Larry Hill didn't have much time to assemble his first coaching staff at Smithson Valley when he arrived in May 1993. It was a whirlwind process as the job laid dormant for nearly five months after Joe Matulich resigned following the 1992 season and a seven-year stint with the Rangers. Several members of Matulich's staff had moved on. The coaches Hill inherited were hoping for the best. That included Craig Wersterfer and Robert Teuton – whether it was at Smithson Valley or elsewhere.
"That was all kind of a weird time," said Teuton, who served as Matulich's offensive line coach for four seasons. "From day one, we didn't ask too many questions. We went to work. That was about it."
Given the fact the Rangers went 1-9 in 1992, Wersterfer was unsure if he'd retain his spot as a defensive backs coach. He certainly didn't get a good read following his initial meeting with Hill.
"I was working for Coach Hill doing the best I could but looking for other jobs and trying to create space for Coach Hill to be able to bring in who he would want," Wersterfer said.
When Wersterfer was on the verge of accepting a coaching job at Seguin, Hill and his wife Lori visited Wersterfer and his wife, Sheri, and convinced him to stay.
"I knew we were doing things the way they needed to be done at Smithson Valley," Wersterfer said. "I knew it had a chance to be a really special place if we could do that. And I knew that Coach Hill had a plan and so I decided to stay with him."
Those leaps of faith formed the foundation of an iconic Texas high school football brand.
Countdown to No. 1:No. 2 Smithson Valley looks to fill gaps on defense
"I didn't know anything about their prowess on the field," Hill said. "I hadn't seen them coach, but the vision we were trying to create for the program, it seemed they shared that. They seemed to be like-minded people who could get things done."
For the next 33 years, they raised Smithson Valley's profile from practically nothing to one of the state's top football programs as evidenced by the Rangers' back-to-back Class 5A Division I state championships in 2024 and 2025 and their four other state finals appearances.
Wersterfer has since been elevated to defensive coordinator at Smithson Valley. Meanwhile, Teuton has remained offensive line coach all along.
"He was coaching that before I got there, and he'll probably still be coaching that after I'm gone," Hill said of Teuton.
They've also helped push Hill to the verge of becoming Greater San Antonio's all-time winningest coach. Counting his two seasons at Jourdanton, Hill has 340 career wins, which is three shy of Jim Streety's record 343 from his 40 seasons at New Braunfels and Madison.
"I'd be less than truthful if you asked in'93 ‘Did you know you three guys would be still doing this together 33 years from now?" Hill said. "I don't know if that would be fair."
Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill, right, celebrates with defensive coordinator Craig Wersterfer at the conclusion of their Class 5A Division I state quarterfinal game with A&M Consolidated at Gupton Stadium in Cedar Park, TX, on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. Smithson Valley beat the Tigers 31-24. (Marvin Pfeiffer/Staff Photographer)Change of plans
Coaching football wasn't originally in the plans for Wersterfer and Teuton in college.
After graduating from MacArthur in 1971, Teuton had no college football prospects. So, as someone who loved the outdoors, Teuton enrolled at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches where he thought about studying forestry.
Instead, he landed a job in SFA's athletic department and worked in football coach John Levra's program.
That stoked a coaching bug he didn't know existed. Levra left SFA and coached in the CFL and with several NFL teams, including the Saints (and Bum Phillips), the Bears (and Mike Ditka), the Vikings and Bills.
"He was quite an inspiration," Teuton said of Levra.
After SFA, Teuton landed a job at Madison when it opened in 1978 and worked for Matulich, the Mavericks first head football coach. Teuton was at Madison for three years before doing to Nacogdoches High. He was there for 10 seasons under four different head coaches.
All along he maintained contact with Matulich, who became Smithson Valley's head coach in 1986. In 1989, Matulich convinced him (on his second try) to become the Rangers' offensive line coach.
Meanwhile , Wersterfer harbored a coaching will after he graduated in 1981 from New Braunfels where he played quarterback and defensive back for Streety. But, teachers' paychecks were not great. Influenced by his cousin's husband, who was rolling a six-figure income as a stockbroker, Wersterfer followed suit putting his finance degree from Southwest Texas (now Texas State) to work for Edward Jones.
It was a great idea at the time.
"I wanted to have money and travel and do whatever I wanted to do," Wersterfer said.
He soon learned the means he used to earn the good money was not appealing.
"You spend your whole day talking to older people trying to sell them and trying to convince them what investment is best for them," Wersterfer said. "I was absolutely miserable. I gained a bunch of weight, and I decided life is too short to live like that."
After two years, he was done. As Wersterfer obtained his teaching certificate, he began student-teaching at Smithson Valley in the fall of 1991. That led to a football staff position with Matulich in 1992.
"I realized getting the finance degree and working in that field, if I managed my money, I was going to be just fine financially," Wersterfer said. "I was going to be just fine as a coach and now I have a chance to give back to society and to kids what my coaches poured into me."
SPORTS - Assistant coach Robert Teuton shown at practice Thursday Dec. 13, 2001 at Smithson Valley HS. KEVIN GEIL/STAFF (KEVIN GEIL/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)Building momentum
The Rangers stumbled in Hill's first season in 1993 at 1-9. It was hardly alarming, though. In fact, it was probably expected considering the Rangers were 1-9 in 1992. Established in 1976, Smithson Valley had never made the playoffs or had a winning record in 17 seasons before Hill's arrival.
That changed in 1994 when the Rangers went 8-3 in Hill's second season. After going 5-5 in 1995, Smithson Valley won its first playoff game in 1996 with a 19-0 victory against Boerne as part of an 8-4 season.
Five years later, they went big time, going to the 2001 Class 4A (now 5A) Division I state final that resulted in a heartbreaking 42-35 overtime loss against Denton Ryan at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco. In 2002, the Rangers moved up a class and advanced to the Class 6A Division II state championship against Southlake Carroll, a 45-14 loss in the Alamodome.
Although the Rangers came up empty, they had arrived. And so did head coaching offers for members of Hill's staff, including Wersterfer. But, he wanted to see this good thing through.
Smithson Valley head coach Larry Hill (center) poses with offensive line coach Robert Teuton (left) and defensive coordinator Craig Wersterfer (right) during a portrait session on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at Smithson Valley High School. Wersterfer and Teuton were already on staff when Hill arrived in 1993, and together the trio has helped build Smithson Valley into a Texas high school football powerhouse with two state championships. (Charlie Blalock/For the Express-News)"One thing leads to another and the next thing you know, my kids are dying to be Rangers," Wersterfer said. "It's a great place to raise your family. It's a unique, special community and we obviously did get things turned here."
The Rangers clashed with Carroll for the state title again in 2004. Although it was a closer game, it was another heartbreaker with the Dragons pulling out a 27-24 victory on a last-second 41-yard field goal from Kevin Ortega.
Smithson Valley's state finals run stayed dry for nearly 20 years before the Rangers reached the 2023 Class 5A Division I championship against 11-time state champion Aledo. The Bearcats posted a humbling 51-8 victory against Smithson Valley to make the Rangers 0 for 4 in the big game.
Instead of faltering, the Rangers advanced to the title game again in 2024, playing storied Highland Park coached by Randy Allen, who is chasing Corpus Christi Calallen's Phil Danaher to become the state's all-time winningest coach.
All that mystique wasn't enough to top a determined Rangers' squad who pinned a 32-20 victory on the Scots for their first state championship.
"I can't really explain it, but (the Aledo game) was not our finest hour, and I think our kids knew that," Hill said. "So, here we go 12 months later we're back there playing another good team like you always do in the finals."
The Rangers followed it up with another title last December, a defensive masterpiece crafted by Wersterfer and his staff. Smithson Valley's 28-6 victory against high-powered Frisco Lone Star, who had just 230 yards and 11 first downs. Until that game, Lone Star averaged more than 50 points in the playoffs and 550 yards during the regular season.
The sophomore quarterback Trey Wright was held to 135 total yards (115 passing). Wright, who recently committed to Southern California, finished the season with 4,042 passing yards and 1,764 rushing yards to lead the state in total offense.
"We could play Lone Star 10 times, and the result wouldn't necessarily be that every time by any stretch of the imagination," Wersterfer said. "But our assistant coaches did a great job of preparing the entire defense that whole week and the kids just went out and executed."
After capturing elusive back-to-back state championships, did Hill consider hanging them up while on top? Nope. Teuton and Wersterfer are all-in, too.
"Do we Thelma and Louise off in the convertible?" Hill said. "Is it time for that? … I think we just like what we're doing and we like doing it together and we are not ready not to do it. So, there ain't any more to it than that."
Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill center, poses for a photo with the team at the conclusion of their Class 5A Division I state championship football game with Highland Park at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 in Arlington. Smithson Valley beat Highland Park 32-20. (Marvin Pfeiffer/San Antonio Express-News)SubscribeThere’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at Larry Hill built his Smithson Valley legacy with help from Wersterfer and Teuton.
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