The TUSD board meeting held on September 26, 2023, marked when students in the West High football program spoke out with the request to reinstate their head coach, William Edwards. Edwards was removed from his position as head coach and PE teacher in September of this year, with no explanation given to the students. The positive impact he made on the school’s football program was equal in size to the heartbreak experienced by his players.  

“I wish people could understand that Coach Edwards is our culture.” says junior Caleb Cosme. “West High is built on diversity. At West, we come together as one with hundreds of different backgrounds, whether that be Kpop Club, FFA, or football. Coach Edwards was able to represent passion, determination, and care, on and off the field. These traits led him to being my one and only role model, a man that could care for our culture.”  

Other than being head coach, Edwards had an individual connection with each player he coached. Senior McKye Valdez described what his coach meant to him,

“Coach Edwards was more than just a football coach to me. In the two years that I had known him, he taught me what it meant to be a young man and gave us lessons that we could carry beyond the game of football. He stressed the importance of being committed to your priorities and putting all your effort into everything that you do. He truly did care about the team and the individuals far beyond a winning record. He impacted the athletes he trained, the students he taught, and the people around him.” 

At minute 46:11 of the TUSD board meeting previously mentioned, Cosme spoke before the board, sharing what his coach meant to him. Specifically, that he valued Coach Edwards on the same level as a parent, as his father passed away when he was a child. “I know I would bring my dad back any way I possibly could, it feels the same with Coach Edwards.” He tells The Zephyr when asked about his decision to speak at the meeting, “I chose to face a situation which I believe is unfair, because it’s who I am. I’m not who I am because of my teachers. I am who I am because of people like Coach Edwards.”  

The football program struggled with the absence of Edwards, not just emotionally, but in terms of the game itself. “I lost an experienced coach who was well-versed in football and knew about all aspects of the game. It not only caused problems with the team trying to scramble to figure things out, but it also came to haunt us as the season progressed.” Valdez says, referring to how West began the season with a winning streak and ended it with losses the remaining Friday nights. 

West High’s football team lost more than the leader of their pack and will continue to fight until they see their head coach back where he was before.