LITTLE ELM, Texas - Joe Looney has played football in nearly every NFL stadium, but Little Elm High School’s indoor facility still takes his breath away.  He played high school football on a dirt field in West Palm Beach The players helped the coaches paint lines on it the night before a game the 34-year-old looks around the indoor field with his arms out and palms up a ‘Can you believe this place?’ gesture Looney didn’t mention his eight-year NFL career once during his job interview Coaching Little Elm offensive linemen is his new Super Bowl “I tell these guys in the locker room ‘I’m so jealous of you right now,’” Looney said and there’s no repercussion from it!’” Looney wasn’t a Dallas Cowboys fan favorite because of his play He started less than half of his 77 career games in Dallas becoming the unsung hero of the 2018 team when he filled in at center for Pro Bowler Travis Frederick who was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that August which always loomed larger than his imposing 6-foot-3 presence The highlight most fans remember is when he dressed up in running back Ezekiel Elliott’s signature crop top jersey and tinted visor for a practice.  That’s the image that new Little Elm head coach Keiston Alexander had in his mind when Looney’s name popped up in his email asking about the open offensive line coaching position Looney attended the team’s morning lifting sessions “You could tell his energy and personality was going to be something we needed here at Little Elm,” Alexander said.  Little Elm went 0-10 last season and has only won three combined games the past three years The program’s last playoff appearance was in 2016.  who was on staff at Coppell for a 23-2 run the last two years says he feels God’s presence over his first offseason Looney and Alexander actually connected through the church Alexander spoke to the pastors in his first month on the job and the pastors told Looney to reach out to him if he wanted to get back into coaching.  It’s been a recharging period for Looney. Football gave him so much, but it took time away from his family. Now he’s back for a couple reasons. One: his wife gave him permission. But he’s also realized the competitor inside him won’t retire. It needs an outlet.  “As a teacher, it’s a wonderful way to compete with yourself,” Looney said. “When you learn how to do that as a teacher and a coach, I think the world really opens up for you. That competitiveness never leaves you.” Besides, he has so much knowledge from his playing career to pass on. Looney practiced daily with future Hall of Famers Tyron Smith and Zack Martin. Whenever he believed himself prepared for Sunday’s game, the linemen would circle up after practice and bounce questions off each other about that week’s blocking schemes.  But his favorite lesson harkens back to his time in San Francisco, where he was drafted in the fourth round in 2012. He shared a meeting room with Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss that first offseason. During a Day 1 install meeting, Looney saw Moss scribbling notes. Why are you writing this down? Looney asked. You’ve been in the NFL for 14 seasons. “Looney, when you think you’ve made it in this league, that’s when things don’t go well,” Moss said. Looney is a storyteller at heart. While many revolve around football, they aren’t really about football. They’re about life lessons he learned through this game. His stories are how he teaches them, and class is now in session. “The first time he spoke to the team and introduced himself, it gave me goosebumps,” Alexander said. We've been the Bible of Texas football fans for 64 years. By joining the DCTF family you'll gain access to all of our exclusive content and have our magazines mailed to you! Little Elm High School has hired Joe Looney, a former Dallas Cowboys interior lineman who became a fan favorite for his jovial nature, as its offensive line coach.  Looney, 34, played eight years in the NFL and started 42 games before retiring in August 2021. In 2018, he was thrust into the Cowboys' starting lineup in late August after Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick was diagnosed Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disease. Thanks to Looney, the Cowboys offensive line didn't miss a beat. Dallas won the NFC East with a 10–6 record and reached the NFC Divisional Playoff round.  Little Elm is coming off an 0–10 season and has not had a winning season since 2017. Former Coppell special teams coordinator Keiston Alexander took over head coaching duties from Joe Castillo, who stepped down after compiling a 3–26 record in three seasons. Alexander has coached for 20 years in the Dallas-Fort Worth era, serving as the defensive coordinator at Denton, Irving and North Crowley. © 2025 BVM Sports. Best Version Media, LLC. where he feels a deep connection to the facilities He emphasizes the excitement of hitting on the field without consequences bringing energy and enthusiasm to a struggling program that went 0-10 last season known for his larger-than-life personality connects with the players not only through football but also by sharing life lessons learned from his time in the league He is dedicated to mentoring the young athletes blending competitiveness and education as he guides them Looney aims to instill discipline and confidence in his players His experience in the NFL may be a pivotal factor in rebuilding the team's competitive edge and might lead to a marked improvement in their performance next season Joe Looney's transition from player to coach heralds a promising new chapter for Little Elm High School football focusing on personal growth and team potential and life lessons positions him as an invaluable asset in revitalizing the struggling program The summary of the linked article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it OK Privacy policy Rescue divers recovered the body of a kayaker who drowned on Lewisville Lake over the weekend according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department multiple agencies responded to a report of a missing kayaker on Lewisville Lake The Lewisville Fire Department recovered the kayaker’s body south of the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge at about 10:54 p.m Officials report the kayaker was found wearing a life jacket The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 29-year-old Taryn Allen Zinszer of Little Elm He died near Westlake Park in Hickory Creek according to the medical examiner’s office Officials had not released any other details of his death as of Tuesday afternoon Lake Dallas Police Department and Lake Cities Fire Department also assisted in the search and recovery BROOKE COLOMBO can be reached at 940-566-6882 and bcolombo@dentonrc.com For more than 120 years, the Denton Record-Chronicle has been Denton County's source for locally produced, fact-based journalism. 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Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account. The news came from Davidson Bogel Real Estate which announced its successful representation of Kroger in the acquisition of a 14-acre property from local investment firm Dollar-Flowers Realty Partners in one of the fastest-growing communities in North Texas allows for Kroger to enhance its retail presence and serve the expanding population of Little Elm and surrounding areas Video: 6 minutes with Kroger Health’s Colleen Lindholz of Davidson Bogel represented Kroger in the transaction Dollar-Flowers was represented internally by Stewart Flowers Kroger’s acquisition follows a recent announcement last year that Weber & Co had purchased 22 acres of land at the same intersection for a 225,000 square foot Target-anchored retail center called Bates Towne Crossing H-E-B owns the land directly west of the future Target but has not released timing for developing the land [Read more: Kroger Health to hold Nourishing Change conference in May] The retail growth in Little Elm is a result of several years of strong population growth in the region DR Horton’s Silverado was the top-selling community in Texas in 2022 and 6th fastest in the country 21 voted 4-2 to approve a special use permit for Little Hugs Childcare to operate at 2015 Little Elm Trail Little Elm was designated a Purple Heart Town by the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Mayor Curtis Cornelius on Oct The Purple Heart Trail is a symbolic designation to roads Signs placed at these locations hope to create a visual reminder for people of the high price paid by veterans for their freedom to travel and live in a free society has a great admiration and utmost gratitude for all the men and women who have selflessly served their country and their community in the armed forces,” Mayor Cornelius proclaimed at the dedication The dedication was a joint effort between the town of Little Elm and the local branch of MOPH, DFW Mid-Cities Chapter #1513 The branch works to connect recipients of the Purple Heart living in the area with local meetings and events They also support legislative initiatives and provide services for veterans and their families [if] a city or town would like to become part of the Purple Heart Trail and we talk about how best to communicate the commitment to all veterans especially those who have suffered wounds of war or who have died as a result of enemy fire,” Chapter Commander Gus Wittschack told the Denton Record-Chronicle “Little Elm was nominated by one of its citizens after which the municipality’s information is sent to the MOPH national office and the Purple Heart Trail coordinator and it is finally added to the official registry The DFW and Mid-Cities chapter will be designating Huntington City and Henderson County as part of the Purple Heart Trail on Monday The Purple Heart Trail was established by the Military Order of the Purple Heart in 1992 with a designated monument in Mt Kroger recently opened this store in Melissa Kroger has unveiled plans for two new stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area just days after failing to secure a merger with Albertsons The new sites are slated for the growing cities of Little Elm and Fort Worth Kroger expects to break ground in 2025 on both projects so will Kroger to meet the needs of the community with access to fresh and affordable groceries and essential items,” Keith Shoemaker Kroger is investing in the area as it seeks to compete with a growing number of rivals in North Texas the market saw what could have been a big change fall apart when Kroger and Albertsons backed out of a roughly $25 billion merger deal that included the planned offloading of some stores Albertsons has announced plans for new stores as well including sites in Midlothian and Sunnyvale The plans come after openings earlier this year that included Frisco and Forney Next month it will open a replacement store in Plano at the intersection of Sam Rayburn Tollway and Coit Road It also plans to open another store in Fort Worth at the corner of East Bonds Ranch Road and State Highway 287 later in 2025 The company has more than 100 stores between North Texas and East Texas and over 200 statewide Be the first to know the latest on new stores restaurants and other businesses in Denton County so you can live better here Your essential companion for starting the day in Denton Delivered fresh to your inbox every morning Wake Up gives you a curated snapshot of local news for the day as well as the day’s e-edition and trending stories you may have missed Sign up for the Denton Record-Chronicle's absolutely free weekly newsletter highlighting winners and finalists from the 2024 Best of Denton awards Your weekly guide to surviving college and thriving in Denton local news and more exclusive content in your inbox every Tuesday afternoon There's always something going on in Denton Check out what's on the local events calendar and plan a fun weekend with friends Get a roundup of the 10+ puzzles and games available from the Denton Record-Chronicle for free Sudoku and other brain-busters are new every day the latest in puzzles and word games with a Wordle vibe From minor traffic accidents to neighborhood watch updates stay informed on public safety with the week’s top crime stories in your inbox every Wednesday morning Don’t miss out on breaking news in Denton from weather and traffic to big events and important headlines Get the scoop on all the thrilling victories nail-biting games and standout performances — straight from the sidelines of Denton-area high schools we bring you the highlights and updates from our hometown college teams Prepare for the polls and stay informed on the candidates issues and deadlines for Denton County’s key races Save money and find what you need with promotions from local businesses and special DRC offers Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Denton ISD’s Ray Braswell High School is located in Little Elm A lockdown at Braswell High School was lifted Monday evening after a shooting was reported in Paloma Creek Little Elm Police Department received reports of a shooting in the 1600 block of Flamingo Drive just west of Denton ISD’s high school in Little Elm Police said on social media that the shooting suspects chased an individual from the location to Flamingo Drive while shooting at him City spokesperson Drew Bailey said as of 8 p.m that she did not believe officers had detained or arrested anyone in connection to the shooting Little Elm police said officers are working with school resources officers to identify the involved individuals Police say the suspects are juvenile males Little Elm police said in a social media update that a house was struck by the gunfire but said they did not receive any reports of people injured by the gunfire Braswell was set to host an open house as well as a sporting event between Cheek and Rodriguez middle schools The school was placed into lockdown at 5:10 p.m according to a statement on social media from Denton ISD Little Elm police said in an updated post at 7:20 p.m The school events were postponed and will be rescheduled to a later date The middle school students were returned to their campuses via bus BROOKE COLOMBO can be reached at 940-566-6882 and bcolombo@dentonrc.com. Little Elm police arrested a 20-year-old man Tuesday in relation to a shooting that placed Braswell High School on lockdown Monday evening, ac… ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. then searched for and evacuated two children from a smokey home in Little Elm The department released a video of their actions Facebook IconLinkedIn IconTwitter X iconPinterest IconCMSBrowserComponents.load({ el: '#vue-1746488603840-525' props: {"url":"http://www.policemag.com/patrol/news/15741587/texas-officers-navigate-smokefilled-home-to-find-children","printUrl":"http://www.policemag.com/print/content/15741587","providers":["print","facebook","linkedin","twitter","pinterest"]} skipWhenExists: false });A body-worn camera captured when an officer located a child in the smokey upstairs of a home and awoke her to evacuate.The Little Elm Police Department released body-worn video of when two of its officers rescued two sleeping children from a smoke-filled home ahead of the fire department’s arrival “They didn’t just show up—they charged into the unknown to save lives. They are heroes, and we appreciate them for protecting our community,” the department said in a social media post when it released the video The video starts with the officers’ arrival and one officer interacting with an adult female neighbor “The kids said that they think there are two more inside,” she tells the officer “In here?” Asks one officer as he points to the home He passes by a group of kids who say they live in their home and confirm their parents are not home “police department.” He encountered smoke in the home and began searching as he and another officer tried calling out to the kids he entered a downstairs bedroom and found a child curled up on a bed The video shows the officer picking up the child and carrying her from the home as the other officer continues to search the video shows the other officer going upstairs through the smoke and finding a second child asleep on a bed Get up,” he tells the older child as he taps her on the leg fire trucks can be heard arriving on the audio portion of the video The smoke was apparently caused by a dryer fire according to what an officer tells firefighters on the video Guyer offensive lineman Brody Hamilton congratulates running back Sterling Schneider after Schneider scored one of his three touchdowns against Little Elm Guyer running back Sterling Schneider follows a block by teammate Carson McClinton against Little Elm during their game at C.H Guyer wide receiver Danny Jenkins breaks away from Little Elm defenders en route to a touchdown 22-ranked Guyer wasted little time taking care of business during Thursday's 49-21 win over Little Elm in District 5-6A play The Wildcats dominated the first half 42-7 as they moved one step closer to officially clinching a playoff berth If you're not already a Denton Record-Chronicle subscriber, you can subscribe now for just $1 a month over the next six months and read all of our stories throughout high school football season 22-ranked Guyer wasted little time taking care of business during Thursday’s 49-21 win over Little Elm in District 5-6A play The Wildcats led 21-0 after one quarter and 42-7 by halftime building an advantage they never relinquished Guyer racked up 249 yards of total offense in the first half while limiting the Lobos to just 68 total yards a figure that was lessened by two bad punt snaps that the Little Elm punter had to fall on for big losses That first-half dominance both ways combined with Guyer’s backups finishing the job over the last 24 minutes helped the Wildcats (6-2 4-1 in district) notch another district win and move one step closer to clinching a playoff spot Guyer coach Reed Heim said one of his team’s emphases this week was starting fast “We need to be able to do that,” Heim said we’re going against a team that we know we have the ability to do what we did tonight really proud of our guys for getting ready to play.” Guyer has put together a strong run through district play so far that continued with Thursday’s win over Little Elm (0-8 The Wildcats previously dispatched Flower Mound three of the top remaining contenders to make the playoffs Guyer’s lone district loss came in a 31-24 defeat against No which entered its Week 9 game against Braswell leading the district at 4-0 in 5-6A play and 7-0 overall Heim feels his team played its most complete game last week against Hebron as a group full of young players continues to progress “We’ve gotten a little bit better each week,” Heim said “I think our most complete game was last week I obviously haven’t gotten a chance to see this one and really look at it but I know last week was great in all of the phases we count toward what it takes to win a ballgame.” Guyer led Little Elm 21-0 through one quarter after a pair of 3-yard touchdown runs by senior running back Sterling Schneider with a 6-yard touchdown run by junior running back DJ Black in between Schneider finished with eight carries for 105 yards and three scores to lead Guyer’s offense in his one half of action Little Elm scored its first touchdown on the first play of the second quarter as Max Reyes connected with Carlton Mims on a bubble screen that he took 67 yards to the end zone The Wildcats responded with a trio of touchdowns to take a 42-7 lead into halftime The scores came on a 67-yard run by Schneider a 40-yard pass from senior quarterback Kevin Sperry to junior wide receiver Danny Jenkins and an 18-yard TD pass from Sperry to sophomore wide receiver DJ Reese two touchdowns and one interception in one half of play Reyes hit Mims for a 29-yard touchdown pass to make it 42-14 with 3:11 left in the third period Guyer sophomore quarterback Zephyr Kreye then threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jordan Wilson to make it 49-14 with 11:23 remaining in the fourth quarter Little Elm’s A’Bre O’Bannon added a 33-yard touchdown run with 9:03 to play that set the final margin Guyer faces its biggest remaining test of the regular season next Friday The two likely playoff teams will definitively end up in different brackets if they both make the postseason with Lewisville going to the 6A Division I bracket and Guyer heading to 6A DII the game may not have much direct significance to their ultimate playoff seeding the matchup represents a valuable test ahead of the playoffs that neither will take lightly good football team next week in Lewisville,” Heim said I know they’re going to give us their best shot I hope to see an exciting football game next Friday.” JOHN FIELDS can be reached at 940-566-6869 and jfields@dentonrc.com Email notifications are only sent once a day A former Little Elm detective pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing cocaine and methamphetamine evidence for his personal use was convicted of four counts of diverting controlled substances He was sentenced to five years of community supervision with 160 hours of community service Moyer told Judge Sherry Shipman that he had substance abuse issues due to dependency on oxycodone to manage pain from injuries he sustained during his military service Moyer was responsible for transporting drug evidence to the crime lab The Little Elm Police Department became aware of Moyer’s conduct after he was involved in a disturbance at a bar in Dallas The department conducted an investigation with other agencies including the Denton County District Attorney’s Office The investigation revealed that Moyer had been stealing cocaine methamphetamine and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) evidence from the department for his personal use The four counts are for separate instances of thefts on July 16 He was arrested by the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office on June 19 He was released the next day on a cash bond the judge said Moyer would likely always have difficulty toeing the line between therapeutic drug use and substance abuse Moyer agreed with the judge that his pain was not an excuse for the criminal behavior She recommended that Moyer communicate early and often with his probation officer about his prescriptions to stay in compliance with his probation Little Elm police arrested a 20-year-old man Tuesday in relation to a shooting that placed Braswell High School on lockdown Monday evening Jh'don Brown is charged with deadly conduct after an incident at E-Z Mart at 26730 U.S Little Elm officers responded to a shooting report at the location Initial reports indicated that shooters were chasing an individual from the convenience store to Flamingo Drive City spokesperson Drew Bailey said police believe the involved people knew one another and there is no active threat to the public Police are following up on leads and still investigating whether anyone else was involved in the shooting and may potentially be charged Little Elm and assisting officers took Brown into custody Tuesday without incident at his residence in the 1400 block of Canary Drive in the Paloma Creek South area Brown was allegedly in possession of two firearms Police believe one was used in the shooting The involved firearm was reported stolen on Sept Little Elm police also charged him with theft of a firearm The second firearm is in the process of being traced Little Elm Police Department recei… BarraCruda Tex-Mex combines Tex-Mex and Indian cuisine A restaurant in Little Elm called BarraCruda Tex-Mex is serving an amazing only-in-Texas fusion combining Tex-Mex and Indian cuisines under one roof it got a second life after it was taken over by owner Pavan Paladugu and his family in 2023 began his cooking journey after moving from India to the U.S He found some of his favorite Indian recipes online and learned to make them at home “I always wanted to open a restaurant and wanted to have something with Indian influence,” Paladugu says and decided to start incorporating Indian dishes into the Tex-Mex and Mexican seafood-centric menu Fusion dishes include butter masala chicken enchiladas and Malai chicken fajitas— featuring chicken in a creamy and spicy sauce of yogurt and mint chutney cooked in a tandoori oven Other items on the menu include the trendy quesabirria and an interesting dish called Piña Loca Mariscos (crazy pineapple seafood) — half a pineapple stuffed with shrimp Prices range from $7 for a cup of tortilla soup to $45 for a molcajete for two Three TVs behind the bar make it a prime spot for watching sports we have some specialties like Namaste that has an Indian twist to it,” Paladugu says The food is a hipster global mishmash with everything from sushi to smash burgers to a banh mi cheesesteak By Brian Womack The big-box retailer is slated for a site in Little Elm in the summer of 2026 according to an announcement by Davidson Bogel Real Estate a boutique land investment advisory group and brokerage firm Target will anchor a shopping center that will be developed D-FW Retail NewsThe latest on retail openings GoogleFacebookBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy The new, nearly 225,000-square-foot Target-anchored development will sit in a fast-growing area of the region. Little Elm reached more than 58,000 people in July 2023, an increase of about 26% from April of 2020, according to U.S. Census data The site is near another planned development that will include a Sprouts Farmers Market David Davidson and Edward Bogel of Davidson Bogel Real Estate represented the family that owned the property for 157 years after it was acquired by Rev William Edmunds Bates in the nineteenth century It was purchased earlier this month by Weber & Co. it will name the shopping center Bates Towne Crossing Davidson Bogel Real Estate will continue to be involved in the project as Ryan Turner and Jonathan Cooper will be leading the leasing of the shopping center The planned Target store itself will cover about 148,000 square feet a spokesperson for the company said in an emailed statement affordable and convenient shopping experience to new guests in the Little Elm community,” the spokesperson said Join the conversation Thank you for reading. We welcome your thoughts on this topic. Comments are moderated for adherence to our Community Guidelines Please read the guidelines before participating An American Legion memorial pictured outside of Little Elm’s town hall and library The Purple Heart Trail is a symbolic designation to roads The dedication was a joint effort between the town of Little Elm and the local branch of MOPH, DFW Mid-Cities Chapter #1513 PENNY KIMBLE can be reached at pkimble@dentonrc.com