Westmoore (Oklahoma) hires new football coach while former Westmoore coach lands new job
Less than two weeks into the new year, a pair of high school football programs filled their open vacancies.
While one school looked right up the highway, the other went out of state to find the right man for the job.
Westmoore High announced Tuesday that David White would be the Jaguars' new head coach. White comes from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he was the head coach for the Jackson Hole Broncs.
White accepted the position a week ago, but had to wait until Tuesday for the Moore School District’s board to approve the hire and make it official.
“I saw it was an opening and then again just reached out and they said I just got to wait; then kind of go through the process with them,” White said. “And so I kind of did that and went through the interview process.
"I wasn't sure what direction they had or if they had anybody in mind, but I just know it's a great place where I think you can win. You can do some things and a lot of upside to it for sure.”
New Westmoore football coach David White
White had only been at Jackson Hole for two seasons. In that time, he amassed a 7-12 record and led the team to the playoffs in his first year.
White’s coaching resume includes a stint at the University of Oklahoma from 2007-2010 as a grad assistant and recruiting coordinator. And with his wife’s family living in Choctaw, it just made sense to make the move.
“My family's from here. I used to coach in Oklahoma at OU. And just for the longest time, I left the University of Nevada with the goal and the vision to get back here and coach high school football in Oklahoma,” White said. “It's just the time and the fit and that was the biggest questions. So that's kind of where it was.
"My whole goal was getting back here.”
On the same day that White was named the skipper at Westmoore, his Jaguars’ predecessor was getting a new job as well. Lorenzo Williams was named the head football coach at Lawton High, in the southwest part of the state.
Like White, Williams had accepted the job earlier in the month. But it didn’t become official until Monday at Lawton Public School’s board meeting.
Williams had been at Westmoore for the past seven seasons. He guided the Jaguars to a 7-5 season - which included a win at Class 6AI runner-up Jenks - and a trip to the 6AI quarterfinals before losing to Tulsa Union.
He was named District 6A-I-1 Coach of the Year in 2023 days before he was released from his position on Dec. 4. He left with a 29-34 record since 2018.
At the time, Williams said he was unclear of why he was fired. And Westmoore officials would not comment on the situation.
Despite that, the Wolverines seemed to jump at the chance to bring the enthusiastic Williams in to lead their storied program.
"I graduated from Midwest City High School and Lawton High was always our biggest competitor when it came to district champions,” said Williams. “The caliber of athletes and community that surrounds this program has always been in the forefront of Oklahoma high school football. They expect greatness, they expect to win and I’m happy to add my chapter to such a storied program.
"What most excited me was the people I get to work with, from the superintendent to the principal, I feel like they are real people, real family, real supporters, and I’m excited to work for a group of people like that. The football will take care of itself; being surrounded by good loyal people is priceless.”
Williams is replacing long-time coach Ryan Breeze, who went 3-8 last season in Class 6A-2 before resigning on Dec. 8.
“Ultimately my job, and the program’s job, is to grow the young people up; to take them through this short portion of their life that can make the biggest impact going forward” Williams said. “Football is just a way to get their attention. The lessons they learn and take with them to be productive members of society is what it’s all about.”
Photo of new Lawton High football coach Lorenzo Williams
-- Michael Kinney | @SBLiveOK
