Brayden Thimons is preparing for his third season with Kiski Area football.
But this season, he is the main man in charge.
After serving as linebackers coach in 2024 and defensive coordintator this past fall, the 27-year-old Thimons is now the Cavaliers head coach.
The former standout linebacker at Highlands and later at Robert Morris and Westminster officially was hired Wednesday and is ready to get to work with ideas on how to move the program forward.
“I am extremely excited to be the Kiski Area football coach,” said Thimons, who has family members who attended schools in the district.
“There is so much support from the alumni and the community, and that gives me a lot of energy. The kids in the program work super hard. There’s so many good people within the (athletic) department. It was a job that when it opened up, I kind of was back and forth on whether it was something I wanted to shoot for. But with research and understanding even more about what Kiski Area football is all about, it made me want to go for it. It comes down to doing what I can to continue building that winning culture in this program.”
Thimons takes over for Colyn Haugh, who resigned after one season at the helm of the Cavaliers to take over as the offensive line coach for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.
Thimons and Haugh reunited at Kiski Area, recalling the bond formed through Thimons’ time at Westminster when Haugh was the defensive coordinator with the Titans.
Thimons concluded his collegiate career in 2022 with multiple all-star honors including American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches’ All-America recognition for the second year in a row. He was twice voted the Presidents Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Thimons took a year off from football after graduating from Westminster.
Arena leagues and the Canadian Football League presented possibilities for Thimons to continue playing.
“When I left Westminster, I had to decide whether I was going to chase the dream with a chance of it not happening or was I going to start making money and set myself up for life down the road,” Thimons said.
“Ultimately, I decided that my body wasn’t going to hold up for me to be able to make that push.”
Thimons began work in the painting and epoxy flooring business.
He used the fall of 2023 to watch his brother, Daniel, play his final year at Westminster and also follow his other brother, Chandler, in his first year at Waynesburg.
“Seeing them play and being there with any insight I could was important for me,” Thimons said.
But coaching called, and he soon was back in the game, this time with a different perspective.
Thimons remembered fondly the years playing under Sam Albert at Highlands, so it was a special feeling to serve as linebackers coach in Albert’s final year at Kiski in 2024.
“I talked to coach Albert every day,” Thimons said. “We would go back and forth. It just worked out that I was missing (football), and he had a spot open. My passion for the game is beyond measure.”
Thimons said his desire to give back and see his players grow in the game stemmed from a similar influence his coaches had on him during his playing days at Highlands, Robert Morris and Westminster.
“All of those coaches had such a big impact on me and helped shape me into the man I am today,” Thimons said.
Thimons said it was fun coaching with Haugh this past fall.
“We had developed a really good relationship,” Thimons said. “He was someone who really expanded my knowledge of the game. He is so passionate with football. Offense, defense, or special teams, you could ask him any question in the world and he will understand.”
Thimons said he’s excited for the coaching staff around him, a mix of holdovers from previous seasons and possibly a few new faces.
He also is set to continue the march to the 2026 season with the returning core and some younger players ready to step into bigger roles. Kiski Area finished 4-7 overall and 3-3 in Class 5A Big East Conference in 2025 with a loss to Shaler in the WPIAL first round.
“From coaches down to the players, we have to do a little bit more for us to get back on track to where we want to be,” Thimons said.
“That is my message to (the players) whenever I see them over the next couple of days. When you get to a point where every single person in that room, coaches included, are pushing themselves to that next level, that is how you become something special.”