Pickett named as Warriors' new head football coach

The search for a new Fallbrook High School head football coach ended with the selection of Darius Pickett.

"I'm excited for the opportunity, and I think I'm at a real good place," said Pickett. "The community is one of the few communities that actually value and enjoy football and rally around the team, so it's exciting for me."

Bob Burt coached the Fallbrook varsity squad in 2016. "It was a good experience for me with the players and the parents," said Burt. "I think the kids who played for me had a good experience."

Burt told the team members that he was stepping down following the Dec. 11 team banquet. His departure allows Burt and his wife the flexibility to move to Arizona.

"We were close to moving about a year ago, and when the Fallbrook thing happened we stayed," said Burt.

Kyle Williams had been Fallbrook's head coach from 2013 to 2015 but accepted the Westview High School head coach position in February 2016. Burt was hired in April 2016.

"The players were phenomenal to deal with," said Burt. "I couldn't ask for a better group of young people and a better group of parents. Our kids never quit and played hard."

Burt's wife works in the automotive finance industry.

"I'll probably coach somewhere else," said Burt.

Approximately 15 potential coaches applied with the Fallbrook Union High School District to replace Burt, and five of those were chosen for interviews.

"We were happy with all five," said Fallbrook High School athletic director Patrick Walker. "They were highly qualified. The selling point for Pickett is he's a teacher and my main goal is to get an on-campus football coach."

Pickett currently teaches math at Oceanside High School.

"I'm hopeful that he will have the opportunity to teach here," said Walker.

Pickett had been an Oceanside High School assistant coach for 10 years before making his head coaching debut last year with Francis Parker.

The Fallbrook opening enticed Pickett to leave Francis Parker, which is located in San Diego.

"I wanted to be closer to home," said Pickett, who resides in Oceanside with his wife, May. "It was kind of a rare opportunity. I know that Fallbrook has been successful in the past. When I first moved here I remember them doing fairly well."

Pickett is originally from High Point, North Carolina, and was on his high school football team.

"I played every position except linebacker and line," said Pickett.

High School sports for Pickett also included participation on his basketball and track and field teams. He was a defensive back when he played football for North Carolina Central University. Pickett moved to California in 2001 and initially taught and coached in Los Angeles.

May Pickett, who currently teaches at Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School, and Darius Pickett met when they were both teaching in Los Angeles. May Pickett graduated from Oceanside High School and after they married Darius Pickett moved to Oceanside.

Darius Pickett was an assistant coach at Orange Glen High School for one year before joining John Carroll's coaching staff at Oceanside High School.

Carroll utilized Pickett as Oceanside's linebackers coach for eight years before converting Pickett to the Pirates' wide receivers coach for 2014.

Carroll retired after the 2014 season, and Dave Rodriguez took over the Oceanside program. Pickett remained as Oceanside's wide receivers coach for 2015 before taking the head coaching position at Francis Parker.

During Pickett's 10 seasons at Oceanside the Pirates won CIF San Diego Section championships in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015 and had section runner-up status in 2011 and 2013. In 2007 and 2009, Oceanside participated in the state championship game between a Southern California team and a Northern California squad, and the Pirates won both of those state championship games.

The Fallbrook position gives Pickett the opportunity to duplicate the on-field success Oceanside has had and Fallbrook once had. "I wanted to bring that mentality back," he said.

Oceanside also won the CIF San Diego Section championship in 2005 when Pickett was at Orange Glen. The Pirates won their first six games that year before an Avocado League game at Fallbrook ended as a 14-11 Warriors victory. The Warriors and Pirates last played each other in 2006 and the Pirates prevailed 49-0 in that Avocado League game in Oceanside.

Although Pickett will be teaching at Oceanside High School for the remainder of the spring 2017 semester, the Fallbrook Union High School

District has cleared him to participate in sixth-period football. Spring practice will begin May 8.

Pickett's planned offensive formation will differ from the wing-T utilized when Fallbrook last defeated Oceanside. "We're going to run spread offenses," he said.

One of the coaching candidates selected for an interview, Terron Sumpter Jr, "TJ", has agreed to be one of Pickett's assistant coaches. Sumpter and his two brothers played football for Fallbrook High School and later played college football for Western New Mexico University.

Darius and May Pickett have a 13-year-old son and an 11-year-old son.