Whitney Football Embraces Back-to-Basics Approach Under First-Year Coach Brian Brickey

After a 2-9 season, the Wildcats are rebuilding around fundamentals, physical play and an experienced returning core in one of California's toughest leagues.

Whitney football is getting back to basics as first-year coach Brian Brickey takes the reigns. | Whitney Football

Whitney High isn't trying to reinvent football. First-year head coach Brian Brickey believes the Wildcats' path back to competitiveness in California's rugged Sierra-Foothill League begins with mastering the fundamentals and playing a more physical brand of football.

Whitney  Sierra-Foothill League
Head Coach: Brian Brickey
2025:  2-9 (0-6 7th SFL)

Simplicity has become the foundation of Whitney football's rebuild.

Keeping It Simple

First-year coach Brian Brickey sees simplicity as a key to the 2026 season. His staff is resetting or revamping the program at Whitney and creating a system players can master quickly instead of overwhelming them with complexity.

“Watching a lot of tape, Whitney tried to compete with the SFL (Sierra-Foothill League) with something that was just as complex, and we just didn't have the kids that I think could perform using the complex aspects of it,” Brickey said. “We don't have the same style of athletes that Folsom does. We don't necessarily have the bruisers of a Del Oro yet, or kind of the hybrid that Oak Ridge has.”

Brickey retained AJ Muscarella as the defensive coordinator and brought in Travis Garabedian from Folsom, where he had been the  junior varsity offensive coordinator, with a mandate to return the program to football fundamentals.

Garabedian will install a new offensive system, and Muscarella will simplify a 4-2-5 defense.

“If you look at the great powers between Folsom, Oak Ridge, Del Oro or Rocklin, it just balances itself out as they all did the fundamentals really well,” Brickey said. “And when I say fundamentals, I mean how their youth programs have been running the same plays since they were in third grade.”

Building A Foundation

Brickey believes Whitney first needs to build that foundation., so developing sound fundamentals has to be paramount.

“Let's get back to the fundamentals. Let's go back to, ‘What does it look like to keep it simple?’ Because I think when it's simple for the kids, they can play a little bit faster. The simpler offense or a simpler defense, if a kid isn't questioning what they have to do other than focus on their technique, then it doesn't matter if you're going against a four-star wide receiver.”

“And if you're able to just play as quick as you can without having to doubt what your responsibility is, you're going to find out that you're not going to lose as many times out.”

Creating A Physical Identity

Brickey also said the program wants to instill a “bruiser mentality” where kids are a force on the field in the sense that they play fast, physical and finish every play. He said that in the past, the Wildcats tried to keep pace with the flash of the SFL, and perhaps lost some of its physical identity.

“And this year, we're really taking a look at how we can be more of a physical team up front, kind of slow the game down, make sure that we keep ourselves in it,” Brickey said. “And as we grow through the season, and our kids get more adept at understanding the playbook and understanding the defense, we can start adding those little bits, pulling a few levers that add to the complexity of the game, and can keep us competitive all the way throughout league, which is something that Whitney hasn't done since probably 2017.”

Experienced Core Returns

In the Sac Joaquin section, playoff berths are determined by strength of schedule, so a losing record in the strong SFL can paint you into the postseason picture. The Wildcats return several players with significant SFL snaps who could help make the playoff push a realistic goal.

Whitney brings back its offensive line, top receivers and running backs from 2025, along with six returners on defense.

“So we're talking about anywhere between 14 to 16 guys that have a full 10 games of not only varsity experience, but also in terms of SFL experience,” Brickey said.

It appears there is much to be optimistic about for the new boss.

“I’m a pretty transparent coach. I'm excited about the team we have and for what they've done. They've had a lot of buy-in. And the biggest thing that I've emphasized to my coaching staff is that we show up and compete every game, all the way to the end.”