DaLawn Parrish recalled receiving a call during a football practice from John Kelley, the head coach of Quince Orchard High School in Montgomery County, Maryland. As they spoke, Kelley questioned Parrish, the coach for Dr. Henry Wise Jr. High School, on the late times for his practices.
After explaining the late bell schedule and giving the players 20 minutes to change before practice, Parrish was surprised to hear his coaching rival was away from his players. Instead, Kelley was at his daughter’s soccer practice and told Parrish that he had time to see his family between the final bell and the start of practice.
“I have never had that pleasure,” Parrish said.
That realization was core to Parrish’s decision to leave the Upper Marlboro-based program he helped turn into a football powerhouse. Under his watch, the Pumas won six 4A state titles and 10 county championships.
Eight months after announcing his decision, Parrish is preparing for a new high school football season under a new logo: the Wolverines of Westlake High School in Charles County. He spoke to WTOP about his decision to leave Wise, joining Westlake and his expectations for his first season with the Wolverines.
Leaving Wise
When Wise opened in 2006, Parrish became its first head football coach. Under his leadership, the Pumas only needed two years to reach their first state semifinal game.
After winning a state title in 2012, the Pumas went on a tear, winning three consecutive championships between 2015-2017. During that run, Wise won 43 straight games, one of the longest streaks in the nation. Players became stalwarts at their college football teams with some reaching the sport’s highest level and going on to play in the Super Bowl.
In honor of his achievements, the school named its football field after Parrish in 2018. He finished with a 179-36 record in his 17 seasons at Wise.
“I’m still part of the Wise community; that’s never going to change,” Parrish said. “I’m attached to Wise High School, and that’s what I am.”
Despite the success, Parrish said fatigue began setting in. His family lived in Charles County, and his commute to and from work was over 40 minutes starting at 6 a.m. Wise’s late bell schedule meant practice could not start until after 4 p.m., with the coach arriving home at 8 p.m. most days during the football season.
Meanwhile, Parrish had public disagreements with Prince George’s County Public Schools over some of its policies. During the pandemic, he criticized the school system’s decision to not require student-athletes to be vaccinated before participating in fall sports. He also clashed with county school officials over eligibility issues surrounding players on his teams.
Last year proved to be a breaking point, as Prince George’s County schools chose to move some football games from Friday nights to Saturdays due to an increase in violence at area high school sporting events.
Parrish told WTOP that despite the schedule changes, police presence did not increase and the environment surrounding the games did not feel safer.
“It was getting out of hand, and I didn’t see anything changing,” Parrish said, adding that his wife and children stopped attending games in 2023 for safety reasons. “The football was good, coaching the kids, the community, the young people, but it was becoming stressful on my family.”
Thank you Coach P @DaLawnParrish!
Under the helm of Coach DaLawn Parrish the entire existence of the school, he has built Wise into not only a local powerhouse but a powerhouse in the state. Boasting 10 County Championships, 11 Region Titles and 6 State Championships. pic.twitter.com/fr6qNfhR1y
— Wise Athletics (@WisePumaSports) January 19, 2024
In mid-January — over a month after leading the Pumas to a sixth state title — Parrish announced his departure from Wise, sending shock waves in the area’s high school football scene. He said he didn’t “divorce” himself from the school but that it was a decision for his mental health.
Despite resigning, Parrish expressed his love for the community around the school. When three former Puma players, including NFL draft pick Khyree Jackson, were killed in a car crash in July, Parrish called it “gut-wrenching” after his wife woke him up to the news. He praised new head coach Steve Rapp and the school’s administration for bringing everyone together after the crash.
‘The Bill Belichick of high school football’
Following his resignation, Parrish spoke with Marlon Curtis, his former college teammate from Wake Forest and a former coach at Westlake. The former Demon Deacon challenged his friend to come to Charles County to lead the Wolverines. Soon after, then-head coach Tony Zaccarelli reached out about Parrish’s interest, even though he led Westlake to a 6-6 record in 2023.
With buy-in from his wife, a Westlake alum, approval from the community and the incentive of working only a minute away from his house, Parrish signed on to coach the Wolverines.
“I really wasn’t so sure if I was really ready to start over, but when he told me they get out at 2:15, my eyes lit up,” Parrish said jokingly. “I’m like, ‘man, so much more I could do in terms of time, and still be able to do something that I love to do.’ So I gave serious consideration, and that started the process rolling.”
Quarterback Will Drakeford Jr. remembered meeting Parrish for the first time in the spring during 7-on-7 workouts. The junior said during the preseason, Parrish has focused on the small details and raised up the intensity levels to every practice, demanding players to do better every day.
“He makes us feel like we can go out and play our best and we can win because of his pedigree,” Drakeford said. “He’s the Bill Belichick of high school football; he’s got six rings. It makes you think if you do things right, we can get there.”
Linebacker Timothy Timothy Freelon III told WTOP Parrish’s arrival helped influence his decision to not continue going to private school and to give his neighborhood Westlake a chance.
“When I came over, he made it feel like it was really home, like I could be here for the rest of my two years,” Freelon said.
Coaching at Westlake means Parrish will be competing in the 2A division, or schools with lower enrollment numbers than Wise. That also means fewer students would participate in football so some players will have to be on both the offense and defense. Along with that, Parrish said he has to prepare for new opponents in Southern Maryland he’s never played against.
However, one thing that has not changed is Parrish’s drive to win, he said, adding that Westlake’s goal this year is to win the championship. He said players such as Drakeford, Freelon and running back Devin Cox have adjusted well to the coaching change.
Likewise, the Wolverines have embraced Parrish’s winning mentality. Their first test will be away at Northern High School in Calvert County.
“For me, I want the state championship,” Freelon said. “That’s my goal, and I know that’s our goal, but we’re going to take it day by day and game by game and see how it goes.”
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