The Chapmanville Regional High School football team hosted a family picnic on Friday evening at Barker Stadium as a way to build unity and a feeling of family as they prepare for the new season. It was the second such event and the first under new head coach Zach Belcher.
The event featured food, cornhole, fun and a showing of ‘Remember The Titans.’ Belcher, a Chapmanville graduate who was previously the Tigers’ defensive coordinator, said that he was excited to leave his mark on the program.
“Getting family engagement and involvement is very important,” said Belcher. “For everyone to see all of the new stuff we’ve brought in and have a family atmosphere is a positive. We want a positive environment and positive attitudes. We want the families to be excited along with the players.”
Belcher is already putting his fingerprints all over the Tiger squad with a newly decorated locker room, new equipment, shoulder pads, helmets and other items for his mostly young team. He said that it’s been an adjustment going from an assistant to a head coach.
“Whenever you’re the head coach, you have to focus on the big picture,” Belcher explained. “You have to be the leader and make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to do. I’m adjusting well. I have a great staff.”
The Tigers built a lot of chemistry over the summer, winning 21 7-on-7 games. He feels that work will help the already strong football program rebound quickly after the loss of several key seniors.
“We performed well and communicated well,” noted Belcher. “They picked up on it quickly. The practices translated on the field. We competed hard but also displayed great sportsmanship.”
Belcher added that he’s coming into a good situation, noting that he had over 40 players day this summer with a high of 52 players.
“We have a great foundation at Chapmanville,” he noted. “We have a great and prestigious past with a lot of success, but we need to build on that. I use the statement ‘Brick by Brick’ on everything that we do. We have on shirts and hashtags. All of our equipment is going to say it. We really are building it brick by brick, and we have the Chapmanville and Harts communities. We want to use them and come together with community involvement. I want everyone to feel welcome here. We’re building great things here – a great program.”
Belcher graduated from Chapmanville in 2009 and then went to play at Concord University. He spent the previous 10 years as an assistant for taking over the head spot for this season.
As for the event itself, there was lots of good food and fun to be had as the Tigers came together as a family to continue to build their program brick by brick.
