Todd Breland tabbed to lead W.A. football

By Paul Keane
The Wayne County News
Todd Breland has been named as the new Head Football Coach at Wayne
Academy.
Breland brings a storied coaching history with him to the new position,
including winning four state championships --- three as an assistant and
one as the head coach at Laurel High School. He began his career at
Laurel High School, then moved to Wayne County High School before moving
back to Laurel as an assistant, then moving to Northeast Jones taking
over as head coach at Laurel High School, where he won a state title in
2014. He finished his public school career with South Jones, retiring in
December.
Breland said he realized quickly that he needed to get back into
coaching.
"I don't think I ever got out of it mentally," he said. "This spring, I
attended some spring football practices and while I was watching I felt
my heart racing. Then Dusty (Hillman, the W.A. head baseball coach)
called me and things moved quickly. Roughly a week after that phone
call, here I am."
Breland joins a wide array of coaches who have retired from the public
school realm into the private school arena.
"I've reached out to some of my friends in the MAIS and talked about
things," he said. "At the end of the day, though, football is football.
Right now, I just need to get organized. Heck, I'm still getting lost in
the field house right now."
The new head coach said the goals for his program will be simple.
"Our No. 1 goal will be to teach life lessons and give young men an
experience they will enjoy," he said. "They only have one shot at
competing in high school sports, and I am going to do all I can to
protect them and give them that opportunity to compete."
Known for his offensive acumen, Breland said fans can expect to see many
of the same formations he has been known for over the years.
"We will line up in multiple spread formations," he said. "People talk
about the spread but it's really all about formations rather than a
spread offense actually existing. It's more of a mental thing and making
sure you're doing the right things every play.
"Defensively, I'm going to look at film on our opponents and see what
they are doing offensively and then go from there. We've got a lot of
work to do in a short amount of time."
Breland said he expects to instill the same philosophies at Wayne
Academy that have made his successful throughout his career.
"We're going to compete," he said. "We are going to teach our kids to do
the little things right. When you do the little things right on a daily
basis, the wins will come. Doing the little things right will be a big
focus for us."
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