Just google Frank Sisinni.
“Frank Sisinni, a Brooke High School alum and member of the 1987 state championship team, was hired (in January 2025) to take over as the Bruins’ head football coach. Sisinni previously served as the head football coach at Weir High School and was named the 2023 Herald-Star/Daily Times Coach of the Year.”
Not bad, huh? He was a champion nearly 40 years ago as a student-athlete, and much more recently, he’s excelled as a coach, as well. Now Sisinni, following 13 years as an assistant and head coach from the Red Riders, returned to his roots where the late-great Paul “Bud” Billiard taught him how to play the game.
“It’s been great to be back home at Brooke High, and to be in those hallways again and see everyone again has been very special for me,” Sisinni said. “I’ve visited with some teachers I had in school so that’s been a lot of fun, and our young men seem ready to go once the season arrived. We’ve had our summer workouts, and they are determined, that’s for sure.
Article courtesy of Lede News: Credit Steve Navotney
“Our kids have been working hard in our weight room thanks to Eric James. He’s not only our principal at Brooke High, but he has a lot of years on the sidelines as a football coach, and he’s definitely on board,” he explained. “Everyone connected to the program is working very hard right now, and that offseason work on the field and in the weight room makes a big difference when the season arrives.”
The summer camp days, according to the W.Va. Secondary School Activities Commission, are permitted as long as workouts are voluntary, open to all students, and are not required for the students to be members of a school’s athletic team. Sisinni and his coaches were allowed to be present during the practices, and he was encouraged by the turnout and the performances.
“We had 50 players come out for our summer workouts, and that tells me they’re anxious to get started. By the time we were wrapping up, our guys wanted to suit up and start the schedule,” the head coach said. “We didn’t have summer camp when I was in high school, but that’s because we were staying in shape by playing other sports. Kids are more specialized now.
“Our kids can participate in whatever camps they want, too, and that’s why football is in the morning, basketball is in the evening, and they’re playing summer baseball or softball, they do that when they want,” he said. “The kids are buying in and they’re having a blast.”
Brooke County Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Crook, once a high school football player himself, was impressed.
“We had the 50 kids on the high school level, but we also had 45 in middle school, and those numbers are a credit to the hard work Frank and his staff have been doing this summer. It also says a lot about the excitement there is for our football program right now,” he said. “Frank’s roots are here in Brooke County, and everyone is very excited that he’s come home to do what he does best.
“Hiring Frank was a game changing for our community and for the football program because he played here and he won here,” Crook said. “Frank played for the legendary Bud Billiard and that means a lot to the people here in Brooke County. Their support is important to the players ad the coaches. I’m very optimistic about this year because I think our boys are going to go out there surprise a lot of people because the kids are into it. They’re pumped, and their anxious, and everyone involved is hungry.”
Bud’s Way
Billiard became the head coach at Brooke High in 1979 and his impact was felt by the players, the administrators, and by the community immediately. In 23 years, the OVAC Hall of Famer led 15 Brooke High squads to the playoffs 15 times, and seven of them advanced to state championship games.
The Bruins won state titles three times, and two of his teams, in 1987 and again in1989, finished undefeated and were ranked among the national Top 25.
Sisinni wants that level of success to return to Brooke County sooner than later.
“We are adapting our system to the personnel we have an that allows us to evolve our philosophies on offense and defense with our capabilities are on both sides of the ball,” Sisinni explained. “That means we have the opportunity to move our philosophies into what are capabilities are, and we’re very excited about that fact. We have a lot on our roster and we’re going to be able to do a lot of things on both sides of the ball.
“We’re evaluating their skill sets and (the coaches) meet every day to build our plans on offense and on defense so can determine our identity,” he said. “We’re going to continue doping some things the old school way because that’s the way I’ve been taught and I still believe in doing certain things on and off the field the old-school way.”