Casa Grande Assistant Football Coach Chris Braybrooks Going Beyond for His Players. HEAR THE SHOW HERE!

In a community he considers his. Now coaching on a team under the man that was his coach when he was a senior at this same school. Chris Braybrooks works hard to find ways to promote his school and his kids. Family is important to him, his wife and family at home and the young men that play for the Casa Grande High School Cougars.

 He works hard today so they can have a better tomorrow. Now he is taking it to another level as the Head Coach of the Casa Grande Wolfpack, a first year team in the 15 year old Arizona Football League or AzFL. He will have a place to get his former high school kids back on film, back into the game and onward to their hoped for college career.

The Arizona Football League AzFL plays Club Football and will give Coach Braybrooks and his players a platform of competition that includes coaches and players all over Arizona doing the same thing. Chris's players come from the region and towns like Eloy, Coolidge, Maricopa, Arizona City, Florence and Casa Grande.

Now they will get to face some of the same players and coaches they faced from 2A to 5A from places like Tucson, Sierra Vista, Tombstone, Benson, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Bagdad, Winslow, Flagstaff and all cities that make up the Phoenix Metropolitan Area.

All these communities have many players that finish their high school careers and for a variety of reasons will not be going on to college to play football. Chris Braybrooks is going the extra mile for his school and the other high schools in the region by taking the task of coaching the Wolfpack. A position he volunteers his time for as do the men that will be assisting him also do.

The team is possible because of the efforts of the team owner Dan Hernandez. He decided in September to put the Wolfpack in the Arizona Football League AzFL for the season that starts in January and runs through May of 2009. Dan has invested much time and money into a program he hopes will become a community asset for the young players and the older recreational players. A chance for "Keeping the Dream Alive"TM for themselves and others. Dan Hernandez is also a player on the Wolfpack it was his passion for the game that drove him to bring the AzFL to his hometown of Casa Grande. Putting on the pads and playing the game are what Dan loves about it.

Regarding the Casa Grande Cougars high school team. Chris is proud that he is on the staff of the man who coached him while Chris played at CG, Head CG Football Coach Tracy Stuart. He is thankful to Coach Stuart for giving him the opportunity to coach high school football. Chris also is proud of the CG Athletic Director Dr. Robert Yordani, a man that he says is doing great things for the school.

Some of the players for the Cougars mentioned on the air were senior John Cave. John has many talents and played on the offensive and defensive lines plus is a kicker and punter. In one game this season John was punting from his own 8 yard line and forced the opponents to start at their own 8 yard line multiple times. He can punt the ball 70 yards. Chris is hoping that a college will pick him up.

Then there is Chris Rutledge another senior, he plays wide receiver and defensive back. In the Westwood game and the Cougars trailing with a minute left. Chris caught a TD pass for the win, it was 4th down and 16 on the 32 yard line. He finished with three touchdowns and and interception. Plus he was player of the game in the televised game versus Rincon.

Also highly praised were Matt Yucopiccio OG/DT a senior. Shayne Turner a junior LB/FB. Soph QB Jose Peralus. He said to keep an eye on a kid that was a freshman that suited up for each varsity game this year, QB Anthony Mitchell.

Coach Braybrooks says to watch out for Trashun Barnett, the junior DE was on JV until the Salpointe game. He came in after 3 plays and had eight tackles. In the second half, Salpointe ran away from him. Another rising star will be Sinjin Escalante a senior that led the team in tackles in spite of knee injury late in the season.

Coach Braybrooks knows that staying on film is important so he is having the seniors that still want to go to college join him on the Wolfpack in the AzFL. Some are John Cave, Matt and Joe Yucopiccio, Shane Norman and Michael Subia these young men are from Casa Grande. They will have former opponents like 3A superstar Chaz Hampton from Eloy and Andy Martinez fo Florence as team mates.

The 2009 season for Casa Grande high school football has more questions than answers due to many changes. Like a new high school in town that will split players and change boundaries and a failed bond election to fund more school projects. Add that to a new region alignment by the AIA and the Cougars have their work cut out for them. Don't be surprised to see them claw their way back to greatness as long as they have men like Braybrooks and HC Stuart leading the charge.

As for the Casa Grand Wolfpack, the community and regions entry into the Arizona Football League AzFL. Their season begins on January 10th at Thunderbird HS for a pre-season game. That is a day in which all 14 teams from around the state will be at T-Bird.

The Staff for the Casa Grande Wolfpack is:
Head Coach: Chris Braybrooks from Casa Grande HS
Offensive Coordinator Anthony Nava from Casa Grande HS
WR/DB Pablo Yuc from Casa Grande HS
Defensive Coordinator Preston Schweitzer from Eloy HS
Running Backs Brian Mitchell from Casa Grande HS
Defensive Line David Gay

 Final thoughts from Coach Chris Braybrooks: I would like to mention a little bit about Coach Anthony Nava, Mitchell and Coach Yuc. I think every head coach in football needs/wants these three types of coaches. Coach Mitchell the "workhorse", this coach puts time, effort, and determination into being the best football coach to his players, and allows the kids to develop a great work ethic.

Coach Yuc the "teacher", this coach is always learning, teaching and finding ways to be better than the next team, he is willing to work after hours to get kids ready to play the "game". Finally, Coach Nava the "believer", every kid who ever plays football has to believe in success and without the coaches believing in the kids the kids don’t believe in the coach. Coach Nava gives the kids something that no coach I have ever coached with does, and that is believe in themselves to be the best. I have had the great chance to coach with these men and each of them brings an important part of life and football to the game.