Submitted by Johnston County Public Schools
WILSON’S MILLS — Wilson’s Mills High School didn’t have to look far from home for its first head football coach.
Brent Bailey, a Clayton High School graduate, will take on the challenge of starting a brand new football program at Wilson’s Mills, which will open this fall.
Bailey arrives at Wilson’s Mills after spending the past three seasons at Cedar Ridge High School in Orange County, where he said one of his biggest points of pride was helping rebuild participation in a struggling program. The Fighting Red Wolves were 1-27 in Bailey’s tenure.
He said Cedar Ridge had 22 players in his first season and grew to more than 50 by this past year, the program’s highest numbers in about a decade. That experience, he said, helped prepare him for the unique challenge of starting a brand-new program.
In fact, the chance to build a program from the ground up drew Bailey to the job.
“I like the idea of a challenge,” he said. “I think it’s a lot of fun to watch something manifest and build as you grow with the program.”
For Bailey, the move is also personal.
He grew up in the area, lived in Archer Lodge, and graduated from Clayton in 2007. Having played sports in the area from the time he was a kid, Bailey said it feels “pretty full circle.” And after three years of commuting to Hillsborough, he said it feels good to be back home in Johnston County.
Bailey’s familiarity with the area makes him believe the Wilson’s Mills community will quickly embrace the program.
As he begins assembling Wilson’s Mills’ program, Bailey said his philosophy will center on players first.
“My coaching philosophy is very simple,” he said. “We’re gonna be student-athlete driven.” He added that he wants coaches in the program who love working with kids and helping “mold young men.”
Bailey said one phase will define the culture he wants to build: “Dedication is the bridge to success.” In his eyes, that means players are committed in the classroom, in the community and on the football field.
For now, Bailey’s top priorities are hiring a strong staff and meeting parents of future students. He said he hopes to have many coaches who are teachers in the building and can connect with students outside of football.
Wilson’s Mills will begin with a junior varsity-only schedule this fall. Bailey said success in the first year won’t be measured only by wins and losses, but also by how much the team improves from the start of the season to the finish.
“I think you measure success by how much growth you have,” he said.
Long term, Bailey hopes to see Wilson’s Mills become one of the top programs in Johnston County, known for being physical, respected and difficult to play against. With players expected to gain early varsity experience as the program grows, he believes the foundation can be laid quickly, especially with a focus on the weightroom from the start.
“I want it to be a place where (other teams) don’t want to come to play,” he said. “We want to be physical, and we want to be feared.”
Before becoming the head coach at Cedar Ridge, Bailey was the offensive coordinator and associate head coach at Bunn High School. From 2016-2021, he was an assistant coach at Clayton, serving as the wide receivers coach, JV offensive coordinator, and eventually, the varsity offensive coordinator.