Brookstone’s Blair Harrison looks for old spark in second stint

For the Brookstone Cougars football team, it’s meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Blair Harrison, who led the Cougars to 73 victories from 2003 to 2011, returned as head coach this offseason. Brookstone was unable to maintain the success Harrison established after his departure, leaving those around the program re-energized by his return.

“It’s been great,” Harrison said. “Everybody’s been receptive to me coming back, from the administration to the families and the players. I think we had some real good memories when we were here before, and they’re really looking forward to me coming back. It’s been a lot of fun.”

As the players stretched during an early summer practice, Harrison pointed out the players he knew from his first stint at the school. He taught many of them while they were in middle school. He also coached several siblings and relatives of this year’s team members, which has certainly upped the interest in his hiring.

“My brother played for coach Harrison a few years ago, so I grew up hearing about him, how much he made them work and how much they liked him and respected him,” tight end and linebacker Josh Fernicola said. “To get to do that for my senior year has been awesome because I get to experience the same thing.”

Fernicola explained the offseason has included a considerable uptick in the work the team has put in. Harrison said strength was one of the major issues when he took over the Brookstone program in 2003 and admitted that has been a work in progress through this summer. The good news for Harrison is he said there’s more athleticism now than back then, which has him convinced the team will be able to compete.

Among those athletic standouts is junior Jeremiah Burgess, who plays running back and cornerback and returns punts and kicks. Burgess was candid in his approval of the new coaching regime, saying the push from the staff is a lot stronger than it was in 2016.

“We’ve been working really hard, way harder than we were working last year,” Burgess said. “I think all this preparation is going to have us ready for the season.”

Burgess and his teammates have spent the summer adjusting to changes in schemes. Gone is the triple-option offense implemented by departed head coach Scott Pethtel, replaced by what Harrison describes as a “Wing-T offense with modern passing principles.” The defense is also going to a 4-2-5 alignment.

Harrison explained the systems won’t be identical to what fans saw in his first go around with the team.

“I think we’re going to be a little bit more versatile,” Harrison said. “We’re definitely going to try and get the ball out in space a little bit more. When we were here before, we didn’t have as much outside game and as many athletes as I think we have now. In all, we’re probably a little bit quicker than when I was here before, so we’re going to try and utilize that.”

Harrison knows as well as anyone that his retooling of Brookstone will not happen overnight, saying he’s planning for five years from now as much as he is this fall. When he took the Brookstone job, he wanted to get people in Columbus talking about the Cougars again, another objective that will take some time to accomplish.

The Cougars’ climb back toward championship contention is just beginning, but Harrison sounds more than pleased to start it with this year’s squad.

“Honestly, the whole team is impressive,” Harrison said. “It’s a great group of kids. These guys seemed to be yearning for a change, and I think they’re just happy they got what they wanted.”

2017 Schedule

Aug. 18 - vs Jordan

Aug. 25 - vs Central (Talbotton)

Sept. 1 - at First Presbyterian

Sept. 8 - vs Landmark Christian

Sept. 15 - BYE WEEK

Sept. 22 - at Greenville

Sept. 29 - at Pacelli

Oct. 6 - vs Marion County

Oct. 13 - at Manchester

Oct. 20 - BYE WEEK

Oct. 27 - Region crossover game

Nov. 3 - Region 4-A play-in game

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Brookstone’s Blair Harrison looks for old spark in second stint."