Warner Robins moves Westbrook up to the top spot (7 p.m. update)
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
A little more than three years ago, Warner Robins and Veterans sort of traded coaches.
Nick Brooks was an assistant football and basketball coach at Warner Robins, and Marquis Westbrook an assistant football and head track coach at Veterans.
Mike Chastain took over as head football coach at Warner Robins, and soon after, Westbrook made a job decision to take a job offer and join him.
Shortly after that, Veterans made a change atop the boys basketball program, and hired Brooks to take over. So in a way, the schools traded.
No doubt Westbrook didn’t foresee himself three years later succeeding Chastain as head coach and athletics director of one of the state’s name football programs.
Westbrook was approved Wednesday morning at a called meeting of the Houston County Board of Education, following the recommendation of principal Chris McCook, and the announcement was made to the team at a 1 p.m. meeting.
About two hours before the Demons’ first spring practice.
“Just his pedigree alone,” McCook said of what pushed him to pick Westbrook. “He’s a really sharp young defensive-minded guy. A lot of people want to talk offense say, ‘This guy is sharp and young’ and whatnot.
“He’s just the same, he’s just on the other side of the ball.”
Westbrook got the word from McCook around 10:30 a.m., after the board’s vote. He got moshed around pretty good after McCook interrupted a weightlifting session to tell the team.
A meet-and-greet has been scheduled for May 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Warner Robins cafeteria.
Westbrook is a Crisp County graduate earned state honors and was a highly ranked recruit at cornerback while also starting at quarterback for the Cougars.
He played in 44 games at Florida from 1998-2002, majoring in commercial recreation.
Westbrook didn’t start his coaching career until 2008 at Macon County in 2008 before moving to Veterans in 2011.
He came to Warner Robins in 2016, not long after Chastain got the top job.
He also makes his administrative debut as the Demons’ athletics director, doing so on the day spring practice started and amid the busiest season of the year.
The staff lost two assistants before Chastain departed, offensive coordinator Shane Sams taking the head coaching job at Centennial – which opens the season with Northside - and defensive line coach Larry Capasso, who returned to Florida.
Finding the right offensive coordinator to keep the momentum of a unit that has averaged more than 420 yards a game the past two seasons is a major priority.
Offensive staffers still on the staff: Kelly Chastain and Shaun Lenderman, offensive line; Christopher Aninye, running backs; and Jeremy Avery and Jack Taylor, receivers and tight ends.
“I told him, ‘It’s your team, put your stamp on it,’” McCook said. “He has a plan in place, just the timing of the year is bad on trying to get some of that done.
“He’s got a good plan. I’m 100 percent behind it.”
The Demons defense was overshadowed by the offense, but it’s a unit that had four shutouts last year in 15 games and held eight opponents to 14 points or less.
“It doesn’t take long to look at our defense the last couple years and see what kind of impact he’s had on our team,” McCook said. “They’re attacking, they’ard hard-nose, they run to the football.”
Westbrook is a bit less gregarious than the stereotypical defensive coordinator. He’s not a head-butting Erk Russell clone, or a profane gesticulating Todd Grantham wannabe.
“He’s a quiet leader,” McCook said. “I think he’s got a lot of respect from the coaches, the players. Just a sharp guy.”