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\nRotarians Phillips Kolsun, left, and Davis Trust Company\u2019s Hoy Ferguson, right, welcomed EHS head football coach Chad Ware to the Elkins Rotary Club\u2019s weekly meeting.<\/p>\n
Elkins High School head football coach Chad Ware recently spoke with the Rotary Club of Elkins at about the team and the team\u2019s #AsOne concept. <\/p>\n
In addition to coaching the EHS football team, Ware currently serves as the physician and community liaison for Davis Medical Center\/Vandalia Health and is connections pastor at Summit Church in Elkins.<\/p>\n
Ware was named head coach at EHS in February 2024 and is looking forward to his second year at the helm. Prior to that time, Ware served as an assistant coach from 1995 \u2013 2010, moving to the broadcast booth for approximately 11 years. At that time, Ware stepped away from the sports arena to support his son\u2019s diabetes diagnosis, and when the head coaching position came open in 2024, his wife urged him to apply for the position. <\/p>\n
The #AsOne concept came to Ware\u2019s attention in a reply to the post he made on social media, announcing that he was becoming the EHS head coach and that the team needed to do things together to accomplish anything as a program, on the field, off the field, etc. <\/p>\n
\u201cKen Simpson, who passed away last year, an early 1960s graduate of Elkins High School, simply commented on the post \u2018AsOne.\u2019 And I said that\u2019s it. We use #AsOne with everything we do,\u201d said Ware.<\/p>\n
Prior to Ware taking over the EHS football program in 2024, the team had only won two games in three years. While there were many naysayers, Ware believed in the kids and the community. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was told our community wouldn\u2019t back us, the administration wouldn\u2019t back us, that no kids would come out and play, that it just wasn\u2019t going to be a productive time for me. I believed in our community, I believed in our alumni, I knew we could get the job done if we came together AsOne,\u201d said Ware. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe year before I took over there were 28 players. This year there are 51, up from 41 last year. It\u2019s really remarkable to see the participation numbers shoot up like that.\u201d <\/p>\n
Ware had to build a complete coaching staff after taking the head coaching position. \u201cI was able to build a coaching staff of guys with great integrity, guys full of character, guys who would put the kids first and themselves second,\u201d commented Ware. <\/p>\n
EHS alumni have been tremendously helpful to Ware and the program, helping the team purchase away uniforms in Ware\u2019s first season and, this year, new home uniforms.<\/p>\n
Business and community support have also allowed the team to purchase needed equipment such as travel bags for the players. <\/p>\n
Davis Trust Company sponsored the reconditioning of the team helmets and will be recognized with a sticker on them; Reckart Logistics sponsored \u2018Team Packs\u2019 that are given to each player. Those are just a few examples of the many businesses and alumni who have been instrumental in supporting the needs of the program.<\/p>\n
At the end of the 2024 season, the team\u2019s success led to a spot in the playoffs, the first since 2020. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe were pleased with the results in year one but none of that could have been accomplished alone without the help of so many,\u201d said Ware.<\/p>\n
A key component to Ware\u2019s philosophy when taking over the program was the creation of a positive culture within the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no culture when I came in. Forget about being relevant state-wide, forget about being relevant in north central West Virginia or even in the Big 10 Conference we play in. The kids weren\u2019t even relevant in the halls of their schools. The kids wouldn\u2019t wear their jerseys on game days. So, we had to change the culture,\u201d said Ware. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith culture change, expectation levels have risen. I want people to have those expectations.\u201d <\/p>\n
For the coming year, seven players from five counties have transferred to EHS based on the team culture that has been built. <\/p>\n
An important component of the new culture of EHS football is serving the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cFootball is one part of it but there\u2019s so much more behind the scenes,\u201d said Ware. <\/p>\n
The core values of the culture are: <\/p>\n
Respect \u2014 everyone matters, everyone contributes<\/p>\n
Responsibility \u2014 supporting one another and depending on one another<\/p>\n
Accountability \u2014 accountability for your actions; you have to own your responsibility<\/p>\n
Integrity \u2014 we do the right thing when no one is looking<\/p>\n
Resiliency \u2014 anything is possible, no matter how great the adversity<\/p>\n
Members of the football team are also becoming leaders in the classroom, posting an overall team GPA for 3.3 for the past year. <\/p>\n
Members of the coaching staff follow the players\u2019 academic progress throughout the school year to ensure eligibility. The team receives leadership training from EHS and Naval Academy graduate Jeff Triplett and will also participate in a mental health summit during the fall. <\/p>\n
The EHS football season will open on August 29 at Lincoln High School in Shinnston; the first home game is on September 5 against Moorefield. The full schedule can be found at https:\/\/www.wvssac.org\/schedule\/. <\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, we averaged almost 3,500 people per home game,\u201d commented Ware. <\/p>\n
Any individuals or businesses who would like to support the EHS football team can contact Ware by messaging the Elkins High School Football History page on Facebook. <\/p>\n
\u201cI used to say why can\u2019t we do it in Elkins. Why can\u2019t it be done here? The vision is that we can do it, we will do it and we do it AsOne. That\u2019s one of the things that I really stress. My kids probably get tired of hearing AsOne, you might get tired of seeing #AsOne but I\u2019m not gonna stop using it. That\u2019s the only way we can do life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy guess is that most sitting in this room had help along the way, there\u2019s been somebody who supported you, encouraged you, whatever it might be, nobody does anything alone. That\u2019s the goal for our kids, that they don\u2019t go out and try to live life alone, that they\u2019re always pulling for one another and always have each other\u2019s back,\u201d concluded Ware.<\/p>\n
Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change \u2014 across the globe, in their communities, and in themselves. <\/p>\n
Visit www.Rotary.org to learn more about Rotary International, visit the club\u2019s Facebook page \u2014 Rotary Club of Elkins \u2014 or contact 2025-2026 club president Phillips Kolsun at phillipskolsun@gmail.com for more information about the Rotary Club of Elkins. <\/p>\n
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