joshua Owls alumnus spotlight: brek galbreath
Brek graduated from JHS in 2019 after earning two varsity letters in football. After high school, Brek was a four-year starter for the Oklahoma Baptist University baseball team (2021-2024).
Full disclosure: I can't even pretend to pretend to be unbiased when it comes to Brek; I coached him at JHS during the 2019 baseball season, and I love this dude.
Brek's answers are in bold; my thoughts on his answers are in [brackets].
How many varsity football seasons did you play at JHS?
I played two full seasons on varsity.
What position(s) did you play at JHS?
I played defensive end on varsity, and was a QB my freshman and sophomore season on
JV.
Can you recall any all-district, all-county, or all-state honors you received in football?
I received 1st team All-District and 2nd Team All-County.
[And District Newcomer of the Year for the 2017 football season, if memory serves.]
What was your favorite win as a Joshua Owl?
I think my favorite win as an Owl was beating Cleburne in our final game of the season
my junior year (2017 season) to improve our record to 4-6. The four wins was the most
since 2009 for the Owls, and the first time Joshua had beat Cleburne since 2007.
[If there's anything better than beating Cleburne, I've yet to find it. I'm glad you agree, Brek.]
While playing football at JHS, who were some of your most memorable teammates?
I had the privilege to play with a lot of great guys while playing at Joshua. My
group of friends were really close; we grew up playing pee-wee together. Some guys I
still consider myself to be close with 'til this day are Justis and Jayden Chaney, Arnie
Griffin, Joey Rainbolt, Micheal Caldwell, Justin Gibson, and Xavier Gomez.
[Brek was a phenomenal teammate, and the way he answered this is just perfect.]
Who was your favorite coach in your time at JHS?
I think my favorite football coaches as an Owl would be Coach Shon and Coach Smith.
Both these coaches just brought a special type of energy to the field everyday during
fields and practice that would just make you want to run through a wall for them.
[Coach Shon is a great dude. He and I had many conversations about our shared love for video editing, '90s-'00s hip hop, and college football.]
How old were you in the fall of 1996, the last time the Owls made the playoffs? Is there anything about that season you remember?
I actually wasn't even a thought during 1996, being that I was born in 2001. My dad was
a part of that playoff football team of 1996.
Brek with his future bride
What other varsity sports did you play at JHS?
I was a part of the baseball team and powerlifting team.
[Brek was "a part of the baseball team and powerlifting team" at JHS the way John Lennon was a part of the Beatles. He played center field and pitched for the two most successful baseball teams in school history (2018 and 2019), and was named 2nd Team All-State his senior year...as both a pitcher AND outfielder. He also won a state powerlifting championship in 2019, aided no doubt by his 630 POUND BENCH PRESS TOTAL!!! Read that shit again...630 pounds. He benched a Honda Civic, essentially. Stupidly impressive.]
You played college baseball, and your career started right as COVID shut the whole world down. Can you describe how challenging and difficult that part of your career was?
COVID definitely made things harder for me as a first-year college athlete. When COVID, we were a little under halfway through the baseball season. We all received that year of eligibility
back, but the next year we were forced to wear masks outside on the baseball
field during our off season practices, and were also required to do mandatory random COVID
screenings. As time went on the rules became more relaxed and things sorta went back to
normal. From a playing perspective the level of competition increased due to the fact
everyone received an extra year of eligibility so as a freshman I'm 18 years-old playing
against and with 25/26 year-olds.
What does your life look like these days?
Life these days consists of staying active in the gym, doing fun things with my son on my
days off, and working at the fire station.
[Brek's son is quite possibly the most adorable baby on the planet.]
Give me your prediction of Joshua’s 2025 record:
After a bounce back week from a week one loss I think the Owls build off of their season
last year and finish at least 5-5. But will need to build some confidence and momentum
before going into distinct play that consist of several solid football teams/programs.
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Thanks for taking the time to answer these, Brek. I've coached a lot of kids, and you're right at the top of the list as far as my favorites. I've no doubt that you'll absolutely dominate the sport of fatherhood, and that here in a few years there'll be yet another Galbreath running around and making plays for JHS.
Go Owls.
