By Joshua Koch
Public Communications
In 1994, the Atlanta Rabbits raced their way to the Class 4A State Championship Game.
Ronnie Melton served as the defensive coordinator for Atlanta, while his three sons Cale, a sophomore, and twin boys Cody and Chad were seniors that season.
“Every night we were talking about football and everybody was excited about playing,” Ronnie said. “They just knew they were going to go to state. And they did.”
Cale went on to play three varsity seasons with his dad coaching him along the sidelines in Atlanta, Texas.
“He always told us you got to be the best. He wasn’t just going to put you out there,” Cale said. “He was hard but we knew he loved us. Playing for him was fun. It was an opportunity of a lifetime that a lot of kids don’t get.
“There’s a lot of life lessons that he taught me that I use with my son.”
Now sitting in his office ahead of the 2025 season as the head coach of Kingwood High School with his dad, Ronnie, serving as his Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line coach, seated next to him, Cale is fond of those memories shared between a father and son.
Now, Cale is getting to repeat history from a different perspective – the dad coaching his son.
“It’s a special feeling,” Cale said about coaching his son Anson for the first time. “Dad got to do it. So, now it’s my turn to be the dad and be able to do it. It’s exciting and we’re excited to get the opportunity for all of us to be here together.”
Anson will suit up Thursday night against Clear Creek as a part of the kickoff coverage team and backup outside linebacker for the Mustangs with both his dad and grandpa coaching him from the sidelines.
“I think it’s a wonderful experience because I’ve been taught so much from both of them,” Anson said. “I think it’s an unbelievable opportunity to play for my grandpa and my dad. I’m just savoring every moment I have with them. Because once it ends, it ends.”
The 2025 season is a landmark campaign for Ronnie, who played high school ball at John Tyler High School, as it will be his 50th to be coaching in high school football in Texas. It will be his sixth at Kingwood with his son Cale and first with his grandson Anson playing.
“I’ve been watching him grow up and mature and become a good young man,” Ronnie said of Anson. “He works hard and he wants to please just like [Cale, Cody and Chad] did. It brings back memories of them playing.”
Three generations of Melton men will grace a Texas High School football sideline for at least the next two seasons at Kingwood High School – Dad Cale as head coach, Ronnie as defensive line coach and Anson as a player.
“I just soak it in. It’s a short time. We all know it,” Cale said. “It’s an honor to have all three of us be here together. Dad and I talk to him about it being earned, not given. He earned his way to be where he’s at.”
Anson added: “I’ve been working a lot during the summer,” “I’ve been hitting the weight room as hard as I can and I’ve been working my butt off to be where I am.”