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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Cooke stepping down as coach of Wildcats

Mountain View's Cooke steps down

Date published: 12/1/2009

BY ADAM HIMMELSBACH

Mountain View High School football coach Eric Cooke resigned from that position yesterday.

Cooke, who compiled a 13-37 record over his five seasons as the Wildcats' head coach, said he will remain a physical education teacher at the school. He would like to become an administrator within the Stafford County school system.

Cooke said he stepped down as head football coach because he wanted to spend more time with his family. He reached his final decision when he and his family were driving home from Disney World this weekend.

Cooke and his wife, Laurie, were high school sweethearts, so football has been a part of each fall since they were married.

The couple has a 9-year-old son, Carson, and a 6-year-old daughter, Kendall.

"My kids are at the age now where I don't want to miss any more soccer games," Cooke said.

Cooke became the freshman coach at North Stafford in 1996, and in 2001 he was promoted to head coach.

He went 28-17 in four seasons with the Wolverines, highlighted by a 13-1 record and a trip to the Group AAA state title game in 2004.

The following season, Cooke became the first head coach in Mountain View's history.

The Wildcats went just 4-26 over their first three seasons, but rebounded to go 9-11 over the last two.

"It was a very difficult task," Mountain View athletic director Chris Courtney said. "We discussed that it would take three or four years to get in the direction we wanted to go, and truly, that's what he did."

Mountain View started this season with a 19-16 victory over James Monroe, the defending Group AA, Division 3 state champions.

But the Wildcats were unable to build on that momentum in the highly competitive Commonwealth District.

"It was an up-and-down year," Cooke said. "We felt like we had a good thing going, but then it seemed like we had one injury after another."

Still, Cooke said he is proud of the way Mountain View's program has developed. He said his replacement will take over a team with plenty of pieces on place.

"I think this is going to be a sought-after position," Cooke said. "This program is really about to blossom."

Courtney said the job opening would be posted soon, and that he expected the hiring process to begin in January.

Adam Himmelsbach: 540/374-5442
Email: ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 12/1/2009