New Ringgold coach ready to face challenges of restoring winning culture

By: Liam Belan
Friday, August 26, 2022 | 10:33 AM

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Marcus McCullough played his final football game at Ringgold in 1987, losing to New Castle in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals.

Now he’s in charge of restoring the Rams’ program into the force that it once was, and he’s relishing that chance in his first season at the helm.

“It’s certainly an honor that they’ve given me an opportunity to work with the youth and give back to the place where I grew up and played,” McCullough said. “Having the chance to restore Ringgold’s program, with the tradition that they once had as far as being a competitive football team, is an honor that I take very seriously.”

The road ahead will bring challenges for this Ringgold program. The Rams are coming off of a 3-7 season and move into a similar conference that features Connellsville, Latrobe, Laurel Highlands, McKeesport, Thomas Jefferson and Trinity. The Rams were 0-4 against those opponents last year.

The first steps for Ringgold involve creating a winning culture with an emphasis on teamwork and selflessness.

McCullough will have a star-studded coaching staff to help him with three former head coaches joining as assistants. Ed Jenkins, a former Charleroi head coach, is assistant head coach. Mark Adams, a former Southmoreland head coach, is the defensive coordinator. Cedric Lloyd, a former Uniontown head coach, is coaching the defensive line. Kris Hooper and Randy Simko have remained on staff and the group has been working together since March.

“I’ve been blessed to have a very committed and experienced coaching staff around me to help me start with this program,” McCullough said.

Another quality addition to the staff has been Greg Levander, who has “invigorated some energy and woken up the passion of some of our players,” according to McCullough. He said the entire squad has been working extremely hard with Levander and that he will continue to preach the importance of his program’s strength and conditioning, just like his coaches did when he played.

All these pieces will be important to turning things around, and while the process will take time, McCullough believes progress has already been made.

“I feel like the team is picking up on what we’re trying to establish, and it’s a pretty good feeling,” he said. “It’s different every day, and even I am learning a lot being in a different position.”

Senior quarterback Alex Coccagna has been handed the keys to the offense and is already starting to grasp his new coach’s vision.

“This young man is very bright, and with a quarterback-heavy offense, he’s had to learn a whole lot in a short time,” McCullough said. “He’s digested everything very well and he’s doing great so far.”

Jerry Mease, Zach Cheplic and Jacob Pehowic will help bolster the offensive line. They will be blocking for two running backs, junior Maddox Sukel and sophomore Keyshawn Goggins, who will operate as a committee. Coccagna’s receivers include Donte Newton, Evan Parsons and Jamar Bethea.

On defense, McCullough admitted that several young players will have to step up and take on bigger roles. He also praised senior Kevin Willis as a leader who underclassmen can look up to and learn from. He added that his defensive unit has “responded well” this summer in learning a new system.

As the Rams prepare for the new season, they are working to build camaraderie, along with trust and appreciation for each other.

“I’d like to improve on the team chemistry and the culture throughout the program,” McCullough said. “I’d like to improve on that through team building and just getting to know the players on a personal level as well as working with the parents and the local community a bit more.

“Football is the ultimate team sport where you have 11 people working together at one time for one goal. We need to trust each other, and we will get there with time.”

As a Ringgold graduate, McCullough wants to restore the success that he knows that the Rams are capable of. This year’s team will go as far as that passion can take them.

“When this opportunity came about, I didn’t want to walk away from my coaching career thinking that I didn’t get a chance as a head coach,” McCullough said. “At this age (52), where I’m at right now, I’m just happy with this opportunity and I want to make the best of it.”

Ahead of its first season under a new coach, Ringgold will look to raise the bar in terms of not only performance, but also expectations.

“A successful season for us would be to make the playoffs, but we want to win more than we have in the past few years,” McCullough said. “Our goal is to win every game we play and compete at the highest level, and we’re going to find a way to improve on the last few seasons.”

Ringgold

Coach: Marcus McCullough

2021 record: 3-7, 0-6 in Class 4A Big Eight Conference

All-time record: 249-274-12

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.26 Elizabeth Forward, 7

9.2 at McGuffey, 7

9.9 West Allegheny, 7

9.16 West Mifflin, 7

9.23 at Connellsville*, 7

9.30 McKeesport*, 7

10.7 at Latrobe*, 7

10.14 Thomas Jefferson*, 7

10.21 at Laurel Highlands*, 7

10.28 Trinity*, 7

*Conference game

Tags: Ringgold