Waterloo East will have a new head coach when the high school football season begins next month. Xavier Leonard has been selected by a search committee to fill the vacancy, East athletic officials announced on Wednesday (July 20, 2016).

Leonard's hiring must be approved by the Waterloo School District's Board of Education before it becomes official. The board is expected to approve the recommendation at its next regular meeting on Monday at 5 p.m.

“The athletic department is pleased with the committee's decision to recommend Xavier," East Athletic Director Brenton Shavers said. "He has demonstrated a desire to improve athletes' overall understanding of the game and has a successful track record at the high school level. He also has demonstrated the ability to network with college-level coaches to continue his own growth and to create opportunities for his athletes.”

Leonard has been the head coach at Belmond-Klemme since 2014. During his two-year tenure, he guided the Broncos to a 13-6 record and a pair of playoff berths.

Prior to Belmond-Klemme, Leonard was the defensive line coach at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls from 2013 to 2014.

At East, Leonard is taking over a program that has failed to record a win in three consecutive seasons. The Trojans have lost 28-straight games since a first-round playoff victory at Davenport Assumption in 2012, a season that ended with a 6-5 mark.

Leonard will be East's fourth head coach in the past five years. He replaces Richard Carter, who guided the Trojans to an 0-18 record during the two years he was in charge of the program.

In the classroom, Leonard’s teaching experience includes college-level first-aid and safety and lifetime fitness at Highland Community College in Highland, Kan. from 2008-2012. He also taught history at Dade County Schools in Miami, Fla. from 1997-2007.

Leonard received a Master's Degree at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz. in 2012 and a Bachelor's Degree at the University of Central Oklahoma in 1999. His studies include general education and instructional leadership.

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