EAST TEXAS (KLTV) — More than 20 East Texas sports teams gathered for a media day event sponsored by Christus, giving players their first opportunity to speak publicly about new coaching staffs heading into the fall season.
Whitehouse football brings in new head coach
Whitehouse football is among the programs with new leadership. Following a 2-8 record last season, the team hired Brett Gilchrist, who previously served as an offensive line coach at Frisco Lone Star. Gilchrist averaged 47 points per game in 2025 and finished that season as state runner-up.
“I’m excited about the challenge and the opportunity,” Gilchrist said. “I think we’re gonna be better than a lot of people think.”
Players said the transition has been welcomed.
“Having a new coach has been kind of a blessing for us,” said Xavier Dudle, an offensive lineman for Whitehouse. “I feel like we haven’t really had a coach that has the love for us like Coach Gilly has had for us. He’s been making us strive to become a better team.”
Mineola, Brownsboro also see new faces
At Mineola, new head coach Cody Moore has focused on reshaping the program’s culture.
“He changed our culture a lot,” said Mineola center Grayson Dupont. “Weightroom culture and the way we work out. The way we think about working out and how we wanna get better.”
Brownsboro is entering the season with new leadership in both volleyball and football. Players on the volleyball side said the new standard is already making an impact.
“She’s wanting more from us than our last coach, but I think that’s a really good thing,” said libero Parmer Fitzgerald.
“Coach Pierce is already showing us so many new things that we didn’t necessarily understand in previous years and just really growing on those things,” said middle hitter Landy Everson. “And I feel like we’re already improving so much and it’s just helping us overall.”
On the football side, Ryan Hood takes over as head coach. Players said they expect the change to push the program forward.
“We got a lot of new coaches and so I think our program will be a lot better,” said wide receiver Rolan Redic. “We can make a big difference this year.”
“We’re going to have a winning mindset,” said quarterback Lane Irwin.
Westwood volleyball setter Lyla Huddleson said her team is also ready for the competition ahead.
“We want everybody coming after us, as hard as we’re going after them,” Huddleson said. “Because we’re ready. For everybody.”
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