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Brandon Large returning home to Westwood

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Tribune Sports Editor

Brandon Large could hardly contain his excitement as he took his family on a tour of Westwood High School.

He showed them where he sat to eat lunch when he was a student at the school. He took them through the gymnasium where he participated in pep rallies and to the football locker room, where he showed them the space he called home for four seasons as a quarterback for the Warriors. He also took them to the equipment room where he named off some of his former teammates with their jerseys in hand.

He also couldn’t help but go through and see where there is room for improvement in one of the Mesa district’s oldest schools. But the one thing he vows to never change is the community feel surrounding it.

That was one of the key reasons he so badly wanted to return as head football coach at Westwood.

“It means a lot to go back to where I was and try to build the community that built me,” Large said. “There’s some players who have uncles or cousins I played with. Some of the current coaches I’ve played with their brothers. Everybody who goes to Westwood loves Westwood. It’s like a family.” Large was officially announced as the next head football coach at Westwood on Dec. 9. He takes over the program after former coach and alum Kyle Ide announced his retirement following the 2021 season.

Being a head football coach has always been a dream for Large. He knew one day he would get his opportunity. Though he may have thought it would come at Higley High School, where he was part of the staff for nine seasons. But with current Higley

Brandon Large, a Westwood alum who spent the last nine season as an assistant coach at Higley, will now take over the Warrior football program where he first made a name for himself as quarterback. (Courtesy Brandon Large) coach Eddy Zubey not planning to go anywhere for some time, Large realized he would have to look elsewhere. Then, the Westwood job opened. And after speaking with him during the interview process, school athletic director Brady Pond knew he had his guy. “Coach Large is prepared for this moment. And that definitely showed when he came in an interviewed,” Pond said. “Coach Zubey allowed him to be a part of the process there at Higley. He was prepared and he has the passion, which showed in the interview.” Pond has taken pride in welcoming Westwood grads back to the school as athletic coaches. Ide was one of the first to do it. Then when Pond took over, he welcomed head volleyball coach Laurel Beisner back to the school. Others have since followed. “It’s exciting to see the success he had here at Westwood as a player,” Pond said. “He’s already been meeting with players, coaches and members of the community to create that buzz. People are already starting to buy in to his vision with the program. It’s exciting.”

Large was the starting quarterback at Westwood during his junior and senior seasons in 2006-07 under Zubey — the head coach at Westwood at the time. As a senior, he led the Warriors to the quarterfinals.

He went on to play at Eastern Illinois where he was eventually beat out by current San Francisco 49er Jimmy Garoppolo. He decided to transfer to a small school in South Dakota to finish off his college career.

Once complete, he linked back up with Zubey at Higley, at the time a brand new school.

Zubey has been grooming Large for a head coaching gig since he stepped foot on campus with him at Higley. He gradually increased his duties on the offensive side of the ball and helped him become the head girls basketball coach at one point for more experience.

While sad to see Large move on from the Higley program, he knows he’s living out the dream he had since he was a player.

“It’s bittersweet,” Zubey said. “He was my first quarterback when I was head coach at Westwood. I knew this was one of his dreams and how awesome is it that he gets to do it at his alma mater? That doesn’t happen all the time.

“One of the things I pride myself on is helping kids move on. But I want to help these coaches, too.”

Westwood saw some success under Ide in his final season. The Warriors finished 6-4, their best record since 2014.

Large has already started picturing what his first home game will be like in the 2022 season. He has been told there will be a celebration for him returning to his alma mater. The last time he was on campus was as an assistant coach for Higley in 2015. Westwood running back Ethan Johnson rushed for 566 yards and seven touchdowns that night, breaking a state record.

Large hopes to avoid any record-breaking performances, unless it’s by a Westwood player now with him as head coach. But he knows when he walks out onto the field for the first time leading his former team, it will be emotional and something he has been looking forward to for quite some time. “We’re getting a new turf field so that’s going to open for my first game,” Large said. “I want to bring back guys I played with. It’s going to mean a lot to me to be out there on that home sideline and that home locker room.

“I’m really excited about it.” ■

Westwood athletic director Brady Pond has taken pride in welcoming back Westwood alumni as head coaches on campus. Large is yet another who returns to the community that helped build him. (Tribune