BANGS – After seven football seasons in Brown County – two at Brownwood and the last five at Bangs – Kyle Maxfield is moving on as he has accepted the head football coach and athletic director position at Brentwood Christian in Austin.

“It’s always tough to leave a place where you’ve built great relationships and worked for great people,” Maxfield said in a Tuesday morning interview. “Since I’ve been at Bangs I never pursued anything else and this one kind of pursued me through an old college roommate. Sometimes when you least expect it things happen, and it’s just an opportunity I couldn’t pass up at this time in my career, and it’s going to be great for my family. It’s hard to say those goodbyes, but Bangs won a lot more games before I got here and they’re going to win a lot more games after I’m gone.”

The decision to leave Bangs, according to Maxfield, simply came down to do what he felt was best for his family. Maxfield’s wife, Danya, works in Austin and Maxfield has two children attending Texas A&M University in College Station, just over 100 miles away.

“I can’t put into words how much sacrifice my wife has made because we’ve kind of had dual residences. We’ve been going back and forth to Austin, especially her in the fall,” Maxfield said. “That part is really hard to believe right now. But Bella (Maxfield’s youngest daughter, a sophomore at Brownwood High) is still a Lionette so we’ll still be visiting Brownwood and Brown County many times in the future.”

Maxfield spent five seasons at Bangs, guiding the Dragons to a 25-22 overall record with three playoff trips and a bi-district title this past year, the program’s first playoff win since 2013. Maxfield took over a program in 2018 that had won just two games the previous three seasons.

“Bangs will also be a special place in my heart because of the way they took me and my family in and treated us, from Mr. (Tony) Truelove to the board to Dr. (Josh) Martin,” Maxfield said. “The biggest memories will be where we started with the program to where we are now. We’ve had some highs and lows, and sometimes we went out to battle with the short stick but that never stopped them from fighting. I’m just very thankful for the five seasons I’ve had here and what it means to me and my family.”

Prior to his stint at Bangs, Maxfield spent two seasons as the head coach of the Brownwood Lions, posting a 12-9 record with two playoff appearances and a bi-district championship in 2016.

Maxfield had also coached at Shallowater, Rosebud-Lott and Sudan and owns a 160-99 career record.

Brentwood Christian, located in Austin, is coming off a 1-9 season. The Bears compete in TAPPS Division III District 4 along with Houston Cypress Christian, League City Bay Area Christian and Magnolia Legacy Prep Christian.

“Brentwood has been a lot like Bangs, and had some good seasons, but their program is only seven or eight years old,” Maxfield said. “There will be some new and different challenges, and that’s appealing. There are some challenges in TAPPS that I’ve never faced before. It’s a great school and great people there that I’ve met. Brentwood has won games before, and hopefully we can get it back there and keep it going.”

According to a press release issued by Bangs ISD Monday night, the search for the next athletic director will begin immediately, and the district would like to have a final candidate by February.

The press release also stated, “Bangs ISD is grateful for Coach Maxfield’s service to the district and its students. The district and its athletic programs are in great standing due to his exemplary leadership over the past five years.”