Munson takes over Southridge football program

The Southridge football team is getting an overhaul.

Keith Munson was hired last week to replace Tony Reiboldt, who resigned after last season after five years at the helm.

“I want to get there as soon as possible,” Munson said.

Munson, 48, was the defensive coordinator at Belen High School (N.M) last year, and was a one-time assistant at Valencia High School in Los Lunas, N.M., for Kevin Jolley, who took the head job at Pasco High School last fall.

Between seeing the job opening on Football Scoop and talking to Jolley, Munson submitted his résumé for the job.

“Kevin really likes it there,” Munson of Jolley. “I like the area. I’d been through there a few times when I lived in Montana.”

Munson, who played college football at Montana Tech, has 22 years of coaching experience at the high school and college level.

Munson was an assistant at Rocky Mountain College and Arizona Western College, where he also was the offensive line coach and defensive coordinator. His last head coaching job was 2006 with Show Low High School in Arizona.

“I have had some really good opportunities,” said Munson, who will teach in the science department at Southridge. “They have been adventures, but I’d like to stay there (Southridge) for a while.”

Munson has been in touch with the assistants from Reiboldt’s staff, but nothing has been set in stone. He’s also in the dark as to the players the Suns have returning, but said that you have to have a set template and work from there.

“Once we have a set blocking scheme, we will be able to load the spread game, option game and a short-passing game,” Munson said. “Then we will be able to mold into what is most effective. It will be a little give and take. The players need to insert themselves into the game. The key is that we are fundamentally sound offensively.

“Defensively, we will start with basic principles so they know what is expected. We will blitz — not all the time — but we want to be able to draw on it at any time. It’s critical that there are no gaps in the blitz game.”

Once the season begins, Munson will line up across from Jolley for the first time as opposing head coaches.

“When I was at Arizona Western, he was an assistant at New Mexico Military (Institute),” Munson said. “That was a while back.”

While Keith Munson will be at Southridge, his wife, Kelly, will take over the volleyball program at Kennewick High School. Julie Maciboba resigned after last season.

Kelly Munson, who was hired to coach the Belen Eagles last month, has an impressive résumé.

She played volleyball at Rocky Mountain College, was an assistant at University of Alabama-Birmingham, Arizona Western College and most recently was an assistant at Valencia High School.

“That was hard to do,” Munson said of pulling out of the Belen job. “But I’m excited about coming there. I’m kind of clueless as to what was there. I hope the girls are excited to get at it and succeed. Coming in, I’m going to have to get to know the girls and see what skills they have and then develop the offense around that.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Munson takes over Southridge football program."