Brennan Briggs
Batavia Football – 3 years as head coach
Favorite thing about High School Sports: “Friday night lights! Kids have the opportunity to play with their classmates and in front of their hometown community under the stadium glow.“
AB: In the beginning, what made you want to become a coach?
BB: “ The first reason is because my father was a longtime head football coach for Gates Chili. I grew up being the son of a coach. Second reason is because I have always loved to compete, and coaching gives me the opportunity to compete on a daily basis.“
AB: What about the competition attracts you so much? Is there anything you could pick out specifically?
BB: “It has always been in my nature to compete. I was the gym class hero, Johnny Try-Hard, in everything I did growing up and I still am; I hated to lose and I still hate it. I have the same mentality in coaching – I don’t want to get beat. Whether it’s in my preparation, discipline, you name it. Competing to be the best is what drives me.”
AB: You previously mentioned your father as a major influence. Did he help foster that competitive edge?
BB: “He had a major influence on who I am today. He never accepted mediocrity or lack of effort from me. I always knew I would hear it from him before anyone else if I wasn’t giving 110%. I’m sure that has a bit to do with my competitive nature.”
AB: How do you try and carry over what you have learned from him as well as others, and incorporate it into your coaching and philosophy for your team?
BB: “I believe my coaching philosophy is the combination of my parental influence, my experiences as a player growing up, and my young experiences as a head coach. It’s a learning process but I’ll never change who I am and what I expect from my players.”
AB: Speaking of what you expect from your team, what is your measurement of success for this group?
BB: “I think we are off to a good start, but I am not happy with where we are right now. We are guaranteed nothing and we have to earn what we want. In the big picture, hosting a Sectional game and winning a Sectional game would be milestones for the program. With that said, we beat one of the better teams in Class B in Geneva and we lost to the undefeated #1 seed Livonia at their place on a last second play. I’ll leave it at that.”
AB: The players I have spoken with over the past few weeks mention bringing Batavia football “Back”. What would it take for that to happen?
BB: “Being a Blue Devil football player means doing whatever it takes for the good of the team. There needs to be a sense of pride and family that is so strong that nothing can break it. I’ve been a Blue Devil my entire life and nothing compares to the pride I have in this program. I just hope the players who come through these doors understand what it means by the time they leave. I’ve heard a lot about ‘bringing the program back’. Batavia football was once a consistent winning team known for its tradition and blue collar toughness. In order to bring that back, we will ned to win on a consistent basis an re-establish the toughness we were once known for. I believe we are taking forward steps, but my goal is to win the marathon – not just the sprint.“
In his three seasons as head coach at Batavia, coach Briggs has instilled an immediate culture change throughout the entire football program. Injecting team values, hard work, and above all accountability up and down the various levels, a sense of pride is developing that has been absent since the days of the great John Kreydt. Filing through various coaches over the years, all of which failing to provide any sort of stability for the program, it seems as if all the Devils needed was one of their own.
All in all, Batavia is in good hands with Briggs. The players seem to respond to him, his entire coaching staff seems to have the utmost respect for him, and what he has done so far this year has certainly seemed to work. Sitting at 4-1, the Blue Devils are in great shape to not only earn a spot in the postseason, but to make some noise once they get there for the first time in recent memory. This could be Batavia’s year – wouldn’t it be a shame if you weren’t there for it?
Other articles you may like:
Batavia Football is BACK; Blue Devils edge Geneva for biggest win of the season
My one-on-one with Batavia QB Greg Mruczek
My one-on-one with Batavia LB/WR James Cryer
Meet the Blue Devils: My one-on-one with Batavia OL/DL Gunner Rapone
