Mike Eddy is settling into his new role as the head football at Parkersburg South, taking over for Jon Bolen who spent the past six seasons at the helm. Eddy, a former assistant at rival Parkersburg, spent the past four years as the head coach at Gallia Academy in Ohio.
“It was a tremendous experience for me and for my family – they treated us very well down there and it was really a bittersweet situation when we decided to leave,” Eddy said. “But when this Parkersburg South job opened, it gave us an opportunity to come back home and get closer to family. I just didn’t think I could pass it up.”
Eddy took over a struggling Gallia Academy team in 2009 that had gone a combined 9-11 the previous two seasons. After a 2-8 transition year, Eddy led the Blue Devils to 7-3 and 6-4 records in years two and three, followed by a breakthrough 8-2 season in 2012 where his team went undefeated in Southeastern Ohio Athletic League play.
A graduate of Tyler County High School, Eddy was an assistant at Parkersburg from 2004 to 2008 under head coach Bernie Buttrey prior to taking the head coaching position at Gallia Academy.
“He’s the guy that taught me how to become a football coach, so I owe a lot of things to him as well,” Eddy said of Buttrey.
Now, just five years later, he will find himself coaching on the opposing sidelines during the annual Parkersburg-Parkersburg South matchup.
“I don’t really expect it to be odd,” Eddy said. “If anything, it’s exciting and a great challenge for us. I look forward to Week 10 and to that opportunity to challenge the Big Reds for that city crown.”
Eddy held the first team meeting with his new players on Friday of last week and then had the first workout session in the weight room on Monday.
“We’re going to be an inexperienced team next year, but we’re not necessarily going to be a young team,” Eddy said. “They graduated 18 seniors this past year, so most of the game experience has graduated. But at the same time, there are still a lot of rising seniors, sophomores and juniors from last year’s team that didn’t really get their shot.
“They’re really hungry for that opportunity and they want to be successful right out of the gate and they know their time is short,” Eddy continued. “I know we’re going to get their best effort. I really think we’re going to be able to overcome the transition process. If you’re willing to go in and put in the hard work and do your very best, you’re going to have an opportunity to get what you want. I think these guys are definitely on that same page with me and I think that’s why we’re going to work pretty well together.”
You can watch a complete interview with Eddy above.