Former George Washington High standout Darnell Brooks' personality was felt by many, both on and off the football field.
"When I would look at my phone, whether we were doing good or bad, and I would look and Darnell had messaged, I got a smile on my face," GW coach Steve Edwards Jr. said.
"He struck everybody when he walked in the room. He was a dynamic young man. He dominated the locker room. When he spoke in the locker room, people listened. They knew he was going to produce and not just blow smoke."
Brooks died over the weekend at the age of 26. The cause of death has not been announced.
"He is as fine of a player that I've ever coached and ever at George Washington High School," Edwards said. "He made us proud and his family. This hurts."
Brooks, who graduated from George Washington in 2016, was a Class AAA second-team all-state wide receiver as a senior after catching 54 passes for 1,010 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Edwards fondly recalls the impact Brooks had on the gridiron.
"Having a guy like him that was so competitive was valuable for all of us," Edwards said. "He was valuable for the team and to us on the coaching staff. Darnell was one of the few guys that always took practice as serious as the games. He always gave me a sense of security. He'd look at me and say, 'Coach, I got you.' He always did. He loved to compete."
Edwards said Brooks was also a close friend of the coach's family.Â
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"He and my middle daughter Taylor went to the winter formal together," Edwards said. "I remembered it when looking through some pictures yesterday. He was as close to my family as a lot of people. ... This just breaks my heart."
Jon Anderson, who is now a local sports referee in the Kanawha Valley, was the principal at Horace Mann Middle School when Brooks was a student there.
"He was one of the first students I got to know when I went to Horace Mann," Anderson said on Facebook. "He was charismatic, well-spoken and an overall great kid. He was one of those kids that made you feel like you were better off for knowing him."
Anderson shared a piece Brooks wrote for the school's newsletter before transitioning to high school.
"This year has been great," Brooks said in middle school. "I've always enjoyed Horace Mann. The administration and everyone is great. It's definitely going to be sad leaving. I've definitely had some experiences at Horace Mann that I will never forget.
"This year, I think everything that took place was what I expected. Going into the eighth grade, I thought it would be a lot of fun, and it didn't disappoint."
Edwards has seen plenty of athletes leave a lasting impression on the program, but Brooks embodied what it meant to be a George Washington Patriot, he said.
"When he came in from Horace Mann, he bought in right away," Edwards said. "He knew that this is where he wanted to be. He knew that he wanted to be coached by the guys we had. He took my philosophy of 'being for us or against us.' That was helpful. He was helpful towards the coaching staff. We always knew we could count on him. He was a loyal young man and teammate. He will be sadly missed."
