CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The high school football regular season kicks off tomorrow night.
And when West Oso plays host to George West, it'll be far from any ordinary game for the Bears head coach.
After spending five years as an assistant coach at various schools, 28-year-old Brad Smithey landed his very first head job at West Oso.
And on friday night, his dream will become reality when he makes his head coaching debut
"I have been super excited,” he said. “Super-stoked and I feel like I have always been preparing for this moment. So with all that excitement comes with responsibility and just getting these guys ready to play.”
And it gets more exciting for Brad because his father, Scott, is his defensive coordinator.
"Any time you get that chance to work with somebody who has been there and is able to kind of show you the ropes,” Brad Smithey said. “But not only that, but have that father-son connection to where I know I can go to him with anything and he is going to be real with me and kind of tell me what I need to hear when sometimes I don't want to hear it.”
Scott said he’s excited to be working with his son at his first head-coaching job.
“It’s very heartwarming,” he said. “It's something he has worked very hard, something he deserves and I am just glad to be here with him and we are enjoying the journey.”
Coaching is a family tradition for the Smitheys. Scott’s two other sons, Austin coaches inside linebackers at Calallen and David coaches running backs at The Colony.
When asked what kind of advice he has for his son at his first game as a head coach, Scott had a quick answer.
"Relax,” he said. “Don't get so uptight. You don't get too high when the good things happen and don't get too down when bad things happen.”
It should be a special night for the Smitheys.
