in 2022 or 2023, Creekview is 3-0, 1-0 in District 6-5A-I heading into Friday’s game against Molina (0-3, 0-1) at Standridge Stadium in Carrollton. This is the first time Creekview has started 3-0 since 2008.
Ortiz had a similar situation when he landed his first head coaching job in 2021. After his last two assistant jobs were at Saginaw Chisholm Trail and Keller Timber Creek he took over at Odessa, which was 0-7 in the Covid 19-shortened season of 2020.
This put Ortiz in the shadow of famous cross-town rival Permian, which has won five state championships. Permian was the focus of the book and movie Friday Night Lights.
Permian has dominated the cross-town series with Odessa, holding a 54-10-1 advantage. Odessa also plays in one of the most competitive districts in the state -- nicknamed the little Southwest Conference -- that includes programs such as Midland Legacy, Abilene and San Angelo Central.
Ortiz said when he arrived he felt like his program was at a disadvantage.
“There was a lack of equity. The other school in town had an indoor practice facility. We didn’t,” Ortiz said. “There was equipment that we needed too. Our booster club worked really hard to help us get what we needed.”
The good news was he had players who were hungry to work to get better. This led to Odessa improving to 3-7 campaigns in 2021 and 2022.
The high point of Ortiz’s time in Odessa was on Oct. 6, 2023, when his team rose up and beat Permian 49-42 in overtime. It was the first time Odessa had defeated Permian since 2013 and the most points the Bronchos had ever scored against their arch rival.
“What I remember the most was people were hugging us and running out onto the field,” Ortiz said. “You would have thought we had won state.”Ortiz took the Creekview job in May, and the timing created new disadvantages. His predecessor Tony Castillo had resigned in April to take the athletic director position at Ferris.
Ortiz found there was a lack of players taking part in summer conditioning programs and it was too late to get seriously involved in 7-on-7 programs because of the transition between programs. He estimates there were under 30 players at the varsity level and the majority of the starters played both ways, a rarity at the Class 5A level.
Ortiz said what he did find was a core of players wanting change, and victories. Senior running back/linebacker Dre Richardson said Ortiz brought hope and discipline. Senior safety-receiver Jude Marlin said he knew immediately that the team would be different.
“Coach Ortiz taught us that winning was expected. It was the standard,” Marlin said. “I think by the second scrimmage against North Dallas we knew what we could do next.”
Creekview snapped a 21-game losing streak with a 24-23 win over Irving on Aug. 29. Creekview is scoring an average of 32.7 points per game this season after averaging 17.2 points last year. Ortiz said the number of players has increased to 42. Linemen Jaxon Ary and Corey LaFrance are the only two players who play full-time on offense and defense.
Yet while success has carried over to Creekview, Ortiz has regrets on how his time at Odessa ended.
Odessa beat San Angelo Central 71-70 in overtime the week after beating Permian, but that would be Ortiz’s last win in Odessa. The Bronchos ended the season with a three-game losing streak with a 32-21 defeat to Legacy in the season finale keeping them from the playoffs. Ortiz said, to a degree, his team was flat after losing to Permian and he will try to avoid a similar malaise at Creekview.
Ortiz said he is also aware that naysayers believe Creekview’s success is a product of a schedule (which he inherited) with inferior opponents. Including Molina, three of Creekview’s first four opponents are winless. Creekview, which started playing football in 2000, has also never won a playoff game going 0-7.
Ortiz has experience with getting a landmark playoff win. Timber Creek shocked Arlington Martin 54-51 in a Class 6A Division I bi-district playoff in 2016. Ortiz said now, then and in Odessa driving home a winning culture has been at the core of big wins.
“We break huddles saying, ‘Win!’ 30 to 40 times a practice. We did that at Timber Creek and we do that now,” Ortiz said. “But I don’t think today’s players get too much from stories of big wins. They want to know about what they need to learn and what they need to be doing to win now.”
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