By Michael Carman
Peninsula Daily News
FORKS — Trevor Highfield should fit in pretty well in Forks.
Highfield, the son of an iron-worker and commercial salmon fisherman father and a mom who worked in a saw mill pulling chain, is the new Spartans head football coach.
The former University of Washington offensive lineman and college head football coach takes over for Emil West who went 15-13 in three seasons.
Highfield has an extensive coaching background at the NCAA Division I and II levels and has spent the last 11 years at Louisburg College, a two-year school in North Carolina.
He was the Louisburg head coach the last four seasons, racking up an impressive 29-4 record while graduating his athletes and seeing eight players from the 2018 team sign to play at Division I schools.
Highfield also is a certified teacher and is expected to instruct weightlifting courses for the district.
“The big thing for us is his overall philosophy and being focused on character-building first through football,” Forks athletic director Kyle Weakley said. “That’s what made him stand out — his focus on teaching lessons much bigger than football.”
Highfield has hit the ground running in advance of Forks’ spring football practices, which will begin May 28.
“I really began [Thursday] in going around and personally introducing myself to kids, going to lunches at the junior high and high school and introducing myself,” Highfield said Friday.
Three events to introduce Highfield to players, parents and the community are planned this week in the high school commons.
A meeting for interested high school football players currently in grades eight through 11 will be held at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Community members are invited to meet the new coach and enjoy snacks and coffee at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and a player and parent meeting will be held Friday at 6 p.m. to receive information on spring practices and attending team camp at Central Washington University from June 15-18.
Highfield also checked one of the biggest boxes Weakley had in the district’s coaching search.
“The biggest thing for us is commitment,” Weakley said in March. “It goes baack to Forks being a unique place. We want to find somebody that this is a good fit for them.
“If somebody is only going to be here for a few years its tough to build a program.”
Highfield appears to fit the bill.
“My wife and I were looking for a place and an opporunity to plant our flag and raise our children,” Highfield said. “We were in the collegiate field for a number of years coaching and teaching and were not spending as much time with them as we would have, so being around them in a smaller community was really important for us.”
Highfield said he grew up in a logging community in Colton, Ore., a town he said is smaller than Forks.
He’d fish with his dad out of Pacific City, Ore., in the summertime and eventually played football for the Huskies, redshirting during the team’s 1991 national championship season.
Highfield was a three-year starter along the offensive line for the Dawgs from 1993-1995, earning All-Pac 10 honors and being picked as the team’s Lineman of the Year in his senior season.
He was a multiple award winner as a senior, including receiving second-team All-PAC 10 honors, as well as being tabbed the Huskies Lineman of the Year.
While at UW, he became good friends with former Forks football coach and teacher Andrew Peterson. Peterson let Highfield know of the coaching opportunity with the Spartans and he quickly applied.
“What drew us was the tight-knit community here,” Highfield said. The kids come from hard-working people and that creates some good football. So that and the opportunity to be around our children more really drew us here.”
Highfield is married to Clare, whom he met at the University of Texas El-Paso while coaching under former Washington State head coach Mike Price. The couple have two children, Haylijane (12 next month) and Kade (10).
He said he was excited to get to work.
“Forks is providing me a tremendous opportunity to work toward my mission of building people with character and empathy who can make a difference in the world,” Highfield said.
As for X’s and O’s, Highfield played it coy.
“Come out and watch the game,” Highfield said.
Trevor Highfield, a former University of Washington offensive lineman and junior college coach in North Carolina, has been hired as the new head coach for Forks football.
