Charrise Everett breaking barriers at Eastridge High

IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. (WHEC) – If you dive deep into the history books, you’ll find Charrise Everett’s name etched into the Section V records.

Everett was a part of Edison Tech’s track & field team. Their time of 48.06 in the Girls 400M relay in 2000, still stands as the second best mark of all-time in Section V.

Everett has continued to prioritize her athleticism in college, where she ran track at the University at Buffalo. She won her school’s Top Newcomer Award for Women’s Indoor Track & Field in 2002.

So it only makes sense that Everett stuck with a career in sports. After earning her Masters Degree in Health at SUNY Brockport, she became the PE teacher at Eastridge. The former sprinter ran with that and added “Coach” to her resume.

Just last Spring, Coach Everett was named the new head coach of the brand new Eastridge Girls Flag Football team. In year one, she guided the Lady Lancers to a 3-1-1 record.

Then, she got the call.

“The first text came from the girls on the flag football team. They were like, ‘Oh my gosh, coach (we can’t believe it.’”

Then when practice started in the summer, it became official. Charrise Everett was the new defensive coordinator at Eastridge.

Of the JV Football team.

“I always had a passion for football, watching football. I never actually played physical football, like tackle football, but I’d done a couple of flag football games,” said Everett, who said she remembers watching football as far back as elementary school. Her favorite player is still Emmitt Smith.

“I was always involved in the sport and liked the sport, but coaching, I could say I didn’t see it, but when the opportunity came, I couldn’t turn it down.”

Of course, Charrise Everett isn’t the first women’s coach in football history, but it’s also not very common. Jen Welter became the NFL’s first female coach just seven years ago. There still aren’t any women in high positions in the NFL (head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator).

Yet despite the novelty of Everett, a woman, on a high-school football staff, it’s been nothing short of a very positive feedback from the most important people – her players.

“We really like her and she’s very good at coaching. And she’s always teaching us things we should be doing. And if we do it wrong, she’ll always talks to us and talks us into it and we do it better,” said Benigno Calixto, a sophomore linebacker and quarterback.

Everett was Calixto’s gym teacher the year before, so for him, it was surprising to see her on the turf.

“I showed up the first day and she was there and I was like, she was in my gym class, so I kind of remembered her. It was cool. It was a cool experience,” said Calixto.

So clearly, even though the Lancers still haven’t played game one, Everett’s already kicked things off in a big way.

“They believed in me. I didn’t go looking for it. They sought me out based upon what they saw, so they believed in me and I always believe in myself,” said Everett.

Now, Everett’s mark isn’t just ink on a page in a high-school record book. Or in today’s age, text on a computer screen. Instead, her mark is something much more important. It’s the lessons she’s lending to the student-athletes that were once in her shoes 22 years ago.

And this time, it’s on the gridiron.