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Our Mr. Brooks

Posted on September 4, 2008September 4, 2008 by Staff

Brooks
John Holt
Staff Writer

How do you keep a positive state of mind after losing all but one game thus far in your high school football career? Just ask Carrboro High School senior star running back David Brooks. Brooks, who rushed for 1,035 yards (8.6 yards per carry) and scored 11 touchdowns in Carrboro’s first season a year ago, is ready to turn that around and give people a season to remember.

Brooks says that it was hard hearing people badmouth Carrboro High. “I took that to heart, and it made me strive harder to get better everyday over the off-season.”

Brooks, a 2007 Mid-State 2A All-Conference member, attended East Chapel Hill High School his freshman and sophomore years. He didn’t even begin to take football seriously until last year.

“I didn’t think that football was the sport for me because I was a basketball player then,” says Brooks, who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the North Carolina Shrine Bowl Combine back in April.

“My mom wanted me to play basketball and my dad always wanted me to play football.”

As Brooks departed East following his sophomore year, football really became a large part of his life.

“When I came to Carrboro, I was on the practice field with my coach, Jason Tudryn,” says Brooks. “He told my parents that I had a lot of potential and he thought I could play Division I football. From then on, I took that to heart and I’ve been playing football ever since and working hard getting to where I am now.”

Brooks, who listens and gets hyped to the song, “Let’s Pray,” by Lil Wayne before every game, understands the opportunities that lie in front of him.

“Everyone in my family is there for me,” said Brooks. “They always are pushing me and telling me I can make it. They have been a great influence on me.”

Brooks’ older sister Ashton, a junior at UNC-Wilmington, says: “Since David was born, he has basically been my best friend. We’re always there for each other. He’s the comedian of the family. He knows how to lighten the mood and how to make us laugh. Whenever I’m feeling down he knows how to make me feel better, and I really appreciate that so much.”

Brooks’ sister witnessed her brother’s special athletic ability when they were playing soccer together as kids.

“When he was six or seven, he was playing Rainbow Soccer and I was playing at the same time, but David was just such a competitor. Even at that age, he always wanted the ball. He would even take the ball from his own teammates. He just had to have it, and he had to score the goals and be the leader. We knew then he was going to be a great athlete.”

Brooks also plays basketball for the Jaguars and runs track in the spring, where he was an All -Conference member participating in the long jump last year.

He says his time at Carrboro has been meaningful.
“Carrboro is a small school, so I had to get used to the environment there last year,” he says. “The teachers are always there for you…. Carrboro has been like a family to me because it is so small and everybody there is great.”

Given that the team is now more experienced, and as a result of the amount of time they’ve put in this summer, Brooks expects a better team this year.
“We basically went through hell this summer, going to [Appalachian] State football camp, and that was pretty rough. We had to wake up at five in the morning to practice. I think going there made us stronger as a team and made us come together.”

What also makes Brooks such a special talent is how unselfish he is. When asked about his personal goals for the upcoming season, he says, “I just want for us to win games and for me to help my team get better. I want to convince my teammates that we can do big things. I want to be a key leader on the team. It’s not about me at all. It’s about the team.”

Senior co-captain Evan Arant has plenty of respect for his teammate.
“Honestly, David is the best athlete I’ve ever seen,” Arant affirms. “I’m just glad I’m blocking for him rather than trying to tackle him. He’s elusive and runs hard, and he can make other people play better with what he says and his compliments.”

Jaguar senior defensive end Brandon Hunter, who has been offered a scholarship to play for Appalachian State next year, agrees with Arant: “Everybody has his or her different ways about being a leader. A lot of guys look up to David on the team.”

Brooks doesn’t have an offer yet, but does state that one school stands above all the others. While Purdue, Virginia, Clemson, East Carolina and Appalachian State are all schools that are recruiting the Jaguar standout, none of those interest him as much as his top choice, James Madison.

“I would love to be a part of the James Madison football program because I think I fit into the offense well and their system,” Brooks says. “I really think I have a good relationship with the coaching staff as well…. I probably would sign if they offered me a scholarship right now, but I’d also want to see what other options I have at the end of the season.”

Even though there haven’t been many memorable moments so far in Carrboro High School’s short football history, Brooks says one stands out in his mind.
“After the Cummings game last year, where we lost 89-0, everyone was crushed after that game. But I mean, we kept our heads up and fought through the rest of the season and competed as much as we could,” Brooks recalls. “Our win at the end of the season was the best feeling I think we could have as a team. It was very emotional and our coaches were so proud of us. I thought we truly deserved to win that one game.”

Tudryn and Brooks have a special player/coach relationship on and off the field.
“He has coached us better than any coach I’ve ever been coached by. He is always trying to keep everyone positive and telling us to keep our heads up. Everyone on the team respects him, and I think when I leave he will push a lot of people on the team to becoming better than they thought they could be, like he pushed me.”

Brooks will play his final home game on October 17 against Providence Day and most likely will make history by being the first Jaguar student-athlete to sign with a Division I program in any sport.

“That would be such a tremendous honor,” he concluses. “I want to leave on a good note and put Carrboro High School on the map.”

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