West Side goes with McCullough as coach

Kankakee Valley hires alum Broyles

Colin McCullough wanted to coach kids in his neighborhood.

McCullough got his wish when he was hired as the football coach at West Side.

McCullough, a 2005 Bishop Noll graduate, was the defensive coordinator last season for West Side. He follows Jason Johnson, who finished with a 25-48 record in seven seasons as Cougars coach.

McCullough, a business teacher at West Side, lives in Gary, as he did when he attended Noll.

“I see my kids at the grocery store, walking down the street and in the summer cutting their grass,” he said. “I feel like I’m part of the community. There is more connection and ownership in the program.

“They are more than just my players. They are more neighbors. I’ve seen some of these kids my whole life growing up here.”

McCullough, who was a running back and defensive back for Noll, played college football at Earlham in Richmond, Ind.

He was head coach at Noll for the 2016 season. He said he was fired after finishing 0-10. Noll went 0-9 in 2017 under Wayne Racine.

McCullough has no expectations about wins for the Cougars. West Side was 2-8 last season.

“I really don’t know what the football is going to look like,” he said. “We are building. We are trying to establish a different culture, a different playbook, a different set of expectations and a different style of play.

“There are a lot of moving parts. My ultimate goal is to get the community behind us and get kids to come to West Side.”

McCullough said he plans to change West Side’s offense.

The Cougars recently ran the spread, which emphasized the passing game and multiple receivers. McCullough said West Side will feature a running-based attack.

“We will be more of an optionbased team,” he said.

In another hire, James Broyles was named head coach at Kankakee Valley.

Broyles replaces Derek Thompson, who resigned abruptly last month after having never coached a game. Broyles, who was approved by the school board July 9, was an assistant under Zach Prairie.

Broyles didn’t apply for the job when Prairie resigned after two seasons to pursue a job outside of education. Broyles, who graduated from Kankakee Valley in 1996, played at Indiana and Southwest Missouri State.

Broyles had planned to sit out the season after Prairie resigned, but he felt compelled to help out after the school called to gauge his interest.

“I just feel like the program needs some consistency,” he said. “I’d like to be here a while. I’m a familiar face around here. I’m not moving.”