He’s the second Brooks brother to coach soccer in Alamance County
By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Jackson Brooks played football in high school and college, but his affection for soccer never left.
The Western Alamance alum is the first soccer coach at Southeast Alamance. He’ll be in charge of the boys’ and girls’ teams.
He’s the younger brother of Western Alamance soccer coach Camden Brooks, who directed the Warriors to the Class 3-A boys’ state championship in 2021 and also coaches the girls’ team.
Jackson Brooks, who graduated last December from Barton College and returned to Alamance County to substitute teach, helped his brother during the spring girls’ season and found an affection for coaching.
“My original plan was to sub and coach (during the spring) and then go to graduate school,” he said. “I kind of redirected that to coaching in high school.”
He also received a taste of coaching on the boys’ side in recent months with Burlington School Club.
Still, this is a big change for the 23-year-old Brooks, who a year ago was gearing up for his final football season as Barton’s kicker. He was the team’s second-leading scorer with seven field goals and 29 extra-point boots in the 2022 season.
“I started kicking for the football team (at Western) my sophomore year,” he said.
For the 2018 Western graduate, that led to a spot on Chowan University’s football team. He spent two seasons there, but after the 2020 season was cancelled during the pandemic, he transferred to Barton. He kicked 15 field goals in 2021 on his way to racking up 78 points in his first season with the team.
Yet the connection to soccer had developed as a youth player with Burlington Soccer Club.
“I honestly like soccer a lot more,” he said.
Southeast had up to 32 boys participating in summer workouts in advance of formal practice beginning this week.
“We’re putting a lot of work in,” Brooks said. “At the same time, it’s a first-year program. I’m hoping we’re starting something that’s going to be really good in a couple of years.”
There will be a pair of Brooks coaching matchups for non-conference games. The Stallions visit Western on August 16 and then are home against Western on October 9.
Jackson Brooks said there has been lots of interest in what’s happening with Southeast’s first team, which he expects to be heavy with freshmen. During the days, Brooks will be teaching world history at the school.
