Following his career plan in the education field, Chris McCook is leaving his coaching positions at Houston County High School to become an assistant principal at Warner Robins High School.
Also a former assistant coach for Houston County High football, McCook is best known as the leader of the Bear boys soccer program for the past nine years. In that time span his teams won more than 100 games and reached the elite 8 round of the GHSA state tournament six times.
McCook, in a telephone interview with the Houston Home Journal, said he had a plan when he entered the school system 10 years ago to coach anywhere from 10 to 12 years and then look for a move into administration. He said, once the 2007-08 school year ended, four such openings came up, and he felt “very fortunate” to land at Warner Robins High.
As hard as it was for McCook to step down as Bears soccer coach in the middle of the program’s current run of success, he said it would have been equally hard to pass on the administrative openings.
“Now was as good a time as any,” he said.
His boss now is WRHS principal Steve Monday, who was the Houston County High boys soccer coach before McCook’s tenure.
McCook said among the best things to happen to Bears soccer in the past nine years is statewide recognition. He said in his first few years it was hard to get matches with the top Atlanta area schools, but in the last few years Houston County has taken on the likes of Brookwood and Harrison in the regular season.
That recognition also led to McCook’s players earning chances to play college soccer on scholarship. Earlier this year, midfielder Richie Wimsatt signed to play at Division I Mercer University in Macon.
“The first game I saw was the first game I coached,” said McCook about his soccer knowledge prior to taking over as Bears mentor. He said all the wins that followed were more a result of a good feeder system in the county through such organizations as the Central Georgia Soccer Association, not to mention the great support from the parents. With all of this, McCook said it seemed like most times the program ran itself.
“I learned more about the game as I went along,” he said. “I hope the kids learned as much about life from me.”
McCook has an education degree from Georgia Southern University and a masters/specialist degree in educational leadership from Columbus State University.
Heath Burch, former Houston County High wrestling coach and current football assistant, will take over Bears soccer beginning with the spring of 2009.
