CHS's New Football Coach- Scott Cook

By Ryan Eberle

At the end of the school year last year, long time head coach Jerry Joslin left Cookeville football for a job as the head coach at the private school Pope John Paul ll. Therefore, the search for a new head coach began with much anticipation as to who would be the new face of Cookeville football. The selection committee, poised and ready to provide the best candidate for the program, met multiple times with various candidates but ultimately decided on appointing previously assistant coach, Scott Cook, for the job.

Coach Cook

As the summer began, Coach Cook used his experience as head coach of wrestling to help prepare him for the new duties associated with being the football head coach. “As an assistant coach all you have to focus on is football,” stated Coach Cook, “ but as a head coach it becomes a business where you have to manage the budget, equipment, schedules, and over 120 football players.” However, despite all these new roles, Coach Cook was certain in his decision, “I wanted to be head coach because of the involvement in a growing program, because I felt that I could continue to improve and care for the program.”

Many of the senior players on the team have testified to the change that Coach Cook brought to summer workouts. They feel more energized and firmly believe he has helped to take them to the next level through weight lifting, running drills, teamwork challenges, and secret combat drills. Coach Cook’s belief in hard work to accomplish goals was evident in his statement, “Any good coach looks at it as a challenge. There’s a difference between a guy who wears a whistle and calls himself a coach, and a guy who helps his team overcome the challenges they face.” Coach Cook also made it very clear that none of this could be accomplished without his support network of parents and coaches who help make everything possible.

However, there is more the Coach Cook’s agenda than just winning, “Obviously I want to win ball games, but ultimately I want to know that this program helped to contribute to everyone going on ready to face the challenges in life.” Especially to multi-sport athletes like myself, it is very helpful knowing that Coach Cook is there for me with whatever I need even if it has nothing to do with football. He really means it when he says he wants the best for us, it’s not just a nice gesture, it’s an honest statement.

The football team this year will have much experience from returning senior starters. On offense they will be lead by lineman Ethan Crum, Luke Dunham and Cody Lindsey, and skill players Alex Sklavenitis, Austin Ahrens and Ryan Eberle. On defense they will be lead by defensive lineman and linebackers Derrick Hammons, Zach Hammons, Nick Wilson and Seth Deloach, and defensive backs Coleman Hawkins and Tyler Slagle. Their first home game will be against long time rival Sparta, on August 31. Be sure to come out and cheer our football team to victory!