As the former head coach for boys golf at Westlake High School, Nokes led the team to six consecutive state championships in 6A division golf, the most competitive division in high school sports. But even more than winning, Nokes said he likes seeing the lives of student athletes transform before his eyes.
“Wins are great, but seeing that happen is even better,” Nokes said.
Nokes recalled an athlete on his team who was struggling early on and got caught cheating, but following a series of tough conversations, the athlete got on the right track, changed his ways and was even voted a team captain his last year with the program.
For Nokes, one of the most rewarding parts of his job is “to see the maturity, the work ethic, to see them improve in every area and mature from a boy to a young man.”
Nokes graduated from The University of Texas in 1994 with a degree in journalism and started working at Westlake High in 1998, helping coach golf, football and basketball until 2002, when he became the golf head coach.
His knack for building relationships and a positive environment for student athletes is part of why Nokes is moving on from coaching golf after becoming the Eanes ISD athletics director in 2022.
In the new role, he helps coaches build relationships with athletes on their teams, manages the finances of the athletics program, and works with school principals and district administrators.
This year, Nokes is ready to pass the reins of boys golf to a former student athlete he helped coach: 25-year-old Michael Rome, who won two state championships with Westlake High; played golf in college; and was an assistant coach during the 2022-23 academic year, when Nokes still coached golf in addition to his job at the district.
“As with any young coach, he’s very energetic, and he’s going to do a great job,” Nokes said of Rome.
The expectations will be high for Rome and every coach at Westlake High looking for a seventh consecutive state championship, where athletics are a “huge deal.” The campus has around 2,850 students, and athletics participation is about 60%, Nokes said.
In addition to boys golf and the football team, which recently won a state championship, the Westlake Chaparrals, or Chaps, are considered among the best in the state at baseball, swimming, volleyball, basketball, tennis and girls soccer, Nokes said.
“It’s the passion of these kids,” Nokes said. “That’s why they get up in the morning.”
Nokes' achievements
Nokes saw many wins during his 20 years spent as head golf coach at Westlake High School.
- 9 team state championships (2009, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023)
- 4 individual state titles (2012, 2014, 2019, 2023)
- 2 state team runners-up (2012 and 2015)
- 3rd-place team (2016)
- 4th-place team three times (2003, 2007, 2011)
- 16 regional championships
- 17 district championships
