Wright City High School has chosen David Evans to be its next athletic director, with his hiring made official during Tuesday’s monthly R-II board meeting.Evans, who has been employed by the Warren County R-III School District for the past 14 years, will replace Doug Smith, who currently handles athletic directing tasks alongside his assistant principal role.After it was decided the two positions would be made separate so that each could garner its own attention, the district began searching for candidates.“We had a really large applicant pool and some amazing candidates,” said Smith. “We had a really tough time making the decision on who to go with.”Evans was chosen from a field of six candidates who were interviewed, ranging from short-term to long-term head coaches to current athletic directors in smaller districts.“We heard a ton of good things from people who have worked with him,” said Smith. “I think he’s an organized guy and will do a good job. I think the fact that he already has local ties and now has the opportunity to stick around build an athletic program is big. There’s a good chance he can come in here, start building this into his own vision and stay around a while.”Evans says opportunity and a desire to make a career move drew him to the Wright City job, which will allow him to continue living in Warrenton.“I’ve learned a lot about Wright City, being here in the county for the past 14 years,” said Evans. “I’ve wanted to become an AD for the last four of five years, and this opportunity came up, so I thought it would be a great fit.”Evans has been the head girls soccer coach for the past five seasons and led the Warriors’ volleyball program prior to that. He also coached wrestling in the past.Currently a physical education teacher, Evans will handle Academic Reassignment classes at Wright City, which will allow him time to devote to the AD position.“Organization is No. 1,” said Evans. “I need to get in and figure out what they’ve got going on with each of their sports as far as staffing and equipment. Then we’ll be looking at turnover, as far as trying to get victories.”Smith says there is a lot more than be done within the position given the time and resources. He and Evans both envision a greater interactive presence for the athletic programs in terms of social media and websites.“There’s a lot more things you can do within the community,” said Smith. “To be able to devote time to evaluating programs and put more of an electronic footprint on our programs.”Evans says his long-term goals are to encourage growth within the programs and make sure they are staying competitive.“I want to see as many kids as possible throughout school participating at some level, whether it’s clubs or sports,” said Evans. “I want to see the programs grow and hopeful get to the point where we need to add more.”EVANS NAMED ADDerrick Forsythe photo.