Willie Brooks resigns as head coach at West Jefferson

Another good head football coach is available for hire.

Willie Brooks has resigned after three years on the job at West Jefferson, posting a 12-15 record but taking the Buccaneers to the playoffs twice.

Brooks, who previously served as the head coach at Helen Cox for 12 years and at Riverdale for three years, said it was simply time to do so.

“I want to explore some other things,” Brooks said. “Three years here, I think I left it way better than I found it. The numbers are up. We were able to end a playoff drought for the first time in seven or eight years. I love the kids. I’m looking for another opportunity right now.”

Brooks reserved special praise for his players.

“We went through COVID, we went through Ida, they were resilient,” Brooks said. “We had two winning seasons before we had a losing season this year. We lost a couple of nail-biter games that could have put us back in the playoffs. I’m just thankful for the opportunity. My coaching career is nowhere near done.”

Brooks has already spoken to others about opportunities.

“I’m going to weigh my options,” Brooks said. “I want to thank Miss Mary Carter, the athletic director who hired me and supported me before retiring last year. I really appreciated here and enjoyed my stay here.”

The search for a new head coach is underway.

With the new hire, West Jefferson will be ready to hire its seventh head coach in 15 years, following Hank Tierney, Marcus Scott, Kevin Fox, Cyril Crutchfield, Brian Crayton and now Brooks.