Columbus is a city of numerous high schools. Support for high school sports can sometimes suffer when the fan base of a community is divided. Brookstone School is an exception to the rule.
Each Friday night during football season fans of the Brookstone Cougars gather to cheer on their team. Alumni from years past pack the stands along with parents, family and friends of the current team to enjoy the competition and camaraderie of high school football. It’s a tradition at the small private school that never seems to go out of style.
Brookstone has experienced several coaching changes in the past few seasons. Sometimes a drop-off in fan support occurs with the changing of the guard. Not the case with the Brookstone Nation. If anything, fans rallied to the cause. That loyalty is not lost on Cougars head football coach, Scott Pethtel.
“Our student-fans and our parents and community fans make this a great experience for our players because of the tremendous love and support we get from them,” states Pethtel.
This is Pethtel’s second season as head coach at the school and fourth as part of the coaching staff. When he came to Brookstone, Pethtel had no intentions of being the head coach. He had 39 years of coaching experience at that point but was happy to take a secondary role.
Shortly after his predecessor resigned, Pethtel asked to be considered for the position and was granted the opportunity. He has weathered the ups and downs of the turnover and finds the program to be strong even if it is a little on the young side.
Last season the Cougars were 6-5 (4-2 region) under Pethtel’s direction. The school plays in the very competitive AAAA Region against some consistently good football programs. In 2015, the team had success with players like Sam Ndem, Russell Blanchard and Prather Hudson. Of those, only Blanchard is a returning starter. He will be joined by Dan Amos, Levi Wolff, Banks Massey, Drake Beck, Frank Waldrep, Walker Cottrell, Josh Long, Richard Hill and Wesley Tillman.
Pethtel believes his second season will be more productive by keeping the same offense and defensive schemes since the players are now familiar with Pethtel’s program.
His coaching philosophy for the offense is to run first, control the clock and the game; Flexbone Triple Option Attack. On defense, the seasoned coach says “simplicity makes us better in our 4-4 defensive scheme; play great ‘bend-don’t-break’ and get off the field as quickly as possible.
When asked about the biggest challenge his team will face this season, Pethtel’s answer was not surprising for a football coach going into his second year at the helm of a program. The loss of a talented group of seniors from the 2015 team leaves a hole that will need to be filled. Pethtel’s concern, though, isn’t just the athletic ability that needs to be replaced but the leadership those seniors brought to his football program.
“This year’s group will have to work hard and fast to prepare themselves to meet the challenges that will come with playing a tougher schedule and the new team in our region,” he says.
Coaching changes for 2016 have been minimal. Pethtel has mixed up the staff a bit by moving some assistants to and from the middle school and varsity programs to help with other coaching responsibilities. He also added another coach to the staff. With his personnel column filled in and his roster shaping up, Pethtel has set three major goals. Win non-region games, win the region, advance beyond the first round of the playoffs.
The 2016 Brookstone playbook calls for winning games but Pethtel has the advantage of decades of coaching experience which allows some perspective.
“If we play the best we can play and improve each week throughout the season and make our last game our best game, we can at least hold our heads up knowing we gave our best in every contest.”
Brookstone Cougars
Friday Night Lights Are Special Times For Cougar Fans
Written by Beth Welch
Photo by Brookstone
