At the end of a long search for its next football coach, Clearfield liked what it saw from Will Hawes.

For the last seven years, the California native has been trying to build the Layton Christian Academy football program, and this year it finally paid dividends. The Eagles won their first ever playoff game and actually went all the way to the Class 1A finals before falling to Duchesne.

In Hawes, Clearfield saw its next leader for its own football team. So Hawes will join the school in January, ready to advance his own career.

"I saw that the administration is interested in getting back to where the football program was in the 90s and how successful they were then," Hawes said. "There's never a good time to leave a situation that's positive. But while I'm happy with what we did at Layton Christian, I'm ready to move forward for my career and my family."

Layton Christian was 28-40 in the seven seasons Hawes coached there, and went 6-6 this last season.

Clearfield went 2-8 this year, after which head coach Jeff Bingham elected to retire. Assistant principal Ross Harris said the search committee winnowed their selection down to Hawes after speaking to LCA parents and administration officials and getting glowing reviews.

"We just think he's a top-notch individual," Harris said. "We think he'll instill a level of discipline in the program, and once he does that, the attitude will change. People will see Clearfield's headed in the right direction."

One of the most immediate challenges Hawes faces is making sure football players in the Clearfield district go to Clearfield. Other Davis County programs — such as Davis or Bountiful — can draw athletes who opt to explore open enrollment. Hawes said he wouldn't worry about it off the bat. If he can turn the program around, he said, the players will stay.

"Our goal is to retain," Hawes said. "There are plenty of good football players in Clearfield. We can win with them."

— Kyle Goon

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon