Sykes steps down as Danbury football coach

For Brett Sykes, right now was the right time. After three seasons of leading the Danbury 8-man football program, Sykes recently stepped down as head coach of the Lakers. Danbury was 13-17 in Sykes' time as head coach. "Danbury has faced some real challenges with player retention, administrative support and coaching depth," Sykes said. "Long travel and Saturday games also were a factor. Those are issues that are bigger than any one coach and I felt like a fresh start — for both me and the program — was the right call. I'm proud of what we built there and I leave with nothing but respect for the kids who gave everything they had." Sykes told Danbury athletic director Joe Miller in late March that he was resigning and the job was posted internally before being posted to the public earlier this week. "We appreciated him taking the job when he took the job," Miller said. "We appreciate the contributions he has made to our program in those three years. The team improved under his watch, culminating in a 7-4 record this past year. "He took over in a situation where we didn't have a lot of kids out. He handled that situation the best he could. His first year, they won two games and got better each year after that. More kids are out and the win total has improved. We are sad to see him go." It has been a little over four months since the season ended, but Sykes wanted to give Danbury an opportunity to get someone hired before the school year ends and summer workouts begin. "In coaching, timing matters," Sykes said. "Announcing now gives Danbury the best possible runway to find the right person before the offseason gets away from them. I didn't want to leave them scrambling in June or July. The kids deserved that consideration and so did the program." Sykes is set to become the defensive coordinator at Fremont Ross under recently hired Ken Winters. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a part of Coach Winters' staff," Sykes said. "I'm looking forward to the new challenge and continuing to do what I love, which is developing young men through the game of football. The relationships, the growth you see in these kids — that never gets old. I feel like my best coaching is still ahead of me." Sykes' first year at Danbury was 2023 and the Lakers finished 2-7. The Lakers improved to 4-6 in 2024, making the Northern 8 Conference playoffs. Danbury also made the N8 playoffs this past season. "Danbury has a foundation," Sykes said. "In three seasons, we grew our winning record each year, made the playoffs twice, broke school records and just watched a senior sign with a college program. That's real progress. The pieces are there. As for 8-man football broadly, it's absolutely growing and for good reason. "With enrollment declining and participation in athletics trending downward across the board, a lot of schools are going to find themselves unable to field competitive 11-man rosters. Eight-man is a lifeline for those communities." Miller said the position will be posted until April 22. "We would love an opportunity to talk to anyone that is interested in taking over a program that is on the upswing," he said. "We are excited for the next chapter of Danbury football."