New coach looking to build a program at Berryville

Rebuilding the Berryville High School football program doesn’t start with planting a seed, first-year head coach Macklin Chermak said Monday.

“We’re tilling the ground,” Chermak said.

A Wisconsin native, Chermak was hired in May as the Bobcats’ head coach after the surprise departure of Bryan Hutson after two seasons.

Chermak — “Coach Mack” for short — most recently served as defensive coordinator at Coweta High School in Oklahoma. He said Berryville realistically needs a 40-player roster to compete in Class 4A. The Bobcats are averaging 23 players a day at practice, Chermak said, with 26 on the field Monday.

That said, Chermak said he’s been pleased with the effort he’s seen so far this summer. He especially praised several seniors: Carlos Barrios, Alex Figueroa, Zane Gentry, Samuel Hausman, Talan Hill, Lucas Pierce and Nick Utt.

“It’s a very small senior class, much smaller than we need for a successful program,” Chermak said. “But the ones who are here are committed to working hard and they deserve the best from the coaches and their teammates.”

Offensively, the Bobcats have a returning starter at quarterback in junior Decimus Ruiz, who was under center for all 10 games last season. Ruiz is more dangerous as a runner than a passer. He rushed for three touchdowns in a 62-0 victory over Decatur last season.

Chermak said Gentry’s athletic ability puts him in the mix at quarterback, as well.

“We’re going to try get some Wildcat with both those guys,” Chermak said. “Both of them are good runners. We don’t have Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning, right? And everyone knows that. Decimus is throwing better but his strength is in his legs. We might try to get them both in the backfield where we’re trying to mark it harder on defenses.”

When Berryville is on defense, Chermak said the Bobcats will have a different philosophy this fall.

“It’s going to be a bend-but-don’tbreak defense,” he said. “It may sound silly but the number one goal on defense is not to let the other team score. But that’s not the goal of most defenses. Most defenses are: ‘Don’t let them get a first down. Don’t let them get a certain amount of yards.’ That’s not for us. Our goal is to keep points down no matter what. I’ve had a lot of success on defense through my career. You can’t cover every inch of grass on the field. That’s not possible from the dawn of football. So it’s, give a little in order to stop a lot. If the other team has the ball for 20 plays and doesn’t score, that’s a win.”

Offensively, Chermak said the Bobcats will use a variety of formations and motions.

“We want to keep defenses off balance while controlling the ball,” he said. “In year one, it’s not going to be a bigplay offense. That’s always the goal for offensive coordinators but right now, it’s building. It’s laying a foundation.”

Berryville went 4-16 the past two seasons under Hutson. Chermak is the Bobcats’ sixth head coach since the start of the 2010 season.

“We’re working hard to change the culture,” Chermak said.

The first step is increasing the Bobcats’ sheer numbers.

“I’ve tried to develop as many different avenues of communication as possible,” Chermak said.

Increasing depth and building a winning culture won’t happen overnight, Chermak acknowledged.

“I’ve been trying to temper expectations,” he said. “You know we’re going to take some blows. We’re going to take some punches. Our goal is that we take any punches we get and we throw everything we’ve got back.”