CHESAPEAKE, VA (WTKR)- After back-to-back seasons with a 4-7 finish, Western Branch head coach Rashad Cook entered 2025 with a clear focus and mission: culture and purpose.
"The standard is always going to be the standard here at Western Branch," Cook noted. "That was set way before me. Our young men understand now what it takes to be a Bruin."
To help shape the future, Cook and company may tap back into the past. The 2022 campaign saw Western Branch claim the Region 6A championship and earn a state semifinal berth. 14 seniors on this year's team were freshmen on that roster, several of whom saw playing time. They experienced the camaraderie, brotherhood and attention to detail that made that team successful.
"It's the small things, the details," pointed out senior safety and receiver CJ Frasier. "That's one thing that stuck out from that senior group that we're trying to implement here and hopefully it works. Hopefully we have a great season with it."
"At the end of the day, those guys are on that VHSL roster," added Cook. "When you go back in the record books, they were freshmen then, but rising seniors now so they understand exactly what it's going to take to be able to compete."
Three years later, this senior class has the chance to leave a legacy of its own with the opportunity to turn the tide. They've experienced success and learned from some of the lumps along the way.
"Yes, they've got to go through their own bumps and bruises, but now on the other side, finally being a big dog as a senior, they totally understand what it gets," pointed out the head coach.
The Bruins know they're kicking off the year under the radar, but if you ask Cook and Frasier, that's OK with them. A hungry group enters 2025 and looks to take care of business one week at time, turning some heads in the process.
"We've got a chip on our shoulder," Frasier said. "We've got a lot to prove, but it also fires people up because people are going to doubt us."
"Even if you have success, I think a lot of teams like to find a chip and a purpose," Cook observed. "Right now we're finding that as a team that has to prove themselves and we're OK where we are."
"Come ready every Friday night," smiled Frasier. "It's going to be a show."
Western Branch kicks off its 2025 campaign Thursday at home against Menchville.
