New Westlake football coach Jesse Craven begins rebuilding players’ confidence
The Burroughs football program underwent a drastic change in performance under coach Jesse Craven, going from a one-win team to Pacific League champions in four seasons.
Now that Craven is set to take over the Westlake football program, he wants to build confidence through small increments.
“The kids are unique in terms of where their confidence is,” Craven said. “And it’s putting them in situations early on where they can get small wins, whether it be in terms of the weight room or whether it be in different competitive situations.
“There’s a lot of talent just on the team already at Westlake, and it’s just really about getting these guys moving in the same direction.”
@haleymsawyer Jesse Craven was hired as the Westlake football coach and is focused on small wins as he rebuilds the program. #westlake #westlakehighschool #highschoolfootball #socalfootball
Westlake announced the hiring of Craven, pending approval from the Conejo Valley Unified School District Board, on Friday, Dec. 1.
“We look forward to seeing the immediate steps taken in the offseason and the positive results that will follow next fall,” the school said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
— Westlake Athletics (@_WHSAthletics_) December 1, 2023
Craven has already met with parents and held a meeting for players on Monday night, which 70 players attended. He said that the support behind the program is one of the reasons why he was drawn to coaching at Westlake.
Burroughs went 9-2 overall and 5-0 in Pacific League play this season to win the league title, and Craven was named the league’s coach of the year. In his first season, the Bears were 1-4 overall in 2020.
Meanwhile, Westlake struggled this season. Starting quarterback Tagg Harrison left the team, a player died due to an asthma-related incident and previous head coach Mark Servé was dismissed in mid-September, leaving Ellis Green to assume the role of the interim head coach.
“I’ve never experienced a season like this,” junior linebacker Lawson Grace said during the season. “Obviously, the goal of the football season is to play football and having so many situations impede, it’s a little overwhelming sometimes. But we’re just trying to enjoy football and play.”
Craven is in the process of building his coaching staff, which he says could include coaches from Burroughs and Westlake as well as from outside of those programs. He has yet to choose an offensive or defensive coordinator.
In addition to meeting with parents and players, Craven has been reaching out to alumni and figuring out ways to get previous players involved with the next steps of the program.
“It’s just about really connecting with the players and understanding that they have been through a lot of stuff. A lot of real-life stuff,” he said.
“And so (I’m) having empathy for what they’ve gone through. Also, there’s been a lot of really good, hard work that’s been put into this program that these kids have all had a huge role in. So it’s not diminishing that whatsoever, and just trying to let them know that we’re coming in here with a fresh perspective on things.”