Watkins Mill hires former AFL player Mike Brown to coach football team
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Version 0 of 1. This won’t be Mike Brown’s first stop at Watkins Mill, nor will it be his second or third. In 1993 — before he played and coached arena league football and before his two stints as a football assistant at the Montgomery Village school — Brown was the junior varsity ball boy when the Wolverines won the Maryland 4A state title. “[Coach Ken Brace] did an unbelievable job of holding the guys accountable,” said Brown, who was hired as head coach Monday and introduced Thursday afternoon. “It made them feel proud to actually be part of the football team.” Last winter the Wolverines appeared in their first postseason since 1998 under Coach Kevin Watson, who stepped down after the season. Brown, 37, said he wants to continue building a winning culture at Watkins Mill. A former defensive back, Brown has two-plus decades of playing and coaching experience. He played football at Charleston Southern and played for several AFL teams, including the Philadelphia Soul. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant in 2008 and 2009, then after continuing his playing career, he coached in the AFL in 2012 and 2013. As offensive coordinator last season, Brown helped sophomore quarterback Markel Grant blossom into one of Montgomery County’s top passers. In the fall he wants to build on that success — turning Watkins Mill into a 3A state title contender and getting the Wolverines on the same level as other top county teams such as Damascus and Seneca Valley. Making that happen will be a challenge at a school that routinely loses its top talent to neighboring public and private schools, but Brown said that the Wolverines’ key players are planning to return. “With the talent that we have, we’re trying to score as many points as humanly possible,” Brown said. “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to change kids’ lives. If winning comes along with that, that’s great.” Elsewhere in Montgomery County, Bethesda-Chevy Chase promoted assistant coach Christian Pope to replace Josh Singer, who stepped down after compiling a 9-21 record in three seasons. . . . At Einstein, former coach Mike Bonavia (2007-10) is replacing Neal Owens after a two-season stint. . . . Charles Woolridge, a former assistant at Pallotti, is the new coach at Walter Johnson, which went 3-17 the past two seasons under Greg Kellner. |