WELLSBURG — The Brooke High School football team will take the field with a new head coach for the first time in a decade after Mac McLean stepped down in March following 10 solid seasons in Wellsburg.

His replacement? Casey Goff, who has spent the past seven seasons as a Division III head coach at the College of New Jersey in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

Like Brooke’s last two seasons, Goff’s final season at the helm at CNJ produced a 5-5 campaign, but his teams improved steadily during his tenure, including a cherished win against Salisbury — the first in 20 seasons.

Goff admitted he’s already impressed with the buy-in from his new group of young men.

Rejuvenated interest? Check. Off-season workouts? Double check.

“The response has been great,” Goff admitted as his Bruins prep for a season-opener on the road against Beaver Local. “They are getting acclimated to a different approach in terms of practice design and tempo, as well as systems.

“We have a few new faces who have returned after taking some time off, and everything was well attended in terms of flex practices and lifting and that has led to an early buy-in to how we operate.”

Coach Casey Goff discusses the upcoming season

Injuries didn’t help the Bruins during the last two seasons, including losing quarterback and four-year starter Braelyn Sperringer.

Sperringer was averaging more than 150 yards passing before going down.

A lot of Brooke’s offensive firepower graduated with him, including receivers Jace Campinelli and Anthony Barchinski, along with running back Gavin Moore.

Tyler Wise’s departure will be felt along the defensive front, where he was a mainstay and quarterback’s headache at defensive end.

Many spots are in contention in Wellsburg and Goff is enjoying the competition.

“Everything is up for grabs at this point,” Goff admitted. “We have some guys who are stepping up, but nothing is solidified yet.”

The important thing?

“That we’re improving every week,” he added. “That will be paramount as the Bruins still sport a tough schedule, and with a new coaching staff and new schemes being implemented, there’s plenty to learn and lots to remember.

“Everything will be new in terms of systems,” Goff said. “The kids are working hard and are eager to learn. That’s all I care about at this point in time.”

How about community support? The Bruins’ faithful are a loyal bunch, but they still long for the glories of yesteryear and their support comes with high expectations.

Might Goff be the man to rekindle the fires and bring Brooke back to annual prominence?

“The community has been extremely positive and excited,” Goff said. “The bottom line is, we all want the same thing. We want these kids to enjoy their experience and win football games.”

The Brooke athletic administration also announced the school’s intention to join the Buckeye 8 athletic conference, a move designed to align the competition with the school’s declining enrollment numbers and generate rivalries with schools much closer to home.

Brooke also will no longer be in the same football classification as traditional rivals Wheeling Park and John Marshall, with the Bruins dropping to Class AAA in the WVSSAC’s new four-class alignment.

They will play Buckeye 8 opponents Beaver Local and Indian Creek, with the schedule to be fully fleshed out for Buckeye 8 competition in the coming seasons.

While games against the likes of Park, University and Morgantown are gone, games against John Marshall and rival Weir remain.

There’s also plenty of difficulty, as Independence will make the trek north for the Bruins’ home opener in Week 2, followed by a road trip to Bridgeport on Oct. 4.

Goff, for one, is primarily focused on his own team. Opponents are just part of the journey and the Bruins will take on all comers.

“We will play whoever is on the schedule,” Goff said. “I’m not overly concerned about that. We will roll into the Buckeye 8 in a couple of years. Until then, we will keep playing whoever is on the schedule.”

Brooke will be looking for its first postseason appearance since 2015.