New Warren Area High School head football coach Cody Bupp (left). Photo submitted to Times Observer

Less than four months since being named Warren Area High School’s new head football coach, Cody Bupp’s goal is for this team to lay the foundation for an identity.

“We are building off the momentum of (our recent) mini-camp into our summer workouts,” he said. “We will be going three days a week, with an additional day of classroom ‘chalk talks’ for our younger group. The high school staff is completed, and we are finishing up the Beaty coaching staff.

“When people talk about Warren football, we want them to know what you are going to get,” said Bupp. “We are going to continue to coach them up on all the little things, because doing the little things leads to big things happening. We have a motto this year, ‘R.O.L.L. with us’; each of those letters means something to becoming the ultimate teammate. With a young team, anyone can be called upon and be a leader. With many new faces, we will keep evaluating each one as the summer goes on and putting people in the right places to be successful.

“Offensively, we are looking to run the ball more and play to our strengths. Ball security and ball control. You will see more motion and movement for us to get angles at the point of attack. It all starts up front and winning the line off scrimmage. That will be focal point No. 1 all summer long.

“Defensively, we are going back to a penetrating, gap-control team. We need to bring a physical mentality and play downhill. Stay strong in our assignments and create turnovers. We want to make more plays than the opposing team.

“Special teams, we have won and lost games in the last two years in this area. We will be creative and explosive. I have always had a spot for special teams because this is the epitome of doing the little things right can lead to big opportunities.

“This group is tasked with building off the foundation laid before them,” said Bupp, who takes over a program that was 29-29 in six years under previous head coach Mark Morelli. “The expectations are clear, and these kids saw the hard work it took to get consistently to .500. It’s time to push the envelope and work harder. This program has a long, rich tradition of excellence. So, part of this is bringing back and teaching them the history and what it means to put on the uniform that has ‘Warren’ across the chest. Dads, uncles, brothers, grandpas have all worn the jersey and, when you put it on, there is an expectation that you will uphold the standard. We want them to understand that they are playing for something bigger than themselves. We have seen good numbers continuing to come out of the Beaty program, and we want to strengthen the development and keep the momentum going there as well.

“We’ve had good numbers in the weight room, and we wanted to see what we had coming out,” added Bupp, who was an assistant coach under Morelli and also a track & field assistant coach at WAHS. “We are happy with the turnout. We had 58 kids attend over the three-day camp. We wanted to sprinkle in some of the new schemes, but ultimately wanted to see the kids come out, compete, move around, and think about football again. It is great to see many of these multi-sport athletes and how it has benefited their development. I’ve been on the so-called recruiting trail and encouraged to see so many kids out, willing to give it a try and get invested as well in the weight room. I was really impressed with the older guys taking the younger kids under their wings and teaching. To see them leading and taking ownership was a positive. Kids like Eric Dippold, Ben Hoffman, and Sam Harvey have all been consistent voices in the off-season workouts.

“I have always had a passion for development and making people better,” said Bupp. “As a head coach now, there is some more coordination. I have always been a planner and organizer, so that comes second nature to me. Rather than watching a specific position and creating a plan, I now am looking at the whole picture. I push our coaches to make sure what we are teaching is translated into practice film and games. If it’s not, then we need to identify how to fix it or teach it differently. There are lots of other things outside of coaching, like recruiting kids to come out, meeting with school leadership, and connecting with those in the community. I enjoy all of those things and I like to think it comes naturally to me. The community support has been amazing, and I can’t thank them enough for their support of the program. We tell the kids all the time about how our community wants to rally behind our programs. There is nothing like a fall Friday night at War Memorial Field.”

A War Memorial Field in which Bupp has played on and coached at, along with his father, Mark.

“Sports have been part of my DNA since I was a child,” said Bupp. “I was blessed to have the best coach around, my father, 365 days a year. I saw the trials and tribulations that coaching can provide for you and your family. I knew that I wanted to coach in some capacity and wanted to run a program at some point. I enjoy working with student-athletes, and seeing the positive impact you can make on them. To be able to come back and take over a program that means so much to me is truly a blessing. One thing sports taught me was to always be ready and take advantage of the opportunity when it comes. I am blessed to have been selected to lead this program. I thank Mr. Flicker, Mr. Vincent, Mr. White, and Mr. Gignac for helping me throughout the process and trusting in me to take the reins.

“I have learned so much from watching my dad build his (softball) program,” added Bupp. “I think the biggest takeaways were the commitment, dedication, and the support system it takes. The time commitment that it takes both in and out of season to be successful. It’s an all-in mentality, with no hesitation. You are committed to the vision and will make sacrifices along the way. At the end of the day, have fun, stick to your plan, and rely on those that you surround yourself with to achieve your goals. I’ve also been lucky to have an uncle, Bob Domville, who was a successful soccer coach for both the girls and boys at Warren.

“I’m not sure it’s hit me yet,” said Bupp of transitioning from assistant to head coach. “It’s surreal and something I dreamed about doing one day. I took a class with John Fritz, retired Penn State wrestling coach, and he said there are two types of coaches, transactional and transformational. What one are you going to be? Kids don’t care how much you know, until you show them how much you care. I’ve never taken more away from any coaching point than that statement. I think being younger helps relate to the kids in certain situations. I am grateful for the opportunity coach Morelli gave me to learn more about my coaching style and develop the last three years.”